The Church of St Margaret of Antioch is the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

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 District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. Dedicated to Saint Margaret, the church has been a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

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 Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

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 Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is part of the Provinc ...

History and design

Sanctuary St Margaret of Antioch Northam

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 status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

in the early Perpendicular style and commands an excellent position overlooking the sea with views of

Lundy Island Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently changing hands between the British crown and ...

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 The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

with its seaward side being whitewashed for greater visibility. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

is 13th or 14th-century in date; the church was enlarged with a north aisle as the local population grew during the

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female ...

as witnessed by the inscription "This yele was made Anno 1593" ('yele' meaning 'aisle') on one of the arches. Pulpit St Margaret of Antioch Northam

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 In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with ...

together with the symbols of the

Passion of Jesus The Passion (from Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy Week. The ''Passion'' may include, amo ...

. 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 In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

.Chance, p. 2 Font St Margaret of Antioch Northam

The

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

was rediscovered buried under the floor of the tower during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

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

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Beside the font can be found a coloured statue of

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

with the

Wolf of Gubbio The Wolf of Gubbio was a wolf who, according to the ''Little Flowers of St. Francis'', terrorized the Umbrian city of Gubbio until he was tamed by Francis of Assisi acting on behalf of God. The story is one of many in Christian narrative that depi ...

which is a copy of an original from 1927 by Mother Maribel (1887-1970), an Anglican nun and artist at the Convent at

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Berkshire, it has been a ...

.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 A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish or congregation of the Anglican Communion, Lutheran Churches or Catholic Church, usually working as a part-time volunteer. In the Anglican tradition, holders of these positions are ''ex officio'' mem ...

's book dating from the

. The original is held in the

Devon Heritage Centre There are three local archives covering the historic county of Devon, England. The Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter is the main archive. It has a branch office, the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple (established in 1988), which is the rep ...

. 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 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

; 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 Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the workin ...

's ''

Westward Ho! Westward Ho! is a seaside village near Bideford in Devon, England. The A39 road provides access from the towns of Barnstaple, Bideford, and Bude. It lies at the south end of Northam Burrows and faces westward into Bideford Bay, opposite Sau ...

'' who is tortured by the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

. Another is of Benjamin Rogers, a soldier of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

who fought against

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in several battles and then guarded him as a prisoner on

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

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 Robert Clarence Raybould (28 June 1886 – 27 March 1972) was an English conductor, pianist and composer who conducted works ranging from musical comedy and operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan to the standard classical repertoire. He also champione ...

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 The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

including one to an unknown merchant seaman "Known unto God" whose body was washed up in the area during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Mysteries at St. Margaret’s, Northam - ''Bideford Buzz'' website (2012)
/ref>

References

External links

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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Northam, Saint Margaret Church of England church buildings in Devon 15th-century church buildings in England 19th-century church buildings in England Grade I listed churches in Devon