The Anglican Church of St James in
Chilton Cantelo,
Somerset, England was built in the 15th century. It is a Grade II*
listed building.
History
The church has a 15th-century tower and parts of the church date from even earlier. It was
restored
''Restored'' is the fourth
studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings.
Track listing
Standard release
Enhanced edition
Deluxe gold edition
Standard ...
in 1864–65 by Sir
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...
, while
Charles Old Goodford
Charles Old Goodford (15 July 1812, in Chilton-Cantelo – 9 May 1884, in Eton) was an English headmaster, and provost of Eton College.
Goodford was the second son of John Goodford of Chilton Cantelo, Somerset, who died in 1835, by Charlotte, ...
was the incumbent.
The parish is part of a
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
with
Ashington,
Mudford
Mudford is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated from Yeovil in the South Somerset district on the River Yeo. The village has a population of 696. The parish includes the hamlets of Mudford Sock, West Mudford and Up Mudford.
Th ...
and
Rimpton
Rimpton is a village and civil parish north-west of Sherborne, and north-east of Yeovil on a tributary of the River Parret in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England.
History
The parish of Rimpton was part of the Horethorne hundred ...
within the
Diocese of Bath and Wells.
Architecture
The stone building has
hamstone dressing and clay tile roofs. It consists of a three-
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
nave and three-bay
chancel with a south porch. The three-stage west tower is supported by corner
buttresses and has a small stair turret with a weathercock.
The tower has five bells the oldest of which was cast in the 17th century.
Inside the church are a 12th-century
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
and early
piscina.
The circular font is made of hamstone is
lead lined and is in diameter. There is a wall tablet which is a memorial to Lieutenant Charles Goodford who died in
World War I.
Theophilus Brome, who died in 1670, had his body buried in the church, however his skull was separated from the body on his instructions and is kept in a cupboard at Higher Chilton Farm.
According to writer Daniel Codd, who observed the skull in February 2010: 'Upon being shown Theophilus' skull, I was curious to see his lower jaw was missing and that he appears at some stage to have been varnished.' Codd goes on to say, 'The reason for Theophilus Brome's desire that his head be hidden was very natural, given the era in which he died, and his tomb in the church is concealed beneath the church wall nearest the farm — meaning that his head and body were buried apart, but as near to each other as was possible under the circumstances.' Several attempts to inter the skull have resulted in terrible and unexplained noises being heard throughout the farmhouse.
[Peter Underwood, Gazetteer of British Ghosts, p. 49, Walker and Company, New York 1971]
See also
*
List of ecclesiastical parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilton Cantelo, Church of St James
Grade II* listed buildings in South Somerset
Grade II* listed churches in Somerset
Church of England church buildings in South Somerset