Description

SS 90 SW CADBURY
8/38 Church of St Michael and All Angels
5.4.66
GV I
Parish church. C12 font ; tower possibly C13 (q.v. Bickleigh): circa early C16 north
aisle ; restoration of circa 1840 ; further restoration of 1857 by William White.
Volcanic trap rubble with freestone (mostly Bathstone) dressings ; asbestos slate
roofs ; C19 crested ridge tiles to nave and chancel.
Plan of nave, chancel, west tower, 4-bay north arcade (1 bay to the chancel), south
porch. The development of the church is not clear but it may have been a nave and
chancel church with west tower in the C13, extended by a 4-bay aisle in the circa
early C16. The porch is also early C16 origin. In 1843 the east and tower windows
were described as "New" as were the altar and communion rails. The chancel roof may
also date from the same phase. In 1857 William White rebuilt the south wall,
replaced the north side windows and replaced the nave roof.
The chancel has an east gable coped with Ham Hill and crowned with a cross, a 3-light
circa 1840 Perpendicular east window with a hoodmould. The two south windows are
both William White : one cinquefoil-headed light to the east and a 2-light Decorated
style window to the west. Between them is a characteristically William White
feature; a narrow priests' door inserted in a wide buttress with set-offs. The
doorway is chamfered and stopped with a pointed segmental arch with a 2 plank door
with strap hinges. To the east of the porch the nave has a William White window with
3 flush trefoil-headed lights, similar 2-light window to the west of the porch. The
north aisle has coped north and south gables crowned with crosses and 3-light 1840
north and south windows, the east window with a hoodmould.
The north side windows are 1857 by William White as is the C19 buttress with set-
offs. The windows are asymmetrically-placed ; two 3-light windows with trefoil-
headed lights and a similar 1-light window to the west. 3 stage unbuttresed,
battlemented west tower without pinnacles or string courses. The tower is slightly
battered with a large projecting rectangular north stair turret with slit windows.
The tower has similarities to Bickleigh (q.v.) although the battlementing has been
rebuilt. The west face has a volcanic trap shallow-moulded doorway with a pointed
segmental arch, cushion stops and a C19 plank and cover strip door with strap hinges.
3-light circa 1840 Perpendicular west window with a hoodmould; 2-light belfry
opening, the lintel a C19 replacement giving trefoil-headed lights, the original
probably being cinquefoil-headed, the form of the belfry opening on the north face.
The belfry openings on the east and south faces are granite with 2 segmental arched
lights. The south face has a cinquefoil-headed opening at bellringers' stage.
The porch has a coped gable, crowned with a cross and flush buttresses with set-offs;
double-chamfered 2-centred doorway in volcanic trap, the inner order dying into the
walls. The interior of the porch has timber-topped benches and a circa early C16 2-
bay arch braced roof with moulded purlins and a collar purlin, the southernmost truss
is a C19 replacement. Moulded 2-centred inner doorway in volcanic trap with cushion
stops, door probably C20 but incorporating an earlier lock box.
Interior Plastered walls; timber chancel arch formed by the abutment of the nave and
chancel roofs ; plain tower arch with panelled soffit. Black and red C19 tiled dado.
The 4-bay arcade has been painted but is probably Beerstone with shallow-moulded
Tudor arches, piers with corner shafts and good, varied carved capitals. The aisle
roof is probably early C16, a keeled unceiled waggon with the principal ribs
moulded. The chancel roof, possibly circa 1840, is of similar design but with a
carved wallplate and carved bosses. William White's 3-bay nave roof is arch braced
with a collar purlin and collars between the common rafters which have diagonal
boarding behind them. The easternmost truss, which forms the chancel arch, is
carried on painted wooden posts on corbels. Numerous fittings of interest. The
reredos is said to be 1890 (Church Guide, n.d.) but looks earlier : perhaps it is
1840 with later marble embellishments. It extends the width of the east end with
gabled commandment boards to left and right and a central nodding ogee flanked by
blind arcading. Polychromatic marble to the niches includes a corbel to support an
altar cross. Stone credence table supported on a marble demi-angel. The floor tiling
includes memorials to members of the Coleridge family and is probably 1857 ; timber
Gothic communion rail of 1840. The altar, in situ in 1843 (Davidson), is made up of
fine minutely-traceried panels, probably C16 and unlikely to be of English
craftsmanship.
The choir has some interesting stalls made up of a mixture of medieval and C19 bench
ends; 1 bench end is especially interesting, shouldered with a crocketted head and
carved with intersecting tracery very similar to the notable set at Atherington is
North Devon. Unusual C17 lectern originally from Ottery St Mary (Cresswell) with
strapwork decoration and a turned stem. Stone drum pulpit, possibly circa 1840,
decorated with blind arches.
Unusual, probably C12 volcanic trap font with a square bowl, scallopped underneath on
a round stem with decoration on the plinth. The stem and plinth are C19. The font
cover, circa 1840, clearly not designed for the present font, has an ogival profile
and is carved with blind tracery. The benches in the nave are utilitarian C19 with
rectangular ends. The east end of the south aisle is a family pew screened off by a
low early C19 Gothic screen. A number of interest monuments. In the floor at the
east end of the south aisle 3 ledger stones of the early C17 including a particularly
fine one commemorating George Fursdon, died 1643, which includes armorial bearings in
relief and a verse "Bee dumbe thou influence of officious verse/Fursdon esquier lyes
veild within this herse/Twoold bee to rude an insolence to his shrine/too cloathe
transcendent merit with a line"/. Early C19 grey and white marble wall monument on
the north wall of the chancel to George Fursdon, died 1837, signed E. Gaffin, Regent
St. London. Late C18 grey and white marble obelisk wall monument in the aisle to
Charles Hale, died 1795, with a long inscription on a white marble sarcophagus. Also
in the aisle a white marble wall monument to Elizabeth Lyon, died 1789, signed
Kendall, Exon : an obelisk with a draped urn. Several other C19 wall monuments.
Important late C15 stained glass in the east window of the north aisle, moved from
the east window. A central figure of Christ showing his wounds was clearly
originally part of a 7 sacraments design by the Doddiscombsleigh atelier of glass
painters and is the largest single surviving figure from the workshop outside Exeter
Cathedral. The flanking lights are probably by the Hardman company who provided 2
windows in the north aisle and 1 in the south aisle.
Westernmost window in the south aisle by Clayton and Bell with a memorial date of
1877. Chancel windows by Beer of Exeter.
A chest in the vestry (curtained off at the west end of the aisle) is said to be 1606
(Cresswell) and retains some painted decoration.
A fine Church with notable glass and a good restoration by William White.
Davidson, "Church Notes East of Devon", MS is West Country Studies Library, pp. 493-
498
Cresswell B., "Notes on Devon Churches, Deanery of Tiverton ; typescript in West
Country Studies Library
Devon Nineteenth Century Churches Project
Illustration of the Church in 1842 in W. Spreat, Picturesque Sketches of the Churches
of Devon (1842)

Listing NGR: SS9109104943

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526484

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
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  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
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  For the Record
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  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)