See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

St Petrox Parish Church in Dartmouth probably had late 12th century origins, it is mentioned in a document of 1192. It was rebuilt and enlarged in 1641.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014610: Dartmouth Castle
• Listed Building (I) 1297086: CHURCH OF ST PETROX

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5160
• National Monuments Record: 446052
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX85SE/17
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 38138
• Tide Project: 16/07/2020

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Griffith, F. M., 10/07/1990, DAP/SS, 7,8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV177423.

Newman,, 1869, On the Antiquity of Dartmouth, 133 (Article in Serial). SDV339563.

Department of Environment, 1872-1972, Letter to National Monuments Register, 2 (Correspondence). SDV326474.

Fine position by castle at mouth of estuary. Tower may be medieval. Remainder probably 16th century, with much work dating from 1641. Fittings and monuments, including 17th century brasses.

Adams, M., 1900, The Castle, Manor-house and Church of Clifton, near Dartmouth, 510-3 (Article in Serial). SDV172286.

Baring Gould, S., 1900-1901, St. Petrock, 13 (Article in Serial). SDV19012.

Chanter, J. F., 1910, Christianity in Devon before AD 909, 491 (Article in Serial). SDV870.

Chanter refers to this site as a chapel.

Watkin, H. R., 1911, The foundation and early history of Dartmouth and Kingswear churches, 160-1 (Article in Serial). SDV172950.

Contains a sandstone font.

Clarke, K. M., 1916, The Baptismal Fonts of Devon. Part 4, 317 (Article in Serial). SDV145498.

Font at St Petrocks church showing transition to 13th century plain font. Height 83.8 centimetres, bowl outer diameter 81.3 centimetres and inner depth 25.4 centimetres with a 21.6 centimetre long shaft. No cable or saw-tooth decoration but a band of honeysuckle and a round moulding are the only ornament. Red sandstone with traces of whitewash. The rim is cut to octagon shape to a depth of 38 millimetres. The shaft and plinth are of grey stone. Other details: Plate X.

Chanter, J. F., 1927, Sixteenth Report on Church Plate, 94-5 (Article in Serial). SDV239594.

Details of church plate at St Petrox parish church dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, including five chalices of which three have patens, a flagon and alms dish.

O'Neil, B. H. St J., 1935, Dartmouth Castle and other defences in Dartmouth Haven, 129-58 (Article in Serial). SDV177411.

Russell, P., 1947 - 1949, Dartmouth: Pre-reformation the Castle and St Petrox, 200 (Article in Serial). SDV172956.

The tower, usually considered to be medieval, was probably built in about 1642.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 385 (Monograph). SDV17562.

A record of 1192 refers to the site as 'The Monastery of St Peter', suggesting that a monasterium or minster may have been established in early Christian times. The present church rebuilt in Gothic style in 1641-2.

Russell, P., 1955, Fire Beacons in Devon, 294 (Article in Serial). SDV336138.

St Petrock's church. The land of St Peter's is referred to in 1192 and in 1332 the church is said to have been "founded of old". If, as seems possible, it served as a watch place, it was superceded by the castle, and then by the light-house tower, built in 1854. This in turn was replaced by the light-house on the Kingswear side ten years later. Pre-Elizabethan. Other details: Appendix B.

Radford, C. A. R., 1975, Untitled Source, 2-11 (Article in Serial). SDV172959.

Discusses the possibility of a pre conquest minster in more detail.

Pearce, S. M., 1978, Untitled Source, 105 (Monograph). SDV7107.

Pearce suggests this may have been the site of a pre-conquest minster.

Worth, R. H., 1979, Church geology, 169 (Article in Serial). SDV275389.

Permian red sandstone used in this church is from Roundham, Paignton.

Grant, A. + Gwynn, R., 1985, The Huguenots of Devon, 167-8 (Article in Serial). SDV172961.

Huguenot refugee congregation may have met here after 1687. Minister Andre Majendie was buried at St Petrox in 1734.

Department of National Heritage, 1994, Dartmouth (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV157498.

