A BRIEF HISTORY OF SAINT MARY’S

Peter Hamilton-Leggett

Thought to have been built as a chapel to the manor house, first mention of the building was in 1257. In the Taxation of Pope Nicholas IV (1289-1291) the Chapel of Sampford was taxed at 40 shillings (£2). Between 1334 and 1547 it belonged to Plympton Priory after hich it was given to the Dean and Canons of Windsor, who still remain the patronage.  Between 1735 and 1867 the Curacy of Shaugh Prior was united with Sampford Spiney. From 1808 to 1866 the incumbent was the Rev S W Pearce who lived at Cadleigh, near Ivybridge.

The present church is of Roborough stone with granite dressings. The late Perpendicular tower, which rises in three stages complete with large crocketed pinnacles, is of typical Dartmoor design. The church was enlarged in the sixteenth century when the porch, south aisle and tower were added.

The crossed keys motif on the tower is said to represent Plympton Priory but this is doubtful as the tower seems to have been built after the church was owned by the Dean & Canons of Windsor – maybe the carved stone was re-used by the builders. On the other hand R Hansford Worth has suggested that the motif could be Papal Arms and nothing to do with the Priory. This is much more likely as the crossed keys are behind a shield which is unknown for St Peter. Lower down, the M, which looks more like an inverted W, also remains a mystery. It is doubtful if it stood for Mary, whose symbols are different, besides the original dedication has not been discovered and was certainly forgotten after the Reformation. It has been Mary since about 1873 (Orme, 1996).

The interior has a fine raised wagon roof of open timbers. The north transept is the earliest and most interesting part of the church. Here are two Early English lancet lights,  medieval encaustic tiles with pierced geometric designs, a carved head, a piscina and  a fine canopied niche of a 14^th century tomb which at one time had an effigy perhaps of the de Spineto family.

Restoration took place in 1867 when Thomas Boggis became the Rector. His son records, “My earliest memory of Sampford Spiney is watching men stripping the monolithic pillars of their whitewash as part of the church restoration work. Of course the high pews went, to be replaced by pitch-pine; and also the west gallery, to which, according to statements then current, the clerk was wont to climb, announcing, ‘Let me sing to the glory of God . . .’ No one else was tolerated, if attempting to spoil the solo . . “ (Boggis 1947). Some of the old bench-ends have been used for the screen. The new rector seems to have thrown himself into the task remonstrating that the pews were too close together making it impossible to kneel or even sit with comfort. He conducted most of his correspondence from 2 Bedford Villas, Tavistock, where he lived as there was no proper rectory in Sampford. The journey each Sunday took an hour each way in a horse-drawn carriage. It was in 1867 that the parish became greatly diminished when some 400 inhabitants were taken from it and added to the parish of Horrabridge. This left only 150 in Sampford Spiney hence part of the restoration also included removing some of the seats. The work was supervised by the Plymouth architect Alfred Norman. Other work included the re-roofing of the south aisle and the chancel. The church re-opened for services on Tuesday 11 Feb 1868.

The chapel in the south aisle has a finely carved modern reredos. The granite font is 16^th century octagonal with shields on the panels with cross & saltires. Probably made by the same hand as that at Walkhampton as they are almost identical save that this one is the right way up! There is a plain & simple pulpit and lectern.

According to Prebendary Boggis, his father “introduced a novelty – a musical instrument, to wit, a harmonium; or rather he had two instruments, for his moorland church was so damp, that when one was out of working order, another was brought from home to replace it for a while. The effect of the dampness was that some notes would refuse to behave aright and would continue to cipher; and sometimes it was my function as a little boy to stand by my mother as she played, and pull up any notes that stuck down.”  The same source records that, “after some years a pipe organ, one of Schnitzler’s, was purchased, and my sister presided over the music, and regularly drove [from Tavistock] out every week to practice her mixed choir of men, women and young people.” Public subscription paid for the organ and permission was granted in 1875 to remove some seats to house it. This maybe the pipe organ that Hele’s of Plymouth serviced in 1899; however by 1924 Hele’s had written to Mrs Calmady stating that they “regret to have to report that this instrument is almost ruined by neglect in providing sufficient protection against damp”. After much correspondence Messrs Hele reluctantly agreed to accept what remained of the organ to write off the account. The present organ was purchased from a North Devon church about ten years ago.

The Elizabethan chalice was made in Exeter in 1572 and is the oldest in the deanery – being the only one the church possesses it is still in use today. An earlier one must have been ‘lost’ as in 1553 the Church Goods Commissioners wrote, “and one chalice committed to the custody of John Richards, Nicholas Rede and other parishioners there . . .”.  The medieval style flagon was “purchased by subscription 1869. Thomas Boggis MA Rector”.

Of interest are two hatchments that hang in the church. A hatchment would be suspended on the front of a deceased person’s house for a period of mourning before being transferred to the church. These two are dated 1801 (Humphrey Hall) and 1817 (Lt Col Maine Swete Walrond).

The only stained glass window is behind the altar. It was given by Elizabeth Ann Henry in memory of her husband Lancelot, whose father was rector for 35 years.

The church possessed three bells in the 1553 inventory. These were recast by the Penningtons at different times. In 1890 two new bells by Llewellins & James of Bristol were added. Both bear the name of the rector – James Henry and were donated by John Godden. In 2008 the ring was completely remodelled. The old tenor bell was melted down to produce two new Whitechapel bells, giving a peal of six. The two new bells are inscribed “Deo Gloria - The Campbells of Eggworthy” and “The Pugh and Spedding families – Revd Geoff Lloyd Rector – Mrs Rosalind Pugh Churchwarden – Sir Peter Badge Churchwarden and The Harland Family”. For the first time for thirty years the bells can now be rung again.

The original manor was owned by the Spinet or De Spineto family and later by Walter de la Putte. Sir Francis Drake purchased the manor in 1581 and left it in his will to his second in command Jonas Bodenham, who sold it back to Francis Drake’s brother Thomas. It eventually passed to the Bidgoods and then the Halls of Manadon.

The graveyard is a picture in the spring being full of wild flowers. There are few gravestones of merit but there is a large mausoleum. When Ann Maria Jane Godden died in 1887 her husband John had a polished granite mausoleum built in her memory. She was Dutch and her father was governor of Curacao in the West Indies. It was here that she met the twenty year old John, a mining engineer, who was busy making his fortune from a vast deposit of guano that he had discovered there. He had six children by her and a further four with his second wife. His connection with Sampford Spiney was by his father who had been manager of North Wheal Robert Mine and lived at Court House. John had a sister and six brothers. The mausoleum is rather a mismatch of classical features but nevertheless still retains a certain charm. Still in use, the inside is fitted with shelves to hold the coffins.

The Parsonage and Glebe land was sold in 1878 for £17. The parsonage was almost a ruin as it had not been lived in for a long time. Today, much restored and rebuilt it is now called Stourton Farm. A new rectory was built about 1890 but that too was eventually sold and is now called Southlands.

On the 28 June 1921 Sampford Spiney united with Horrabidge. In 2011 Sampford & Horrabridge joined Yelverton, Walkhampton, Meavy, Sheepstor and Princetown to form the West Dartmoor Benefice.