See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Parish Church. 15th century "restored in 1874 and subsequent years". Tower and nave roof repaired after being struck by lightning in 1638. Tower, south and east sides of body of church of granite ashlar, remainder of granite rubble. Slated roofs. Nave, north and south aisles, north and south transepts, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, south porch, west tower; vestry, of some antiquity, on north side of north chancel chapel.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1242571: CHURCH OF ST PANCRAS

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5129
• National Monuments Record: SX77NW16
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445074
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NW/35
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 442034
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX77NW16

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Constructed, XII to XIX - 1200 AD? (Between) to 1874 AD (Between))
• SUNDIAL (XVIII to Mid 20th Century - 1800 AD to 1950 AD?)
• WAR MEMORIAL (World War I to World War II - 1914 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

Wood, E. C., A Guide to the Parish Church, 3-8 (Pamphlet). SDV348746.

Parish church 15th century parish church on site of 13th century church. There was an older church where the present building stands but there are no remains. A deed of 1301 shows that Sir Roger le Rus sold an acre of land at 'Wydecomb' with the advowson of the church of St Pancras to the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The list of vicars and rectors starts in 1253. The present church is said to be late 15th century but may have been earlier. There is a bequest in a will for burial in Widecombe parish church dated 16th October 1406. The tower is later and was built as a thank offering by the tin miners.

Fleming, A., The Churchyard at Widecombe-in-the-Moor and its implications (Un-published). SDV360395.

Author suggests the graveyard at Widecombe, which is enclosed by a large earthern bank, might have once been a late prehistoric or Romano-British enclosure.

Unknown, 1843, Widecombe in the Moor (Cartographic). SDV290272.

'Church and yard' shown for field Number 525 on the Tithe Map Apportionment.

Keyser, C. E., 1898, On the Panel Paintings of Saints on the Devonshire Screens, 183-222 (Article in Serial). SDV134840.

Bligh Bond, F., 1902, Devonshire Screens and Rood Lofts, 493-4 (Article in Serial). SDV15462.

St. Pancras; lower portion of rood screen remains. Cut down to cill level before 1822. Detail good. Series of paintings on lower panels.

Thompson, A. H., 1913, Church Architecture in Devon, 458-87 (Article in Serial). SDV15387.

Cresswell, B. F., 1927, Devonshire Churches: The Buildings and Builders, 158 (Article in Serial). SDV124362.

Fryer Cornelius, C., 1946, Ancient Devon Parish Churches within a Ten Mile Radius of Newton Abbot, 123-52 (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, 81-9 (Article in Serial). SDV312247.

Fryer Cornelius, C., 1951, Mediaeval Effigies and other Sepulchral Memorials in the Parish Churches within a Ten-Mile Radius of Newton Abbot, 217-34 (Article in Serial). SDV339049.

Pevsner, N., 1952, The Buildings of England: South Devon, 309-310 (Monograph). SDV336217.

Other details: Plate 36.

Rickard, E. J., 1953, Widecombe in the Moor (Monograph). SDV348747.

A deed of 1283 refers to the site of a more ancient church.

Rickard, E. J., 1953, Widecombe in the Moor (Monograph). SDV348747.

A deed of 1283 refers to the site of a more ancient church.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 515 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Widecombe Church (St Pancras) is essentially a cruciform 14th century church, reconstructed and enlarged in the late 15th to early 16th century. The granite tower is one of the finest in the west of England.

Crowley, J., 1961, Sundials in South Devon, 281 (Article in Serial). SDV4705.

Sundial, undated at Widecombe parish church.

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric, (1963) (Cartographic). SDV350058.

(SX 71887679) St Pancras Church (NAT).

Beeson, M. M. R. + Masterman, M. C. H., 1979, An Archaeological Survey of Enclosed Land in Widecombe-In-The-Moor Parish, 303 (Report - Survey). SDV337078.

Department of Environment, 1986, Widecombe in the Moor, 151 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV289221.

WIDECOMBE IN THE MOOR A. Church of St. Pancras
Called "the Cathedral of the Moors." A fine Perp. church with high tower, built of granite masonry. Tower in 3 stages has pinnacles on top and smaller ones at each stage. Church has nave chancel north and south aisles and transepts, south porch.
Restored 1874. Lower part of C.15 screen remains, with painted panels. Upper and lower rood loft doorways. Nave arcade of monolithic granite piers with carved caps. C.16 and later carved panels at end of north aisle. Octagonal granite font. Original wagon roof, with some interesting bosses. Largely restored at east end. C.17/18 painted texts with ornamental surrounds in spandrels of nave arcade. painted board given in 1786 by Peter and Silvester Hann, Churchwardens with verses commemorating the date when the church and congregation were struck by lightening 1638. The long nave is only seated halfway down, which gives an appearance of great space. Lych gate.

