Church Of St Margaret Of Antioch, Northam on:
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The Church of St Margaret of Antioch is the
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An older Norman church once stood on the site, but the present church is mainly 15th-century while the lower part of the tower is older. The building was comprehensively restored between 1845 and 1870 by public subscription and at the expense of the Rev I.H. Gosset under the direction of architect Daniel Mackintosh of 
The Elizabethan barrel vault ceiling is particularly fine and is thought to have been built by local shipwrights who incorporated bosses carved with the Tudor rose, various plant forms and Saint George's Cross together with the symbols of the Passion of Jesus. The Chapel of Saint George is believed to have been the Guild Chapel of the Guild of Saints John and George which existed to help the poor in the Middle Ages.Chance, p. 2
The baptismal font was rediscovered buried under the floor of the tower during the Victorian era and is interesting for its crack and the places on the lip where the locks were positioned to prevent the theft of Holy Water. It was restored in 1848 at the instigation of the Reverend Isaac Henry Gosset who wrote of a local tradition that the font had been broken in two with a sledgehammer by Parliamentary troops during the English Civil War, Civil War. Beside the font can be found a coloured statue of Francis of Assisi with the Wolf of Gubbio which is a copy of an original from 1927 by Mother Maribel of Wantage, Mother Maribel (1887-1970), an Anglican nun and artist at the Convent at Wantage.Chance, p. 4 Beside this statue is a copy of and translation of the 14th-century Northam Kyrie, a page from a Medieval hymn book that would have been in use in the church. The music is written in plainsong and the words are asking 'Lord have mercy upon us.' The Northam Kyrie was discovered in 1933 set into the backing of a churchwarden's book dating from the Elizabethan era. The original is held in the Devon Record Offices, Devon Heritage Centre in
The churchyard is in two sections: the older and original section lying around the church itself and containing many old graves while the newer section is reached through a gate at the top of the old churchyard. In the old section is a grave supposed to be of Salvation Yeo, a character in Charles Kingsley's ''Westward Ho! (novel), Westward Ho!'' who is tortured by the Inquisition. Another is of Benjamin Rogers, a soldier of the Napoleonic Wars who fought against Napoleon in several battles and then guarded him as a prisoner on Saint Helena before returning to Northam where he died aged 90. Also here are various sailors' graves and the Mortuary Chapel now used as a church meeting room.
The musician and conductor Clarence Raybould is buried in the older churchyard, while buried in the new churchyard are a number of Anglican nuns in shared plots and several graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission including one to an unknown merchant seaman "Known unto God" whose body was washed up in the area during World War II.Mysteries at St. Margaret’s, Northam - ''Bideford Buzz'' website (2012)
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St Margaret's church, Northam
Facebook
St Margaret's copy of Francis of Assisi and the Wolf of Gubbio - Appledore, Northam, Westward Ho!
Churches in the Community website
St Margaret's, Northam
on Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Northam, Saint Margaret Church of England church buildings in Devon 15th-century church buildings in England 19th-century churches in the United Kingdom Grade I listed churches in Devon
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
for Northam near Bideford
Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.
Toponymy
In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...
in Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
. Dedicated to Saint Margaret, the church has been a Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
since 1951Church of St Margaret: A Grade I Listed Building in Northam, Devon-
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
database and comes under the Diocese of Exeter
The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Exeter Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is pa ...
.
History and design
An older Norman church once stood on the site, but the present church is mainly 15th-century while the lower part of the tower is older. The building was comprehensively restored between 1845 and 1870 by public subscription and at the expense of the Rev I.H. Gosset under the direction of architect Daniel Mackintosh of Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
in the early Perpendicular style and commands an excellent position overlooking the sea with views of Lundy Island in the distance. The 170 feet high tower houses eight bells and is early 15th-century. Because of its prominent position overlooking Bideford Bay it was used for centuries as a guide for shipping in the Bristol Channel with its seaward side being whitewashed for greater visibility. The nave is 13th or 14th-century in date; the church was enlarged with a north aisle as the local population grew during the Elizabethan era as witnessed by the inscription "This yele was made Anno 1593" ('yele' meaning 'aisle') on one of the arches.
The Elizabethan barrel vault ceiling is particularly fine and is thought to have been built by local shipwrights who incorporated bosses carved with the Tudor rose, various plant forms and Saint George's Cross together with the symbols of the Passion of Jesus. The Chapel of Saint George is believed to have been the Guild Chapel of the Guild of Saints John and George which existed to help the poor in the Middle Ages.Chance, p. 2
The baptismal font was rediscovered buried under the floor of the tower during the Victorian era and is interesting for its crack and the places on the lip where the locks were positioned to prevent the theft of Holy Water. It was restored in 1848 at the instigation of the Reverend Isaac Henry Gosset who wrote of a local tradition that the font had been broken in two with a sledgehammer by Parliamentary troops during the English Civil War, Civil War. Beside the font can be found a coloured statue of Francis of Assisi with the Wolf of Gubbio which is a copy of an original from 1927 by Mother Maribel of Wantage, Mother Maribel (1887-1970), an Anglican nun and artist at the Convent at Wantage.Chance, p. 4 Beside this statue is a copy of and translation of the 14th-century Northam Kyrie, a page from a Medieval hymn book that would have been in use in the church. The music is written in plainsong and the words are asking 'Lord have mercy upon us.' The Northam Kyrie was discovered in 1933 set into the backing of a churchwarden's book dating from the Elizabethan era. The original is held in the Devon Record Offices, Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
.
The pulpit is of Devon marble and replaces a Georgian three decker pulpit. The Lady Chapel dates to 1623 and houses the organ built by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd in 1866 while the altar serves as a memorial to those who died in World War I; set in the top of the altar is a marble slab with consecration crosses. A more recent addition to the chapel is the statue of the Suffering Madonna and Christ Child carved by Eric Collingwood, a member of the congregation.
Churchyard
The churchyard is in two sections: the older and original section lying around the church itself and containing many old graves while the newer section is reached through a gate at the top of the old churchyard. In the old section is a grave supposed to be of Salvation Yeo, a character in Charles Kingsley's ''Westward Ho! (novel), Westward Ho!'' who is tortured by the Inquisition. Another is of Benjamin Rogers, a soldier of the Napoleonic Wars who fought against Napoleon in several battles and then guarded him as a prisoner on Saint Helena before returning to Northam where he died aged 90. Also here are various sailors' graves and the Mortuary Chapel now used as a church meeting room.
The musician and conductor Clarence Raybould is buried in the older churchyard, while buried in the new churchyard are a number of Anglican nuns in shared plots and several graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission including one to an unknown merchant seaman "Known unto God" whose body was washed up in the area during World War II./ref>
References
External links
St Margaret's church, Northam
St Margaret's copy of Francis of Assisi and the Wolf of Gubbio - Appledore, Northam, Westward Ho!
Churches in the Community website
St Margaret's, Northam
on Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Northam, Saint Margaret Church of England church buildings in Devon 15th-century church buildings in England 19th-century churches in the United Kingdom Grade I listed churches in Devon