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Summary

Parish church built about 1300. Aisles added about 1500. Interesting carved bench-ends date from late 15th - early 16th century (hoskins).

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1163906: CHURCH OF ST PETER

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5270
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42NE/3
• Old Listed Building Ref (I)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV412.

Chanter notes the dedication of the church to the celtic saint, st. Petrock (chanter).

SPEAR, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88037.

One of the first mentions of a church at westleigh comes in the pleas of the crown of the 13th century. The list of vicars goes back to 1297. The church dates from the 1300s and is notable for its spaciousness. The embattled 15th century tower, prominent at the head of the village, rises in three stages, with a demi-octagonal turret on the south side. Inside the south porch roof, excellent carved bosses and old beams are to be seen. Ashworth in 1866 noted traces of old colouring. An image niche remains of the porch gable. Originally cruciform in plan until the north transept was extended into an aisle in 1500 approx. It is separated from the nave by a three bay arcade with clustered granite columns having simplet bell capitals. The chancel, slightly lower than, and offcentre to the nave has been rebuilt, but the 14th century tracery of the east window has been replaced. Seen from the interior, the roofs are very rich, waggon-shaped and have good bosses some of which are gilded. Angel figures range along the wall plates of the nave. A lofty 14th century arch leands to the transept which contains a trefoil-headed decorated piscina. Some well-preserved bench ends. In addition to the usual local "barum" floor tiles, there are some older 15th century ones, probably from the very early established barnstaple pottery. The church was restored in 1880. The moveable desks and choir stalls are modern. The church was redecorated in 1952 and extensive repairs were carried out in 1953. Some notable memorials to the cleveland family of tapeley. The registers date from 1561. In 1553 there were four bells, of which three remained and two more added in the 19th century. All were recast in 1882. Now a peal of six bells (spear).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88039.

Pevsner, n. /the buildings of england: north devon/(1952)165-166.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88040.

Hoskins, w. G. /devon/(1954)514.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88041.

Keen, l. /jbaa/32(1969)144-170 figs. Pls. /a series of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century lead-glazed relief tiles from north devon.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88042.

Chanter, j. F. /tda/39/(1907)129/second report of the committee on church plate.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88043.

Chanter, j. F. /tda/42(1910)491/christianity in devon before 909 ad.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88044.

Spear, j. Rev/westleigh parish church leaflet/(1988)/photocopy in parish file of smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88045.

Doe/hhr:westleigh/(29/5/1986)80-81.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88046.

Des=os 6"(1903/1938)/12se.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV88047.

Des=fletcher, m. J. /st. Peter, westleigh, devon: the archaeological watching brief of excavations in the churchyard/(-/10/2000)/in pf.

KEEN, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV9723.

Keen records the occurrence of post-medieval relief tiles from north devon in westleigh church (keen).

FLETCHER, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV10257.

Archaeological watching brief during repointing of sanctuary wall and gable + during trenching in front of n transept to form 'dry area', recorded no archaeological features (fletcher).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV177625.

West tower with buttresses, stair turret, and no pinnacles. Pevsner mentions church fittings including tiles, paintings and monuments to the cleveland family of tapeley (pevsner).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV335.

Parish church built about 1300. Aisles added about 1500. Interesting carved bench-ends date from late 15th - early 16th century (hoskins).

Fletcher, M. J., 2009, Archaeological Watching Brief for New Works at St Peter's Church, Westleigh, North Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV344662.

A watching brief was undertaken during drainage works on the east side and part of the south side of the church. There was no evidence of structures, wall foundations or burials in the trenches, and the stratigraphy represented dumped and spread grave spoil. Much of the ground occupied by the trenches would have been excavated and refilled when the walls of the church were originally constructed. Below the existing cement channel lay a roughly cobbled gulley, and the south and east walls that were exposed below ground level showed no evidence of more than one build. The few fragments of human bone found in the fill of the trenches were probably spread in the grave spoil dug from old graves reused for new burials. Also found were pieces of green and brown 18th or 19th century pottery and an 18th century glass bottle. Other details: Plans.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1163906 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