Parish Church. Probably late 12th century origins (Norman font), rebuilt and enlarged in 1641 (date plaque). Local limestone and slatestone rubble, mostly roughcast but exposed on west end and tower; freestone detail; slate roof with crested ridge tiles. Plan: Uninterrupted nave and chancel with full-length north and south aisles, west tower, and small lean-to heated vestry against west end of the south aisle. Exterior: Vaguely Perpendicular in style. Tower of 2 stages with low offset buttresses, stair tower projecting from south side to embattled parapet, arch-headed belfry windows and tiny lancets to the ringing floor, 4-light west window and blocked Tudor-arch doorway in the north side. Main doorway in west end of north aisle, another Tudor-arch doorway under a very weathered plaque from which only the 41 of the 1641 date is legible. Panelled door, like those on the south side, appears to be 19th century but reusing older ferramenta. Window above has plain mullions from a repair (another similar at east end of south aisle). North side has 2 raking buttresses and a window each end, and south side has 3 windows to right of the vestry; all arch-headed mullioned-and-transomed 3-light without hoodmoulds, with Tudor arch-headed lights. Larger 4-light version at east end of north aisle. East window of chancel has intersecting tracery. Interior: Uninterrupted nave and chancel. 4-bay arcades to aisles on octagonal piers with plain moulded capitals. Plain plastered barrel-vaulted ceilings. Tall plain tower arch and large beams to the ringing floor. Tower walls of exposed stone, the rest are plastered. Tower floor is an attractive chequer pattern of red, black and cream tiles. Rest of the church has a stone flag floor including good graveslabs and brasses at chancel end (see memorials). Fittings: 20th century altar table and communion rail. Good 17th century oak pulpit - octagonal with panelled sides and dated 1641. Plain 19th century pine benches. West end of south aisle screened off by a partition made up from pieces of 17th century panelling, enriched with guilloche, strapwork, cherubs, leafy scrolls, etc: these fragments are probably from the 17th century gallery (dismantled in 1885) as are the panelled sections of the gallery frontal with similar ornament set in the tower and now used to commemorate those parishioners who died in both World Wars. Good Norman red sandstone font - circular stem and bowl with frieze of palmette decoration. Painted arms of Charles II from 1660 on south wall. North wall has painted boards recording charitable bequests; the largest dated 1677, others from 1823 and 1841. An arcade of round-headed boards at west end of the south aisle from former reredos has taller outer boards painted with the Lords Prayer and the Creed with biblical quotations between. Memorials: two 18th century funeral hatchments of the Holdsworth family. Floor includes good collection of mostly 17th and 18th century ledger stones, many of them for members of the Newman and Holdsworth families. A row of 3 good brasses to right of the altar. Best, if somewhat worn, mural monument is reset at east end of south aisle, to Edward Roope (died 1683) - oval plaque with bayleaf frame, pulvinated frieze on Corinthian columns over carved console brackets. Each aisle has a similar small, delicately carved and pedimented plaque, one to Nicholas Roope (died 1625), the other to Margaret Plumleigh (died 1638). Glass: All late 19th and early 20th century dates, but probably including earlier glass. Mostly plain patterns of leaded glass with coats of arms but stained glass from 1927 in east window. The church forms part of an important group of listed buildings at the mouth of the Dart estuary. The church probably originated as a light positioned at the harbour entrance.

Department of Environment, 1996, Dartmouth Castle (Schedule Document). SDV340554.

Important archaeological deposits lie within the churchyard and under St Petrox Church but are not included in Dartmouth Castle Scheduled Monument as they come under ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

Horner, B., 1998, St. Petrox (Personal Comment). SDV341507.

A watching brief undertaken in 1998 for a Garden of Rememberance to the west of the churchyard found no artefacts or deposits of archeological significance.

Batty, M., 2003, South Devon Coast Path Project: a study of the archaeology along the coast path in the South Hams from Staddon Heights to Sharkham Point, 83 (Un-published). SDV336214.

St Petroc's 17th century church built on earlier site.

Young, G. M., 2004, Dartmouth Castle: Phase 2 Condition Survey Works. Archaeological Watching Brief and Recording (Report - Survey). SDV320380.

17th century St Petrox Church replaced an older chapel. It has a walled churchyard to the north and west and is situated immediately to the southwest of the Gun Tower. A small amount of repointing was done on the churchyard wall during repairs and alterations at Dartmouth Castle between May 2003 and March 2004.

Woodcock, A., 2009, Honeysuckle and Red Sandstone: Some Characteristics of Romanesque Stonecarving in South Devon, 77-92 (Article in Serial). SDV361655.

Mid to late 12th century stone carving in Ashprington, Blackawton, Buckfastleigh, Cornworthy, Dartmouth (St Petrox), Denbury, Paignton, South Brent, Thurlestone, Ugborough and Wolborough.

Pink, F., 2014, South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment (Interpretation). SDV357736.

Sharpe, A., 2016, Dartmouth Castle, Devon. Conservation Management Plan 2016, Gazetteer No. 2 (Report - Assessment). SDV361934.

The site of a church near Dartmouth Point is suggested in a deed of 1192, and also attested to by the Norman font in the present church. It is documented in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is shown on a 17th century plan of the harbour as a single-aisled building. It was, however, rebuilt between 1636 and 1641 as a three-aisled church (none of the medieval fabric is thought to have survived) and its graveyard extended. It became a store during the Civil War when the castle was taken over by Parliamentarian forces.
The church was little used in the following centuries (it also appears to have been under used in the medieval period) due to its distance from the town. The more conveniently located St Barnabas' was consecrated as a Chapel of Ease in 1831. St Petrox, however, did acquire parish status in 1838. Its tower was removed in the late 1850s to aid visibility to the new lighthouse. The construction of Castle Road in 1864 much improved access to the church leading to increased use. It was listed Grade I in 1949.
The church, which is still in use as a place of worship, is a visually important element of the group of buildings at Dartmouth Point.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

St Petrox Church marked.

