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Summary

The church was rebuilt between 1862-1865, except for the 14th century tower. Features include a late Norman font, the canopied tomb of Thomas Grenville (who died in 1513), a late 16th century carved tower screen and mural monuments of the 17th and 18th centuries. Parts of a stone screen are located on the south side of the chancel in the new church.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1200893: CHURCH OF ST MARY

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5252
• National Monuments Record: 895989
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42NE/16
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 375791

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Rebuilt, XIX - 1862 AD to 1865 AD (Between))

Full description

NMR, SS42NE41 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV19522.

Loftus-Brock, E. P., 1883, The Peculiarities of the Ancient Churches of Devonshire, 27-34 (Article in Serial). SDV19516.

Loftus-Brock, E. P., 1883, The Peculiarities of the Ancient Churches of Devonshire, 27-34 (Article in Serial). SDV19516.

Worthy, C., 1884, Notes - Genealogical and Historical - Being a Second Essay towards a History of Bideford, 699-702 (Article in Serial). SDV18900.

Bideford parish church became ruinous and had to be dismantled in 1862.
Some of carvings from the old church were sold. Some of these were bought by Mrs. Friendship: including a bust of a boy set in oak which had been fixed on a bracket on Mrs. Birde's pew- the name Donatello is painted on the back and it may have been used as an altarpiece; a head and bracket of Theobold Grenvile carved in oak, a fine head of Richard Grenville and other carvings including two lengths 610 millimetres long which are believed to be by Gibbons. She also has the cover of the font which Cromwell's soldiers used for feeding swine.

Tedrake, 1895, Illustrated Guide to Bideford, 57-61 (Unknown). SDV350114.

Clark memorial tablet.

Department of National Heritage, 19/04/1993, Bideford (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV338459.

Clark memorial tablet (probably a re-set headstone) attached to the outer wall of north chancel chapel. The tablet commemorates Captain Henry Clark (died 1836). A single piece of slate incised with a drawing of a single-masted ship in full sail, together with the inscription: A TRIBUTE To the Memory of CAPTAIN HENRY CLARK, of this Town, Who Departed this Life 28th. April 1836, Aged 61years.
Our worthy FRIEND who lies beneath this Stone,
Was Master of a Vessel all his own;
Houses and lands had he and GOLD in store,
He spent the whole, and would if ten times more.
For Twenty Years he scarce slept in a BED,
Linhays and Limekilns lull'd his weary head,
Because he would not to the Poorhouse go,
For his proud Spirit would not let him to.
The Blackbird's whistling Notes at Break of Day,
Used to awake him from his BED of HAY,
Unto the Bridge and Quay he then REPAIR'D,
To see what SHIPPING up the River Steer'd.
OFT in the week he used to VIEW the Bay,
To see what SHIPS were coming in from Sea,
To Captains wives he brought the welcome News,
And to the Relatives of all their CREWS.
At last poor HARRY CLARK was taken ill,
And carried to the Workhouse 'gainst his Will,
But being of this mortal Life quite tired,
He liv'd about a month and then expired.

The tablet was erected by public subscription.

Granville, R., 1902, A History of the Church at Bideford and Some of its Rectors, 201-222 (Article in Serial). SDV19525.

Bligh Bond, F., 1903, Devonshire Screens and Rood Lofts. Part II, 442 (Article in Serial). SDV6113.

Parts of a stone screen are located on the south side of the chancel in the new church.

Clarke, K. M., 1916, The Baptismal Fonts of Devon. Part 4, 305-6 (Article in Serial). SDV145498.

Photo.

Carbonell, B. M. H., 1928 - 1929, Granite Pillars at Bideford, 9 (Article in Serial). SDV19510.

The fabric of the old church was re-used in various buildings in the area when it was restored.

Rouge et Noir, 1940 - 1941, Chapel near Bideford, 73-74 (Article in Serial). SDV19511.

A deed of 1516 refers to a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary near Bideford Bridge. Possibly a chapelry or fraternity attached to the parish church, also dedicated to St. Mary.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 337 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Parish church of St. Mary, rebuilt in 1865, except for 14th century tower. A late Norman font and canopied tomb of Thomas Grenville ( who died in 1513), a late 16th century carved tower screen and mural monuments of the 17th and 18th centuries are located within the church.

White, W., 1968, Reprint of History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devonshire, 758-9 (Monograph). SDV323585.

Department of Environment, 1973, Bideford Borough, 1 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV15283.

Rebuilt except for west tower, in perpendicular style in 1865 by Ashworth. C16 tower screen. Norman font. Effigy of Sir Thomas Graynfyld, who died in 1513. Wall tablet with a bust of John Strange (mayor) during the plague of which he died.

Devon County Council, 1975, Bideford Town Trail, 77-8 (Article in Monograph). SDV352469.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 90, 94, 97 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

Unknown, 1980, Lavatory Block Bideford Church (Correspondence). SDV356675.

