St George's Church, Georgeham facts for kids
St George's Church is an old and important church in the village of Georgeham, Devon, England. It belongs to the Church of England and is named after Saint George. This church was built in the 13th century and is considered a Grade I listed building. This means it's a very special historic building that needs to be protected.
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History of the Church
The first time a church in Georgeham was written about was in 1231. At that time, a person named Robert de Edington was in charge of the church. It's possible there was an even older church here, maybe from Saxon or Norman times, but we don't have clear proof.
However, there are some very old items inside the church from the 13th century. These include a stone baptismal font (where babies are baptised) near the altar. There's also a small carving from around 1300 showing the Crucifixion, with figures of John and Mary, and angels. You can also see a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) in the Pickwell Chapel.
One of the most interesting old items is a stone statue of a knight in the Pickwell Chapel. This statue is from around 1294. Also, a small window with a four-leaf shape (called a quatrefoil) in the north wall of the chancel (the area around the altar) and another piscina are from the 14th century. The church was first officially named after Saint George in 1356.
The church is built from stone, with larger blocks for the tower. The oldest part is the 14th-century tower, which has three levels and a strong top section. The main archway between the nave (the main part of the church) and the side aisle was likely built in the 15th century.
Church Design and Changes
The porch on the south side of the church has a sundial (a clock that uses the sun) from 1773. This might be when the porch itself was built. In 1762, the church had a big makeover. Its inside was changed to a more classical style, and most of the windows were updated. The wooden screen that separates the nave from the Pickwell Chapel was also added around this time. It has fancy columns and was repaired in 1912. New enclosed seating and raised galleries for important people were put in during 1767.
More changes happened in 1876, led by an architect named James Fowler. The old enclosed seats in the nave were replaced with the pews you see today, and the raised gallery was removed. The vestry (a room for the clergy) was made bigger, and parts of the chancel were rebuilt. The carving above the altar, showing the Last Supper, is from this time. A new pulpit (where sermons are given) made of special stone called Caen stone was also added. It has carvings of St John the Baptist, the Sermon on the Mount, and Saint Paul.
Special Memorials
The stone statue in the Pickwell Chapel is of Sir Mauger St Aubyn III, a knight who fought in Wales in 1283 and died in 1294. A local story says he was like a giant, so strong that he threw a huge stone into Georgeham from far away, and two strong men half his age couldn't lift it! His statue shows him as 6 feet tall, with his legs crossed, two dogs at his feet, a sword, a shield, and angels supporting him. His wife, Isabel Pickwell, is also buried in the church, but her memorial is gone.
The Newcourt Family memorial is the oldest wall monument in the church, from 1645. It's for Tobie Newcourt and shows him, his son William, and William's four sons. The two female heads represent the wives of Tobie and his son.
The Harris Family memorial is from 1776. Honour Harris put it in the Pickwell Chapel for her parents, Dorothy and John Harris, and their three children who died when they were babies. When Honour Harris died, a small carving of her was added to the memorial. There's also a memorial to the Chichester Family near the altar. It's for William Chichester, who was the church's Rector (a type of priest) from 1750 to 1770, and his wife, Mary.
In the Pickwell Chapel, there's a large bible that remembers Archibald Cleveland. He was a soldier who fought in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854 and was later killed in the Battle of Inkerman. On the north wall of the nave, there's a memorial to Henry Tinker, a local man from Croyde. He drowned in 1916 while trying to save a lady at Croyde Beach. He was given a medal for his bravery after he died.
The Parish Map
On the south wall of the nave, you can see a beautiful tapestry map of Georgeham Parish. It was revealed in 1995. It took over 3,000 hours to stitch! About 85 artists and embroiderers from Georgeham and Croyde worked on it, and 70 children from Georgeham Primary School also helped. The project was started by the Women's Institute to celebrate their 75th anniversary in Devon. The map was even shown at The Barbican in London in 1996.
Other Features
Most of the stained glass windows are from the 19th and 20th centuries. But one special window, the 14th-century quatrefoil window, was found hidden during the Victorian restoration. It was moved to the chancel and now shows an angel holding a scroll that says "Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus" (which means "Holy Holy Holy").
The church organ was put in in 1881 to remember Frances, who died in 1880. The organ was fixed up in 1999, and its hand pump was changed to an electric one.
The church tower has eight bells. Five were made in 1748, one in 1765, and the last two in 1926. The church clock was installed in 1921 to remember the people from the village who died fighting in World War I. In 2014, for the 100th anniversary of WWI, the clock's face and hands were re-gilded (covered in a thin layer of gold), and an electric winding system was added.
The paintings on either side of the altar show Saints Francis and George, the Archangel, and the Virgin Mary. They were painted by an artist named Margaret Kemp-Welch, who lived in the village in the 1920s and 1930s.
Notable Burials
Some famous people are buried in the churchyard:
- Henry Williamson (1895–1977), who wrote the famous book Tarka the Otter.
- Negley Farson (1890–1960), an American writer and adventurer.
