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Summary

St Mary's is a small, simple church dating to the 12th century with 15th century additions including the tower and the waggon roof of the nave. Honeychurch was once a separate parish but is now part of Sampford Courteney. Some sources refer to it as St James.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1105288: CHURCH OF ST MARY

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5140
• National Monuments Record: SS60SW16
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS60SW/2
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS60SW/2/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 93052

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Early Medieval to XVI - 1066 AD to 1600 AD)

Full description

Mugford, W. E., 1904-1905, Honeychurch, 27-30 (Article in Serial). SDV244517.

List of rectors given from the time of Bishop Stafford till the commonwealth.

Clarke, K. M., 1913, The Baptismal Fonts of Devon. Part 1, 324-325, Pl. (Article in Serial). SDV21185.

A tub-font of unusual design: square, the four sides tapering towards the base. It has two bands of ornament covering the sides more than halfway down. At the top are two half-round mouldings set close together. The ornamental band below consists mainly of groups of chevrons and narrow cones; on the n side is a medallion enclosing alternating chevrons, a form of herring-bone. It has a square basin, unlined. The base is circular: the upper surface projects beyond the font, but is neither moulded nor chamfered. Part of it has been cut away to accomodate a pew.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: North Devon, 102 (Monograph). SDV336196.

Referred to as St James. Description similar to Cherry and Pevsner.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 471-472 (Monograph). SDV17562.

One of the simplest and most appealing interiors of all English country churches.

Fulford Williams, H., 1957, Sampford Courtenay and Honeychurch, 238, Pl. 30 (Article in Serial). SDV337291.

Church of St James, Honeychurch. Apparently 12th century. It consists of a small nave, chancel, west tower and porch. The tower is claimed to be Saxon, but the building does not support this theory; it was clearly worked over in the 15th century. The chancel has two Norman corbels with carved heads, and a single light 12th century window. A recess below the window is of the same date. The font is of rough Norman work of the sculptured type of the 12th century. The 15th century nave waggon roof has carved wall plates and bosses with beams carved in a rectangular design. It is rough carving but costly. The plain chancel roof seems to have been untouched in the 15th century. The three nave south windows have granite jambs, mullion heads and hoods, of 15th century date. The single north window seems older, having fragments of old glass. The porch was rebuilt on old foundations in 1900. It has a 15th century inner door arch. The door is of very old oak. The north wall has an empty niche for a statue of the patron saint. There are no indications of a screen. The defaced, once whitewashed mural painting on the south wall can be read as the royal arms, with 'Elizabeth Regina: God preserve church and nation'. The pulpit, communion rails and bench ends are 16th century. The chalice and paten are Elizabethan Exeter work. An Edwardian inventory lists three bells which survive in an ancient cage, inscribed: 'S. Und S. Ano d 1. Lebs ois plaudit ut me sepius audit (lebs for plebs). Est michi collatum ihc istud memen amatum' (citing a report written by Miss Prideaux for the Exeter Diocesan Achitectural Society in 1914).

Caulfield-Brown, P., 1967, Proceedings at the 105th Annual Meeting, 29-30 (Article in Serial). SDV19699.

Pots found in the wall of the church during alteration may have been acoustic jars.

Timms, S., 1982, Hoskins and Honeychurch (Personal Comment). SDV244518.

Honeychurch has been discussed by Hoskins in other publications.

Department of Environment, 1987, Sampford Courtenay, 101 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV320179.

Church of St. Mary. Originally served the parish of Honeychurch, now part of Sampford Courtenay parish. 12th century fabric with 15th century additions. Stone rubble walls, roughly coursed to tower - of which the top stage is roughcast. Gabled slate roof. Nave and chancel with west tower and south porch. The 12th century church comprised the present small nave and chancel. In the 15th century they were re-roofed, the west tower was added and in the late 15th or early 16th century the seating inserted and the south porch built. See list for full details.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 493 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Described as an 'endearing little church'. There are two Norman beast heads in the south wall of the nave and what appears to be a Norman window reused as a niche in the north wall, indicative of a Norman church here. The two cell plan remains unchanged, except for the tower. The nave now has straight headed three-light windows and a wagon roof. The font is Norman, the pulpit 17th century. On the north wall is a painting of the Elizabethan royal arms. See entry for full details.

Parker, R. W., 2001, Archaeological Recording at St Mary’s Church, Honeychurch, Sampford Courtenay (Report - non-specific). SDV336232.

Archaeological recording was undertaken in 2001 during repairs to the tower and drainage works at St Mary's church. Possible remnants of an earlier chancel wall and a diagonal buttress were revealed on the north side of the chancel. The design, proportions and architectural detail of the tower suggested a single phase of construction in the 15th or early 16th century. The only change appeared to be the alteration of the parapet to form the present crenellations. One of the corner pinnacles was observed embedded on the e side of the path to the s door of the church. Two of the bells are medieval and the third was cast by Thomas Birdall of Exeter in 1570.

Ordnance Survey, 2024, Mastermap 2024 (Cartographic). SDV365834.

Depicted as St Mary's Church.

Hoskins, W. G., Undated, St. Mary's Church, Honeychurch (Leaflet). SDV244519.

The parish of Honeychurch is very small, situated in the north-western corner of Samford Cortenay parish. The name derives from Huna's Church and it is suggested that the parish represents Huna's estate, taken out of the larger parish when he built his church. The two parishes are now reunited; the union for civil purposes took place in 1894 and for ecclesiastical purposes in 1927.
The church is described as having one of the simplest and most unsophisticated interiors in all of England. It is essentially a Norman church of a nave and chancel which was built in the 12th century, replacing the original church and to which, probably in the late 15th century, a small western tower and a south porch were added. Interior features included a mid 12th century sculptured tub font. The pulpit is possibly XVI or early 17th century as is the font cover. On the north wall is the remains of a large painting of the Royal Arms from the time of Elizabeth I. See leaflet for further information

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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