WHAT’S IN A ...?
What’s in a Church THE VILLAGES
? B
eautiful villages surround Dartmouth and most of them
have stunning and interesting churches. Stoke Fleming has St Peters – a marvellous and beautiful church overlooking the sea. It is thought there has been a church there since before the Norman conquest, but the majority of the current church dates from the 13th Century. Like many churches across the country, the original church was expanded and adapted to accommodate more worshippers – in both the 14th and 15th Centuries. The grandly named J.B. St. Aubyn renovated it again in 1871. Aside from some beautiful marble spelling out the commandments, two interesting carved lecterns and a Norman font in pink sandstone, the church is notable for the memorial brass dedicated to Elias Newcomen, grandfather of Thomas - the man who invented the steam engine and started the Industrial Revolution. In recent years, the community has
taken a fully active role (as it always will have done) in the church’s upkeep. The highly popular Christmas Tree festival raises funds for both the church and an annually nominated charity each Christmas and it is a magical festive treat each year.
The village on the other side of Dart Harbour, Kingswear, boasts a church with a connection to one of the most dramatic tales in the history of the British church – the assassination of Thomas A Beckett. The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Kingswear, is named after the old Archbishop who had stood up to the King and who also happened to be his former employer and firm friend.
He was made a saint after he was cut down in 1170 by
Left to right: st Georges, Dittisham. Photo by Joan Lloyd st Peters, stoke Fleming. Photo by Philip Halling. st Thomas, Kingswear. Photo by Gordon Griffiths
four Knights who thought they were fulfilling the wishes of King Henry II – who reportedly had screamed “who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” when told of Thomas’ disobedience. Henry was a king famous for the enemies he made – not least all his children and his wife who went to war against him, repeatedly. Kingswear’s church was actually started
they are all at the heart of their respective communities,
in 1170, the year of Thomas’ death, so it’s unclear if it was built to mark the death, or was going to be built anyway and was simply named in his honour. After his murder in his own cathedral, Thomas’ veneration by mourners quickly
acquired the status of a cult. The reaction of the Catholic world in general meant many pilgrims came from Europe to see the shrine to his memory and often they would land in Kingswear. One of the more interesting myths about the place is its priest was at one time a descendant of one of the Knights who killed Beckett. The church was neglected and fell into almost complete disrepair. A massive effort was made in 1841 to rebuild it, and all but the original tower had to be demolished. It was rebuilt in local stone and has been a source of
pride ever since. Its clock was paid for by villagers in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. The church has continued to receive the support of its villagers, including one famous occasion when Reg Little asked Prince Philip
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