The Church of St Decuman in Watchet,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England has a 13th-century

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

with the rest of the church being from the 15th century. It has been designated as 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 ...

. The dedication is because Watchet is believed to be the place where Saint Decuman was killed. The church stands on a prominent site overlooking the town. 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 ...

and reseated by

James Piers St Aubyn James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations. Early life St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarag ...

in 1886–1891, with further internal alterations being made in 1896 when the

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

was erected.

Wyndham Chapel

The Wyndham Chapel occupies the east end of the north aisle and is dedicated to the Wyndham family of nearby

Orchard Wyndham Orchard Wyndham is a historic manor near Williton in Somerset, centred on the synonymous grade I listed manor house of Orchard Wyndham that was situated historically in the parish of Watchet and about two miles south of the parish church of ...

House, former

lords of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seigno ...

. Included is a memorial to

Sir John Wyndham ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

(1558 – 1645), who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

against the threat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

. Next to his monument is one to his parents, and the chest tomb of his grandparents, with

monumental brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved sepulchral memorial, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood. Made of hard latten or sheet brass, let into the paveme ...

es, serves to separate the chapel from the chancel. A mural monument exists with kneeling effigies of two of Sir John's sons, Henry and George, as well as other monuments to the later family of Wyndham.

Burials

John Wyndham (1558–1645) Sir John Wyndham (1558 – 1 April 1645), Justice of the Peace, JP, of Orchard Wyndham in the parish of Watchet in Somerset, was an English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Countr ...

Florence Wadham Florence Wyndham (1538-1596), wife of Sir John Wyndham (died 1572) of Orchard Wyndham in Somerset, was a daughter of John Wadham (died 1578) of Merryfield, Ilton in Somerset and Edge, Branscombe in Devon and was a sister and co-heiress of Nichola ...

(buried alive) *John Sydenham (d. 1521) *Sir John Wyndham (d.1572)

Churchyard

In the churchyard is the remains of a 15th-century stone cross.

References

External links

*
St Decuman Church web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watchet, Saint Decuman 15th-century church buildings in England Church of England church buildings in West Somerset Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset Sant Decuman

Wyndham Chapel

Burials

Churchyard

See also

References

External links