Manaton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Teignbridge Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous vi ...

District, situated to the southeast of

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

National Park,

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 ...

, England. The 15th-century church, located in a prominent spot due north of the village green, is dedicated to St Winifred. Three of the six bells in its tower are

medieval 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 World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

– markings on the oldest indicate that it was made by London bellmaker Johanna Hill around 1440–1450, making them at least as ancient as the tower. They are still being rung today on a regular basis by the local team of bellringers. Its

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

was carved in around 1500, but as is the case with many old English Churches, the figures, both painted and carved in wood, were defaced during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. Much of the original screen does still exist however, its wood carving having been first restored by the

Pinwill sisters The Pinwill sisters (consisting of Mary (1871–1962), Ethel (1872–1951) and Violet (1874–1957)) were British professional Wood carving, woodcarvers in Devon from 1890 onwards. Although in their era there were women who produced stained glas ...

in the late nineteenth century and again in 1981 by the late Anna Hulbert. A

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

cross once stood in the churchyard, but was destroyed in the mid-19th century by the vicar, Rev. John Charles Carwithen. He did so because he disapproved of what he considered to be a superstitious custom of carrying coffins three times around the cross before burial. In 1890 and 1892, extensive restoration work was carried out by the prolific church architect

George Fellowes Prynne George Halford Fellowes Prynne (1853–1927) was a Victorian and Edwardian English church architect. Part of the High Church school of Gothic Revival Architecture, Prynne's work can be found across Southern England. Biography Early life George H ...

. Prynne's brother, Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne, a notable late Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer, created the painted panels in the reredos behind the altar. Between 1903 and 1923, the writer

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...

and his wife

Ada Galsworthy Ada Nemesis Galsworthy (20 November 1864 – 29 May 1956) was an English editor, translator, writer and composer. She was married to Nobel Laureate for Literature John Galsworthy. Family and early life Ada Nemesis Pearson was born on 20 Novemb ...

frequently stayed in a farmhouse called Wingstone in the village. It was here that he was inspired by the nearby Jay's Grave and its legend to write his short story ''The Apple Tree'' in 1916. Manaton was known as the `ton in local dialect.

References

External links

Manaton's home page
Dartmoor Villages in Devon {{Devon-geo-stub

See also

References

External links