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Summary

15th century church restored in late 19th century.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1257209: PARISH CHURCH OF ALL SAINTS

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5118
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX87SE/21
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 464123

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Built, XV - 1401 AD to 1500 AD (Between))

Full description

Moxon Browne, K. E., 09/02/1988, Highweek Parish Church. Alterations & C. (Correspondence). SDV358464.

The graffiti stones were not apparently found bonded into the church structure nor resting on old dwarf walls.

Fryer Cornelius, C., 1946, Ancient Devon Parish Churches within a Ten Mile Radius of Newton Abbot, 123-152 (Article in Serial). SDV312246.

Fryer Cornelius, C., 1947, Fittings, Furnishings and Finishings of the Ancient Devon Parish Churches within a Ten Mile Radius of Newton Abbot, 81-89 (Article in Serial). SDV312247.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 443 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Parish Church of All Saints. Located outside Highweek village. Mainly 15th century with 14th century west tower and granite arcades. Heavily Victorianised.

Woolner, D., 1965 - 1967, Foot and Hand Graffiti in Churches, 57-8 (Article in Serial). SDV348936.

Carved graffiti on stone benches in porch. Possibly votives left by sailors.

Devon County Council, 1975, Newton Abbot Town Trails, 58 (Article in Monograph). SDV352459.

Originally built as a chapel of ease for Kingsteignton church, the building is thought to date back to the 15th century although the south side of the present structure is more recent. The church was consecrated in 1428 by Bishop Lacy and his Arms together with those of the Bushels and the Yardes can be seen on the front. The chancel screen was destroyed in the later 18th century and the sculptured figures decorating the arches and pillars were hewn off. The small door opposite the font, through which the devil was once thought to depart from infants during baptism, is still visible in the outside wall. A stone bench in the south porch has the impressions of male and female hand and foot prints with the date 1781.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, DAP/GU, 8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338019.

Moxon Browne, K. E., 1989, Graffiti Stones (Ground Photograph). SDV358461.

Photos of the stacked up graffiti stones.

Moxon Browne, K. E., 1989, Parish Church of All Saints, Highweek. Watching Brief on Alterations Involving Contractors' Excavations (Report - Watching Brief). SDV348937.

Watching brief undertaken during building works between January and July 1988 in the south porch and in the churchyard. Circa 12 burials were recorded in areas much affected by modern, possibly 19th century, disturbance. Graffiti stones were removed from the porch and stacked against the churchyard wall. Other details: Photos and correspondence.

Griffith, F. M., 1990, DAP/RY, 1, 2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV338374.

1995, Jetty Marsh Link Road - Stage 2. Newton Abbot. Environmental Assessment Final Report (Report - Assessment). SDV319805.

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

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

Parish Church of All Saints. 15th century (consecrated 1428); restored late 19th century, chancel rebuilt and extended in 1892; south aisle lengthened in 1892. MATERIALS: limestone rubble, mostly rendered, separate 20th century crested slate roofs to nave and aisles. PLAN: aisled nave with chancel, south porch and west tower. EXTERIOR: moulded kneelers to copings of gable parapets. The 19th century chancel has a 5-light window with geometric tracery, and a 19th century parapeted vestry to the north-east corner with lancet windows and semicircular doorway. The rendered north aisle has 3 irregularly-spaced 3-light 15th century windows with panel tracery; 2 pointed-arched doors, one blocked. South side has 3-light Perpendicular-style east window to late 19th century chapel; from east on aisle are 3-light late 19th century Perpendicular-style window, 3 reset late 18th century memorial tablets, 3 granite 15th century Perpendicular 3-light windows and roll-moulded architrave to basket-arched window over moulded 4-centred arched doorway. The west tower, rendered, battlemented, with offset diagonal buttresses up to the parapet, is in 3 stages. The third stage has label moulds over paired Tudor-arched louvres, the second stage is plain and the first stage has a loophole above a 3-light window of 2 pointed-arched lights flanking a central flat-arched light all set in an unmoulded Tudor arch. Below is a small plain chamfered pointed arch, probably 15th century over 19th century double doors. The south porch forms the west bay of the south aisle. INTERIOR: chancel has Ten Commandments flanking east window and 19th century side arches including trefoil-headed 3-bay recess. 4-bay nave has granite Pevsner A-type columns with moulded arches to south and B-type columns with chamfered arches of 2 orders to north. Restored 15th century wagon roofs to aisles, with moulded ribs and foliate bosses; nave roof rebuilt 19th century. 15th century font with tracery patterns on pillar and bowl. FITTINGS: plain late 19th century pews and wrought-iron altar rail and brass eagle lectern. MEMORIALS: include Walter Wemyss Leslie, died 1863, by Pickering of Carlisle and Elizabeth Hocombe died 1780 with urn in bracketed pediment and black marble tablet. STAINED GLASS: late 19th century stained glass, except some medieval stained glass to the top of a north window. HISTORY: the church was a chapel of ease until 1864. Date listed: 16th July 1949.

Department of Environment, 22/03/1983, Newton Abbot, 3 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV338240.

Woolner, D., c1980s, Footsteps (Un-published). SDV358466.

Text of note in parish magazine about the graffiti on the stone slabs on the seats in the church porch. This includes the outlines of shoes, one or two hands, initials, dates and crosses as well as other symbols and losts of little pits. Similar 'footsteps' have been found in a church in Italy which were apparently workmen wanted to leave something of themselves in that holy place. It is suggested that the footsteps at All Saints were made by sailors setting out for the Newfoundland fishing grounds.

Grant & Green Chartered Architects, Sept 1987, All Saints Church, Highweek. Proposed Alterations (Plan - measured). SDV358463.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV5734 - SYMBOL STONE (Unknown date)

Associated Events: none recorded

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