WESTLEIGH WESTLEIGH SS 42 NE 3/125 Church of St Peter 25.2.65 GV I Parish church. Possibly C13 fabric to nave early C14 chancel, both remodelled in C15/C16 when south transept, west tower and north aisle were added. Restored 1879 by J. F. Gould. Stone rubble, roughly coursed to tower, with ashlar dressings. Slate roof to nave and chancel with coped gable ends and crested ridge tiles, bitumenized scantle slate roof to north aisle. West tower, nave, south porch, south transept, north aisle and chancel. Tower of 3 stages with embattled parapet and thick buttresses covering the angles. Polygonal stair turret on south side. Bell-openings on north, west and east sides with windows replaced in C19, semi-circular headed with Y tracery. Single pointed arched window openings to first stage on east side. Perpendicular pointed arched west window of 4 lights with foliated label stops to the hoodmould. Semi-circular headed west doorway with elaborately moulded surround and hoodmould. Nave south side has tall Perpendicular straight-headed window with hoodmould of 3 cusped headed lights. Moulded stone keelers to gable end of south porch roof with apex gablet. Niche above pointed arched doorway which has engaged shafts with foliated decoration to the capitals and thin ribs with small capitals to the centre of the hollow chamfer of the moulded surround. Ceiled waggon roof to porch with moulded ribs and bosses at the intersections. Pointed arched inner door with hollow and straight chamfered moulded surround, early plank door with old lock. Straight-headed Perpendicular window of 2 cusped headed lights between south porch and transept. South transept has C19 4 light window at south end and similar 3 light window on east side. 2 pointed arched windows to chancel with Y tracery and hoodmoulds, flanking pointed arched priest's doorway. C19. Decorated style 3 light window at east end with intersecting tracery, C19 window to east end of north aisle, and 4 straight headed granite windows of three 4-centred arched lights with hoodmoulds. Interior: 4 bay arcade with Pevsner 'A' type granite piers, roll moulded capitals only to the main shafts. Unmoulded pointed arch to south transept. Ceiled waggon roofs throughout, with moulded ribs and various ornately carved bosses at the intersections. The nave has angel figures bearing shields at the foot of each rib to each wall plate. Crenellated wall plates to transept which like those of the chancel have various foliated ornamentation at intervals. Trefoil headed piscina, partly retooled with radiating ribs to the base at east end of chancel, and small trefoil-headed piscina to south wall of south transept. Patterned Victorian tiled floor to chancel. Considerable number of medieval patterned Barnstaple tiles to nave, south transept and north aisle. C16 pews to nave, 12 to north side, 6 to south side with elaborately carved bench ends, and 3 to rear south side moulded top rails but without carving to the end. C19 pulpit. Early English font with lead- lined bowl supported on engaged corner shafts and smaller shafts to centre of each facet. Brass oil lamps intact. Paintings: Christ by Harlow c.1830. "Rizpah" by Lord Leighton. 2 diamond shaped hatchments painted with shields to east wall of south transept and to west wall of north aisle. Monuments: north wall of chancel. Charles Cutcliffe 1745. North wall of north aisle. William Clevland, pedimented with achievement to base. 1745. Archibald Clevland by E Physick, 1854. Trophied surround. Augustus Clevland, 1849. Weeping maiden under a willow, by M W Johnson of New Road, London. Augustus Saltern Willett, 1813. By N Dovell of Pilton. Oval medallion capped by urn. North wall of north aisle. John Clevland 1817 by J Kendall of Exeter. Draped urn over plaque. South wall of nave. Thames Challacombe, 1681. Ionic pilasters with richly decorated surround. Chancel south wall. John Clevland 1763. C19 stained glass to eight of the windows, including early C19 glass in memory of Revd John Torr and Thomas Berry to south end of south transept, and to east end of north aisle to Archibald Clevland who died at Inkerman, 1854.
Date first listed: 25th February 1965.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds

• FDV1576 - BOTTLE (XVIII - 1701 AD to 1800 AD)
• FDV1575 - SHERD (XVIII to XXI - 1751 AD to 2009 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV4743 - Archaeological Watching Brief for New Works at St Peter's Church, Westleigh, North Devon

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