Description

SLAPTON SLAPTON
SX8245 Tower of Collegiate
11/115 Chantry of St Mary
26.1.67
GV I

West tower of collegiate chantry church. Circa 1372 or 3. Dressed and
coursed slate rubble. Tall square tower about 80ft high in 3 stages with
stringcourses, diagonal buttresses with set-offs at the corners and a
polygonal stair turret on the south west corner with a corbel table and a
very small stone spire. The main tower also has corbels but the parapet
above is missing. Lancets at the ringing stage and slightly larger pointed
arch openings to the bell stage above. The large west window below has
been converted into an archway and blocked later. The tall arch on the east
side to the former nave has a dressed stone 2-centred arch and weathering
above where the nave roof joined. The stair turret has small window slits.
All the dressed and moulded stone from the windows has been removed but
inside the moulded rib springing of the vault to the first stage survives.
The roof is missing.
Historical note: In 1373 Sir Guy de Brian, standard-bearer to Edward III
at the Battle of Crecy and lord of the manor, founded a collegiate chantry
here with an endowment of 6 priests, 1 rector, 5 fellows and 4 clerks.
After the foundation of the college the tithes of the parish church were
appropriated to the chantry one of whose priests was appointed Minister to
the church. The last rector of the chantry was Nicholas Morton. At the
Dissolution the chantries revenues were granted to Thomas Arundel. It
remained in the possession of the Arundels until the C17 when it passed to
the Page family. Now all that survives above ground is the west tower of
the chantry church. There might be some early fabric in the adjacent house
known as The Chantry qv.
Sources: B F Cresswell, Notes on Devon Churches, Deanery of Woodleigh,
1923, W G Hoskins, Devon.

Listing NGR: SX8216345061

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527190

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)