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Summary

St Catherine's Tor is an example of the saint's association with hills. A chapel dedicated to St Michael which was licensed in 1400 at 'Kyneston' may have been situated on St Catherine's Tor, who later gave her name to the site. Alternatively it may have been a domestic chapel at Kernstone. Any summit on the Tor on which a chapel may have been built has been eroded by sea.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SS22SW12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHAPEL (XII to XIV - 1101 AD (Between) to 1400 AD (Between))

Full description

Pearse Chope, R., 1926, Address of the President. Hartland Abbey, 72 (Article in Serial). SDV6740.

Bishop Stafford licensed celebration at St. Michael at 'Kyneston' in 1400. Pearse Chope states that if this identification is correct it must be the chapel which was erected on St Catherine's Tor and which was more likely dedicated to that saint than St Michael. However, St Michael's chapel could have been a domestic chapel at Kernstone, which was 'Kynemanston' in 1249.

Bickford, J. A. R., 1948, Untitled Source, 181 (Article in Serial). SDV366639.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SS22SW12 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV344000.

St Catherine's Tor is an example of the saint's association with hills. It had a chapel erected on it dedicated to the saint in about the 14th century (citing Bickford).
R.P. Chope (TDA 1926) implies that the chapel was also dedicated to St Michael. The 14th century dedication to St Catherine may be related to the fact that the saint reached the zenith of her popularity in England at this time (citing Lega-Weekes, TDA 1907).
Site visit: 6th December 1978. St Catherine's Tor is a steep-sided pinnacle of rock. Any summit upon which a chapel may have been built has been eroded by the sea.

Hartland Quay Museum, 1981, Guide to the Coast and Shipwrecks. North from Hartland Quay (Leaflet). SDV341566.

Hartland Quay Museum, 1981, Guide to the Coast and Shipwrecks. South from Hartland Quay (Leaflet). SDV344005.

A ruinous building seen on the Tor circa 1810 has now eroded into the sea. An excavation in 1903 recovered several artefacts now in the 'Pope's Chamber' in Stoke Church.

Pearce, S. M., 1985, The Early Church in the Landscape: The Evidence from North Devon (part), 142 (Article in Serial). SDV336495.

A Royal Charter of 1189 granted to Hartland Abbey chapels at Harton, Cheristow, Welcombe and all the other chapels built in the parish. As Kernstone is listed in 1400, Pearce suggests that this was one of the other chapels in the charter of 1189.

Collings, A. G. + Manning, P. T. + Valentin, J., 2007, The North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Phase 1. Archaeological Survey. Summary Report, 244 (Report - Assessment). SDV339712.

St Michael at 'Kyneston'. Site uncertain. Licensed in 1400. Possibly a domestic chapel at Kernstone. Any summit of St Catherine's Tor on which a chapel may have been built has been eroded by sea.

Hobbs, S., 2007, Various Sites around Hartland (Correspondence). SDV351130.

The reference to artefacts held in Pope’s Chamber need to be clarified as over the years these have become intermixed with various other finds. The excavation referred to above was actually finds made during a walk by the local vicar and friends [recorded in his writings]. There is a reference to floor tiles from the top of St Catherine’s Tor which were discarded into a nearby hedge. It is the case that within the hedge banks of the immediate region numerous pieces of ‘church’ architecture can be found which may well indicate a former religious building but not necessarily that of the lost Tor chapel. Indeed if this chapel was so well endowed in architecture then it would probably be better recorded; as it is the finds are not consistent with the evidence.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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