Description

SO 43 SE; 6/81

MUCH DEWCHURCH CP

Church of St David

26.01.67

GV

I

Parish church. C12, C13 and C14, with late C19 additions. Restored 1877.
Sandstone rubble, squared sandstone, tufa and sandstone dressings. Stone
slate and tiled roofs. West tower, three-bay nave, two-bay chancel, north
nave aisle, south porch, vestry and organ chamber.

Tower has two stages,
hipped tiled roof with one gabled louvred dormer to each side and weather-
cock to ridge. Bottom stage has battered plinth with roll moulding. First
stage has lancet to south wall and west window with three restored trefoil-
headed lights, deeply moulded 2-centred head and label with eroded head stops.
Upper stage has central lancet to each face, except the last, just above the
string dividing the two stages. Above each of these lancets is a 2-centred
relieving arch. Clock above west lancet. Weathered buttress to south-east
corner. North aisle is late C19. West window has two cinquefoiled lights
and tracery under 2-centred head. The north wall has a trefoil-headed lancet
to the right and two windows each of two trefoil-headed lights with quatre-
foil tracery, one to centre and one to left. Roof is catslide from nave.
Vestry and organ chamber has north gable with end stack. On the east side are
three juxtaposed trefoil-headed lancets and a square-headed doorway. Chancel
has diagonal corner buttresses and gable cross. Circa 1400 east window of
three cinquefoil-headed lights with moulded labels, head stops and 2-centred
head. In the tracery are quatrefoiled and trefoiled lights. Two matching
wall monuments to sides of the window for Dorothy Hassall and Rev William
Hassall died 1844 and 1849 respectively, have corbelled arches and cinquefoiled
design. South side has chamfered priest's door with 2-centred head between two
windows. The right window has a 2-centred head with moulded label and two
trefoil-headed lights. The left window has two ogeed and trefoil-headed lights
beneath quatrefoil tracery and a 2-centred arch. Nave has one small C12 round-
headed light to west and two traceried windows to the east of the south porch
each with label and two cinquefoil-headed lights. Eastern verge with gable
cross. South porch is C14 with flanking buttresses and gable with verge and
gable cross. Deeply moulded 2-centred arch with label and eroded unrestored
head stops. Each return wall has one central loop. Roof has two bays, arch-
braces to collars and cusped lower wind braces producing trefoils. Side
benches in stone, above left bench carved stone with interlace pattern. South
doorway is C12 with square head and joggled lintel above which is a recessed
detached undecorated tympanum. To the right of the doorway remains of water
stoup with pyramidal chamfer stops on which rests part of a drain with a
crude carving of a human face.

INTERIOR has C19 chancel and aisle roofs.
The chancel roof has a collar purlin. The nave roof has C15 or C16 trusses
with collars supported by curved braces. Beneath are three moulded tie beams
and moulded wall plates. Chancel has deeply splayed C12 round-headed light
in north wall to vestry and organ chamber. Piscina with flat 2-centred arch,
chamfered jambs and circular drain. Shelf in north-east corner formed from
part of coffin lid. Another coffin lid as cill to south-east window. C19 arch
to organ chamber is 2-centred with foliated capitals and circular abaci.
Circa 1900 altar table in oak, has three arches with 2-centred heads each arch
divided into two "lights". On north wall, monument to John Symonds, died 1763
in brown and white marble with open pediment and cherubs in the apron. On north
side of each wall, monument to Richard Symonds, died 1850, has bas-relief in
white marble of mourning female beneath a weeping willow and low pediment with
acroteria. On south side of east wall, monument for Thomas Symonds, died 1818,
in black and white marble with large obelisk and urn above tomb and apron.
East window has stained glass for James Symonds (?) Esq., died 1853, with The
Resurrection in the centre light, the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane
in the left and the Carrying of the Cross in the right-hand light. South-east
window is for Lucy Phillips of Brynwyn (qv), died 1884, inscribed "Blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God". Early C20 paraffin hanging lamp of
brass and wrought iron. Circa 1900 candelabrum in form of an annulus with
cresting of shamrocks and IHS motifs on twisted candlesticks. Chancel arch
is C12, round-headed and has two unmoulded orders with chamfered imposts.
Flanking it are areas of squared tufa and beneath is a low C19 red and white
marble screen. Nave has C19 arcade of two bays, the western respond of which
cuts into jamb of a C12 round-headed opening into north aisle. Arcade has
moulded 2-centred arches with labels and clustered shafts to central pier,
water-holding base and stiff-leaf foliage. Western respond has circular corbel.
West wall has a 3-order 2-centred tower arch without mouldings. Above is a 2-
centred arch to bell chamber. South wall has tomb recess with chamfered 2-
centred arch. Font is C12 with cylindrical stem and bowl, the latter decorated
with blind round-headed arches. The plinth is chamfered and has four archaic
faces, alternating with four rosettes. Pulpit is early C17 oak with three sides
of blind arcades, guilloche and reed decoration and acanthus spandrels. Lectern,
c1900, is oak. In south-east corner, a late C16 altar tomb for John Pye, died
1547, and Walter Pye, both of Mynde (qv). Unusually two recumbent male figures,
one with pointed beard, the other with a ruff. On the face of the tomb beneath
the figures are bas-reliefs, the central figure presented looking directly forwards.
At right angles to the last, a wall monument for Walter Pye, Attorney General 1602,
died 1625 and his wife, Joan. Black and white marble and alabaster. The couple
kneel towards each other under an arched recess across a prie-dieu decorated with
a swan-necked pediment. They are flanked by Ionic columns supporting an
entablature and achievement. Beneath are six male and seven female weepers. Inscription
includes: FIDES ET SPES IN CHRISTO SUNT ANCHORAE ANIMAE. Black marble floor slabs
for Robert Pye, died 1680 and Edw Pye, died 1727. Above pulpit, wall monument
for James Rankin Baronet of Brynwyn, died 1915, with stone cartouche in C18 style,
on grey/blue back panel. By the south door, marble wall monument for James Phillips
of Brynwyn, died 1809, has key pattern and urn against black obelisk. Nearby a
brass plaque to his son, who died aged 34 at Surat in 1864 working for the Bombay
Civil Service. South-east window has stained glass for Elzabeth Symonds, died
1857, illuminating the raising of Lazarus. North aisle has C19 arch to vestry
similar to arcade. Stained glass in north-west window for Edward Horn, died
1857, depicting The Good Shepherd. Central 2-light window for Claude Cuthbert,
died 1912 and James Rankin Bt has left light depicting Faith and the right,
Charity. North-east window is for Samuel Eccles, died 1880 showing St David.
Marble wall monument for Thomas Symonds, died 1831, has large semi-circular
headed arch with margin decorated in key pattern and sarcophagus design. Black
marble floor slab for James Pye, died 1646. Between the central and westernmost
windows of north wall is wall monument in stone with white and brown marble in
the form of a Gothic aedicule for Frederick Symonds, died 1879, with maker's
name inscribed HARDS/ROSS.

Listing NGR: SO4822631119

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17530307

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

• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings