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Summary

The church was restored in the 19th century but retains a late 13th century chancel and nave. The font is early 12th century. The effigies on the north wall are said to be of Sir Walter Giffard and his lady which were originally side by side on a 13th century altar tomb. On the south wall of the chapel is a medieval wall painting. Some of the benches have richly carved early 16th century bench ends.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1171583: CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5267
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42SE/9
• Old Listed Building Ref (I)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

NMR, SS42SE22 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV6568.

Clarke, K. M., 1920, The Baptismal Fonts of Devon, Part 7, 332 (Article in Serial). SDV320749.

Scalloped bowl font: three cones separated by darts on each side and an incised line above. Necking of round moulding, circular base. Bath stone.

Cresswell, B. F., 1922 - 1923, Mural Paintings in Devonshire Churches, 281 (Article in Serial). SDV6556.

A mural painting on the south wall depicting the martyrdom of St. Edmund is in very good condition.

Fryer, A. C., 1923-1924, Effigies made by the Bristol craftsmen, 1-72 (Article in Serial). SDV18044.

The knight was probably carved by a craftsman from the Bristol school. The suit of mail is typical of this school of craftsmen. Carved circa 1310.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: North Devon, 160 (Monograph). SDV336196.

West tower with diagonal buttresses. Five-bay arcade between nave and south aisle. Pevsner mentions church fittings which include font, bench-ends, original south door, stained glass, a painting and monuments.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 512 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Holy Trinity. 14th century nave and chancel, 15th century south aisle and west tower. 15th century chancel roof and glass; medieval wall painting of martyrdom of St Edmund; 2 13th century Gifford effigies, Fortescue monuments, excellent heraldic bench ends.

Department of Environment, 1955, Great Torrington RD, 17 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV6558.

C14 nave and chancel, and south aisle and west tower added in c15. Chancel has finec15. Chancel has c15 roof. Contains good bench ends, c15 glass, medieval wall painting, c13 effigies (Giffard) and Fortescue monuments. The arcade is of 5 bays with concave capitals.

Keen, L., 1969, A Series of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Lead-Glazed Relief Tiles from North Devon, 144-170 (Article in Serial). SDV15342.

Keen notes the post-medieval relief tiles from North Devon which are to be found in Weare Gifford church. Other details: Figs., Plates.

Anonymous, 1987, The Church of the Holy Trinity, Weare Giffard (Un-published). SDV6557.

The chancel has a fine 15th century roof. Early lancet window. There is a piscina with a credence shelf in the south wall. Window tracery in the north and south aisles is unusual with interlocking depressed arches. All are 15th century.
The bench ends are examples of the use of heraldic design. They date from after 1510 when Bartholomew Fortescue became patron of the living. His coat of arms and initials, with those of his wife appear on the second seat on the north side. The front seat has a carving of the head of St. John the Baptist on a plate. The long seat at the crossing has crested panels with the crescent and mullet of the Denzell family on one end and a lion rampart at the other.
The arcarde with five bays which separates the nave from the aisle is a type uncommon in this part of Devon and has piers with concave capitals. South aisle and chapel have a good waggon roof the upper lights of the fine east window of the chapel contain some very good medieval glass. Fragments of medieval glass survive in other windows.
The effigies in the north wall of the nave and choir are said to be of Sir Walter Giffard and his lady. Originally they were side by side on an altar tomb where the organ now stands. Angels, now headless, support their pillows and their feet rest on small dogs. The tomb has been dated about 1243.
There is a fine 17th century monument on the south wall of the chapel. The main door is 15th century and has a 'closing ring' with a worked iron surround. There is also a priest's door in the chapel south wall, over it is a medieval wall painting showing the martyrdom possibly of St. Edmund. The font is well-preserved, in the style of a 12th century Norman capital with three scallops on each underside, which was popular in the period.
The tower contains a belfry with six bells.
Other details: Notes found in the church.

Department of Environment, 1987, Weare Giffard, 181 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV6559.

Anglican parish church. Late c13 chancel and nave; c15 porch, south aisle, south chapel and west tower; restored in late c19. Coursed and dressed c15 slatestone rubble, with c13 coursed slatestone rubble to north wall; west tower of rough ashlar. Stone-coped late c19 slate roof. Plan of chancel, aisled choir and nave with south aisle, south chapel and west tower. See DoE list for full details.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 891 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Allan, J., 2001, An Angel from Pinhoe and other Medieval English Alabasters in Devon, 159-181 (Article in Serial). SDV338906.

Medieval floor tiles dating to the 14th and 15th century were found in 2002 during repaving work outside the south porch of the church. A featureless deeply weathered fragment of alabaster from a panel rather than a tomb was also recovered.

Horner, W., 2002, Holy Trinity Parish Church, Weare Giffard (Un-published). SDV6560.

SW part of churchyard has been rotovated. Some gravestones have been moved against the churchyard wall. Fragments of bone and tile visible. Other details: File note.