During digging of foundations for a lavatory block 'big stones' were reported to have been uncovered. Site visited by the Assistant Field Officer, who noted tha stone rubble and mortar construction was visible beneath the 19th century wall at the angle of the west tower butress and south aisle. This appeared to be the foundations for the 19th century rebuild of the main body of the church. It was distinctive from the medieval foundations of the tower. These were dry-stone in construction and of neat paralell courses.

Cooper, R. D., 1988, St. Mary's Parish Church, Bideford, Photographs; sketch plan (Monograph). SDV350908.

George Oliver writing in "Ecclesiastical Antiquities in Devon" in 1842 describes seeing granite columns removed from the church and "broken up to serve for gate posts about the country and such fantastic doors and windows etc." The Norman church was demolished in 1862 and a temporary church erected in Potters Lane (now North Road). Prior to 1862 the Borough records and most of the church records were stored in a room under the vestry, which at that time was at the extreme easterly end of the north aisle. After rebuilding they had disappeared without trace.
There seems to have been a "free-for-all" distribution of the material which made up the Norman church. Pillars were used for gateposts and some can still be seen around the district. The wood was used for firewood and anything carved was sold in gift shops.
In 1878 the rector of Bideford purchesed from the "Friendship collection of relics from the Old Church" a number of bench ends which he had made up as a screen for his choir vestry at the base of the Tower.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 174 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Scrutton, S., 1990, John Andrew, Merchant, 10 (Article in Serial). SDV17605.

Customary tithe document, St Mary's Church, Bideford. In the church porch can be seen a copy of an old document written in 1597 setting out the customary tithes due in the town of Bideford.

Department of Environment, 1993, Bideford, 90 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV6992.

Parish Church. Probably 15th century; all but the tower which was rebuilt by Edward Ashworth in 1862-5. Fittings and monuments were retained from the old church. Stone rubble, with limestone details. Slate roof. Nave, north and south aisles with attached chapel on north, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, north and south porches, west tower. Both medieval and 19th century parts in Perpendicular style. Three-stage tower with angle-buttresses at north-west and south-west corners; set-back buttresses at east end of north and south faces. Five-sided stair-turret on north face. Pointed-arched west doorway with double-ogee mouldings; 19th century ribbed door with ornamental strap-hinges. Above it a 4-light traceried window with pointed arch (restored). Second stage has single-light windows with cinquefoil arches in north and south faces (both restored); that to south has square-headed slit window above it. Two-light apertures in each face, that to east apparently reduced in height to insert a clock; the other 3 openings have pointed arches, each light beneath having itself a plain pointed arch. Stair-turret has pointed-arched doorway (probably 19th century) with plank door having ornamental strap-hinges; 5 original slit windows. Tower finished with battlemented parapet. Nineteenth century body of the church has traceried windows, mostly of 3, 4, or 5 lights; pointed arches, except for 4-centred ones on north and south sides of chancel chapels; hood-moulds have dramatic high-relief male and female heads as terminals.
Interior: nave has 6-bay aisle-arcades with 4-centred arches; similar 2-bay arcades in chancel. Nave and south aisle have false hammerbeam roofs; arch-braced roofs over north aisle and chancel; wagon roofs over chancel chapels. Fittings: Norman stone font with scalloped bowl having carved panels and cable-mouldings. Doors in tower arch made up of early 16th century carved bench-ends. Nineteenth century pulpit; white marble veined with orange; green and red marble attached columns; attached figure of Christ. Glass screen between the north aisle and chapel engraved by Peter Tysoe, 1982. Several stained glass windows, including east window by A. Gibbs, 1865, and north window by Dix.
Monuments: traceried stone screen between chancel and south chapel incorporating tomb of Sir Thomas Graynfild (who died in 1514); chest with quatrefoil panels carrying recumbent figure in armour; south aisle has wall monument with high-relief bust of John Strange, merchant (died 1646), four times mayor of Bideford; inscription recording his work during the plague, of which he died.

Horner, W., 1999, DAP/ACF, 8-10 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342467.

Torridge District Council, 2000, Proposed Installation of Externally Sited Gas Heating Unit & Associated Ducting (Planning Application). SDV356680.

Torridge District Council, 2003, Bideford Townscape Heritage Initiative Stage 2 Bid (Un-published). SDV345899.

Rushton, N., 2006, River Torridge Pipeline, Bideford, Devon: Rapid Archaeological Appraisal, 7, 12 (Report - Interim). SDV342463.

WA 02.

Rushton, N., 2006, River Torridge Pipeline, Bideford, Devon: Rapid Archaeological Appraisal, 7, 12 (Report - Interim). SDV342463.

WA 02.

Torridge District Council, 2009, Bideford Conservation Area Appraisal, 6, 17 (Report - non-specific). SDV351295.

Elements of a ‘Saxon’ church are said to have been revealed during 19th century reconstruction of the parish church.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4517 - Archaeological Appraisal of River Torridge Pipeline Routes, Bideford, Devon

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