Waterhouse, R., Unknown, Dartmouth Conservation Area: Archaeology, 2 (Un-published). SDV355585.

St. Petrox predates the foundation of the borough of Dartmouth being mentioned in a document of 1192, when it was dedicated to St. Peter and described as a monastery.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV145498	Article in Serial: Clarke, K. M.. 1916. The Baptismal Fonts of Devon. Part 4. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 48. Unknown. 317.
SDV157498	List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest: Department of National Heritage. 1994. Dartmouth. Historic Houses Register. A4 Comb Bound.
SDV172286	Article in Serial: Adams, M.. 1900. The Castle, Manor-house and Church of Clifton, near Dartmouth. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 32. A5 Hardback. 510-3.
SDV172950	Article in Serial: Watkin, H. R.. 1911. The foundation and early history of Dartmouth and Kingswear churches. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 43. A5 Hardback. 160-1.
SDV172956	Article in Serial: Russell, P.. 1947 - 1949. Dartmouth: Pre-reformation the Castle and St Petrox. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries. 23. Unknown. 200.
SDV172959	Article in Serial: Radford, C. A. R.. 1975. Devon Historian. 11. Unknown. 2-11.
SDV172961	Article in Serial: Grant, A. + Gwynn, R.. 1985. The Huguenots of Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 117. A5 Paperback. 167-8.
SDV17562	Monograph: Hoskins, W. G.. 1954. A New Survey of England: Devon. A New Survey of England: Devon. A5 Hardback. 385.
SDV177411	Article in Serial: O'Neil, B. H. St J.. 1935. Dartmouth Castle and other defences in Dartmouth Haven. Archaeologia. 85. Unknown. 129-58.
SDV177423	Aerial Photograph: Griffith, F. M.. 10/07/1990. DAP/SS. Devon Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). 7,8.
SDV19012	Article in Serial: Baring Gould, S.. 1900-1901. St. Petrock. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries. 1. Unknown. 13.
SDV239594	Article in Serial: Chanter, J. F.. 1927. Sixteenth Report on Church Plate. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 59. A5 Hardback. 94-5.
SDV275389	Article in Serial: Worth, R. H.. 1979. Church geology. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 111. A5 Paperback. 169.
SDV320380	Report - Survey: Young, G. M.. 2004. Dartmouth Castle: Phase 2 Condition Survey Works. Archaeological Watching Brief and Recording. Exeter Archaeology Report. 04.38. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV326474	Correspondence: Department of Environment. 1872-1972. Letter to National Monuments Register. Letter. 2.
SDV336138	Article in Serial: Russell, P.. 1955. Fire Beacons in Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 87. A5 Hardback. 294.
SDV336214	Un-published: Batty, M.. 2003. South Devon Coast Path Project: a study of the archaeology along the coast path in the South Hams from Staddon Heights to Sharkham Point. Mixed Archive Material. 83.
SDV339563	Article in Serial: Newman,. 1869. On the Antiquity of Dartmouth. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 3. Unknown. 133.
SDV340554	Schedule Document: Department of Environment. 1996. Dartmouth Castle. The Schedule of Monuments. A4 Stapled.
SDV341507	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1998. St. Petrox.
SDV355585	Un-published: Waterhouse, R.. Unknown. Dartmouth Conservation Area: Archaeology. Digital. 2.
SDV357736	Interpretation: Pink, F.. 2014. South Devon Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey Desk-Based Assessment. AC Archaeology Report. ACD618/4/3. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV361655	Article in Serial: Woodcock, A.. 2009. Honeysuckle and Red Sandstone: Some Characteristics of Romanesque Stonecarving in South Devon. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 141. Paperback Volume. 77-92.
SDV361934	Report - Assessment: Sharpe, A.. 2016. Dartmouth Castle, Devon. Conservation Management Plan 2016. Cornwall Archaeological Unit. A4 Comb Bound + Digital. Gazetteer No. 2.
SDV363413	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2020. MasterMap 2020. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #108630 ]
SDV7107	Monograph: Pearce, S. M.. 1978. The Kingdom of Dumnonia: Studies in History and Tradition in South Western . Hardback Volume. 105.
SDV870	Article in Serial: Chanter, J. F.. 1910. Christianity in Devon before AD 909. Transactions of the Devonshire Association. 42. A5 Hardback. 491.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV2597 - CHURCH PLATE (XVII to XIX - 1601 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.