Neophytou, Marrina, 2011, Holy Trinity Parish Church, Images of Church Interior and Exterior, Weare Giffard (Ground Photograph). SDV346558.

Visit to Holy Trinity Parish Church on 29 January 2011. Photographs of church interior and exterior taken, including images of the medieval wall painting and the Fortescue monuments. The wall painting depicts two archers shooting arrows at a man thought to be Saint Edmond, King of East Anglia in the 9th century. Edmond died apparently as a martyr at the hands of the Danes when he would not renounce Christ, and was subsequently shot with arrows. The painting along with the other church furniture such as the 15th century benches and the Fortescue monuments appear well kept.

Cramp, C., 2012, Medieval and Post-Medieval Floor Tiles at Weare Giffard Church, North Devon, 133-146 (Article in Serial). SDV351758.

The paper describes the medieval and post-medieval floor tiles found in and around the parish church between 1995 and 2011, and considers them with the floor tiles which survive in the church porch. These are arranged as a border around large central slates and are likely to have been relaid when the church was restored in the 1860s. The earliest fragments are datable to the late 13th or early 14th century. They have inlaid designs, similar but in a different fabric and of lesser quality to those at Exeter. A group of North Devon post-medieval relief-decorated tiles includes one that was probably made at Great Torrington and others that are likely to have been manufactured in Bideford. See article for full details.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1171583 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

Church of the Holy Trinity. Anglican Parish church. Late C13 chancel and nave; C15 porch, south aisle, south chapel and west tower; restored in late C19. Coursed and dressed C15 slatestone rubble, with C13 coursed slatestone rubble to north wall; west tower of rough ashlar. Stone-coped late C19 slate roof. Plan of chancel, aisled choir and nave with south aisle, south chapel and west tower. Pointed chamfered arch over late C19 three-light Perpendicular-style east window to chancel; C13 lancet window to north chancel wall; late C19 vestry with stone chimneystack and Perpendicular-style windows. South chapel has C15 five-light Perpendicular east window; four-bay south wall of nave has two C15 three-light Perpendicular windows to east and two similar windows restored in C20 to west; moulded arched doorway with C15 ribbed and studded door to south chapel. C15 south porch has moulded- arched outer doorway and casement-moulded architrave to inner, doorway with C15 ribbed and studded door with original clasping ring, plate and lock. Four-bay north wall of nave has C15 two-light window restored in C20 to east, and C15 three-light Perpendicular windows with intersecting arches to tracery. C15 three-stage tower has offset diagonal buttresses pointed moulded-arched west doorway with late C19 door, string courses and crenellated parapet; slit lights; ogee-headed figure recess to south, and hood moulds over 2-light chamfered segmental-arched belfry windows. Interior: chancel has chamfered pointed arched piscina; late C19 pointed arched doorway to vestry, late C19 Minton tile floor and late C19 organ case. C15 corbel heads support late C15 four-bay king-post roof to chancel; coved and brattished cornice, mouchettes and quatrefoils in spandrels, moulded purlins and intermediate rafters, the latter with carved pendentives. C15 five-bay arcade. South aisle and chapel has late C15 wagon roof with moulded ribs and floral bosses. Fittings: late C19 choir stalls, benches and Gothic-style pulpit. Some benches have early C16 bench ends with richly-carved Perpendicular tracery, coats of arms (including those of Bartholomew Fortescue who became patron of living in 1510), and iconography including head of John the Baptist on plate. Early C12 scalloped font on late C19 base. Monuments: north wall of nave and choir has mid C13 effigies of Sir Walter Giffard and wife (removed here in late C19 from pointed moulded arched recess where altar now stands). Fortescue Memorial of c. 1640: heraldic achievement set in broken pediment and lonic columns frame figures of Hugh Fortescue (d. 1600) and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1630), which kneel facing each other at prayer, above figures of their son, John (d. 1605), and wife Maria (d. 1637) who kneel at prayer facing outwards; these figures are flanked by relief portraits of their children (on roundels) and grandchildren (on ovals). The Fortescue Memorial was erected by John's son, Hugh Fortescue c. 1640. Chest tomb to Eleanor Fortescue, d. 1857. Late C15 wallpainting over priest's door in south chapel shows Martyrdom of St Sebastian, who is shown flanked by two bowmen. Stained glass: memorial glass, of c. 1870 to east window of chancel, and of 1902 to nave. Heads and tracery lights of east window of south chapel have fine medieval glass from C15 Jesse window, including Fortescue arms. Fragments of C15 glass in tracery of aisle windows. Buildings of England: North Devon, p,160; National Monuments Record) )
Date first listed: 4th October 1960. Date of most recent amendment: 19th October 1988

University of Southampton, 2018, North Devon Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment, No. 407 (Interpretation). SDV361978.

Giffard effigies. Two early fourteenth century effigies.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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