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Summary

Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Dates to around 1300 with west tower and transepts, enlarged in circa 1500 by addition of aisles. Restored in the late 19th century. Rood screen dating to 1500 and wood pulpit.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (I) 1107379: CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5168
• National Monuments Record: SX76NW39
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 898048
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX76NW/10
• Old Listed Building Ref (I): 99289

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Constructed, XIII to XIX - 1300 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))
• WAR MEMORIAL (World War I - 1914 AD to 1918 AD)

Full description

Lysons, D. + Lysons, S., 1822, Magna Britannica (Monograph). SDV323771.

There is an ancient square font supported by four pillars and a central pedestal at Holne.

Worthy, C., 1884, Notes - Genealogical and Historical - Being a Second Essay towards a History of Bideford, 702 (Article in Serial). SDV18900.

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

Fine perpendicular rood screen, much mutilated. Groining gone, and spandrels covered with fragments of the enrichments roughly attached. Much of the cornice work remains, and the lower panels are painted. The screen retains much of the ancient colour. Three sets of doors are perfect. Other details: Thought to be Keyser - no source author given.

Bligh Bond, F., 1903, Devonshire Screens and Rood Lofts. Part II, 464 (Article in Serial). SDV6113.

Amery, P. F. S., 1906-1907, Oak Carving at Ashburton in Tudor Days, 227 (Article in Serial). SDV296279.

There is a handsome Tudor pulpit, probably from the time of Bishop Oldham, 1504-1519, whose arms are on the pulpit. It was probably carved at Ashburton; perpendicular carving and chromatic decoration. Heraldic shields on its panels.

Thompson, A. H., 1913, Church Architecture in Devon, 458,471,479 (Article in Serial). SDV15387.

Chanter, J. F., 1913, Fifth report of the Committee on Church Plate, 109 (Article in Serial). SDV312224.

Chalice: an Elizabethan cup with its cover, of London make. Well shaped bowl with 2 ornamental bands, upper strapwork and foliated, lower dot-and-miss; stem with rounded knop smaller than in West Country cups. Circular foot with egg-and-tongue ornamentation.
Marks; 1) maker (Lombardic) 2) leopards head crowned 3) lion passant 4) date letter 1575 London. Inscription on foot "Holne Church" chalice cover: foliated and strapwork band on rim and button.
Marks as chalice paten: plain, on foot, with gadroon rim. Marks illegible.
Flagon: slender tankard with dome lid. Marks; 1) maker P. B., E. B. (Rebecca Bames and Edward Barnard) 2) Leopards head 3) Lion passant 4) Kings head 5) date letter 1805 London. Inscription; "The gift of E. and M. Lane, 1828".

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, 411 (Monograph). SDV17562.

St. Mary's Parish Church. Originally cruciform, built around 1300, with a west tower and transepts. As at ilsington, the church was enlarged about 1500 by opening out the transepts into aisles with granite arcades.

Department of Environment, 1986, Holne (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV175668.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 491 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Church of St Mary the Virgin. Ca,1300 West tower and transepts, enlarged ca.1500 by adding aisles. Restored in the late C19th. Grade I.

Sinclair, E., 2005, Church of St Mary the Virgin, Holne. Roodscreen: Pilot Week (Report - Scientific). SDV347697.

A pilot week of cleaning was carried out on the roodscreen panels in April 2005 to assess how effective the work would be and estimate costs. The Holne roodscreen is particularly significant as it has not been repainted; this was the case in many Devon churches. The screen was instead covered with layers of dark varnish, covering a deposited layer of dust which have themselves discoloured over time, obscuring the paintings. Careful cleaning to remove this layer was particularly successful and paint samples were taken for analysis to aid the conservation process. The results of the trial cleaning were dramatic and further conservation work to clean the screen was advised.

Sinclair, E., 2007, Church of st Mary the Virgin, Holne. Roodscreen: Work in Progress (Report - Scientific). SDV347698.

Update report showed work to be progressing well, removing layers of discoloured linseed oil from the panels. Records show this to have been applied in the 1960s on advice given to the parish from ICI. Due to the surfaces not being dusted prior to coating the panels, this work sealed in deposited layers of dust and dirt.

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

A separate memorial to surgeon A. Leslie Pearce Gould is in the church, in the form of a cross, detailing his regiment and when and where he fell etc.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Depicted on the modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV357602.

4/21 Church of St Mary the Virgin 9-2-1961, GV I
Parish church. Circa 1300 with west tower and transepts, enlarged in circa 1500 by addition of aisles. Restored late C19. Granite rubble partly rendered. Concrete tile roofs. Nave and north and south aisles under one roof. Aisles have C19 2 and 3-light lancets. Chancel with C19 3-light east window with reticulated tracery chapels north and south of chapel. Reused small C13 moulded doorway in vestry. North and south transepts with 4-light perpendicular north and south windows, the north window has restored tracery and the north transept has a 3-light lancets on east side. South porch with 2-centred moulded arch waggon roof with carved bosses and 2-central arch moulded inner south doorway. Circa 1300 tall west tower in 2 stages with batter and embattled parapet. 2-light laned bell-openings, loops to internal stairs on north side and plain chamfered 2-centred arch west doorway. Interior: Circa 1500 five bay north and south arcades, the east bays to the chapels are smaller. Low monolithic octagonal granite piers with unmoulded capitals and double-chamfered 4-central arches. Waggon roofs those to nave and south transept unceiled. The aisle and north trancept waggon roofs have moulded ribs and carved bosses. The chancel has C19 waggon roof with carved bosses. The north trancept has moulded wooden cambered arch to north chapel, now an organ chamber which contains doorway to roof stairs. Tall plain undressed 2-centred tower arch with imposts. Good circa 1500 wooden screens in 3 sections across nave and aisles with perpen- dicular tracery, rich carving and retaining colout including painted figures in wainscot panels. The screen coving is missing. Fine circa 1500 10-sided carved wooden pulpit on goblet stem, also retaining colour. Cusped 2-centred arch piscina in south wall of chancel. Late C19 choir stalls and stone reredos. The seating of 1909, C19 and C20 granite font. Wall monument in south transept to Sir Bourchier Wrey, 1826, of Holne Park.

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

Plaque in the church reads: "To the Glory of God and in honoured memory of the men on Holne who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914-1918. This tablet is ? by grateful parishioners." Names are listed and website records other information about the men, including awards, family connections etc.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 29/03/2022 (Website). SDV364039.

[898048] The description of the font by Lyson suggests either a alte Norman type of a C13th table font, confirming an early C13th origin for the church (citing R. J. Fitzgerald, 29/01/1992, RCHME recording). No further source/even details supplied.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV3304 - CHURCH PLATE (XVI to XIX - 1575 AD to 1805 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV5236 - Pilot cleaning of the roodscreen at Holne Church
• EDV5237 - Cleaning of the roodscreen at Holne Church

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