Griffith, F. M., 1989, DAP/OX, 1-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV307286.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 907 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Reference.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1996, A Tin Mill in Widecombe Village, 8-9 (Article in Serial). SDV308095.

Part of a granite mouldstone built into a blocked doorway at the west end of the north aisle of Widecombe Church provides the first definite evidence of tin smelting in the area. The visible portion of the stone was 0.65 metres by 0.25 metres with a broken bottom edge and the top edge 0.75 metres above the present ground surface. The mould is a cut trough with bevelled side 0.3 metres by 0.2 metres 0.04 metres deep. Likely to be of 16th century date.

Fletcher, M., 2010, Report on the Archaeological Recording and Monitoring of Works within the Curtilage of St Pancras Church, Widecombe-in-the-Moor (Report - Watching Brief). SDV348750.

Work undertaken in 2010 included replacing a number of stone slabs lining the entrance to the graveyard extension to the east of the church and reconstructing part of the boundary wall to the west of the church. The removal of facing slabs on each side of the entrance to the graveyard extension revealed the form of the churchyard bank. The boundary was found to consist of dumped soil and stone with no wall but could date from the late 14th century. The boundary wall to the south-west of the church consisted of dressed granite stones with granite coping stones. The evidence suggests the blocks and coping stones may be re-used material.

National Monuments Record, 2012, 445074 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV348745.

St Pancras Church in Widecombe is essentially a cruciform 14th century church, reconstructed and enlarged in the late 15th to early 16th century. The granite tower is one of the finest in the west of England.
A deed of 1283 refers to the site of a more ancient church.
Called 'the Cathedral of the Moors'. A fine Perpendicular church with high tower, built of granite masonry. Other details: SX77NW 16.

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

St Pancras Church shown on modern mapping.

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

St Pancras parish church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor was Listed on 23rd August 1955. Parish church built in the 15th century and restored in 1874 and subsequent years. Tower and nave roof repaired after being struck by lightning in 1638. Tower, south and east sides of body of church of granite ashlar, remainder of granite rubble. Slated roofs. Nave, north and south aisles, north and south transepts, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, south porch, west tower; vestry, of some antiquity, on north side of north chancel chapel. Windows are Perpendicular and contain a considerable amount of unrestored work; detail is mostly in granite, apart from some heavily restored limestone at the east end. Arches are pointed, except for the north and south sides of the nave and south side of south chancel chapel which have three cinquefoiled lights under a flat arch. Tudor priest's door on south side of chancel. Blocked doorway with pointed arch in west wall of north aisle. South porch is single-storeyed; moulded inner and outer doorways with pointed arches, wagon-roof. Tower, plainly a later addition, is very fine and a famous local landmark. Three stages; clasping buttresses with offsets, each of which carries a pinnacle. Crenellated parapet with large octagonal pinnacle at each corner. Heavily moulded west door. Unusually elaborate belfry openings of three lights.
Interior: nave and chancel have a continuous arcade of six arches each side; octagonal columns with double-chamfered arches. Moulded tower arch with attached shafts. Transepts have moulded four-centred arches of wood. Simple piscinas in south transept and chancel chapel, south wall of chancel. Stone rood stair in north chancel chapel. Wagon roofs throughout. Lower part of Medieval wood screen, with painted figures, across nave and aisles. Some 17th century granite tomb-slabs. Other details: LBS Number 442034.

Curno, J., 2015, John Curno Photography (Website). SDV357649.

Widecombe, St. Pancras War Memorial in the church reads "To the Glory of God and in grateful remembrance of those from this parish who fell in two world wars". Details of the names, regiments and locations are listed.
A further plaque outside the church commemorates Henry Broome who died near Ypres in 1916.

Muriel and Richard Brine, 2015-2019, Devon Heritage, War memorial pages (Website). SDV352499.

Website provides further details of the soldiers who died in the war, including family connections, awards and grave sites.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV2828 - MOULDSTONE (XV to XVI - 1500 AD to 1599 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV5720 - Watching Brief at St Pancras Parish Church, Widecombe

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