St. Nicholas' Church, Combe Raleigh -

Описание: St Nicholas Church, brief history:

Overview -    • St. Nicholas' Church, Combe Raleigh - #chu...  

The precise period when the church was initially built is not known. Most of the current church dates to the 15th century, but there are parts which are known to be 14th century. However, there is a list of Rectors which dates to 1260 AD, so it could have originated as far back as the 13th century, when it would probably have been constructed out of wood, wattle and daub, with a thatched roof; (in fact the current church had a thatched roof until 1780, when it was replaced by 14,700 slates). In those early days it would almost certainly have been an open building with an earth floor and benches around the walls and at the base of its pillars.

During a recent storm a carved stone head was revealed inside the 15th century wall, which it is believed could be either late Saxon or early Norman in origin. If indeed true this could also indicate a much earlier church having been constructed on the site.

The church’s name, dedicated to St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra in Turkey, goes back many centuries, possibly as far as the 13th century, but some ancient records suggest that the patron saint of the church may in fact have been St. Erasmus. (William Denys had a chapel named after St. Mary and St. Erasmus built in the church early in its history). However, the church was repaired whilst Charles Band was Rector (1827-1878) and during the renovations a (headless) statue of St. Peter was found in the wall, giving rise to a belief that the church could originally have been dedicated to him, rather than St. Nicholas. There was evidence of mediaeval paint in the folds of the mantle, which dates it to very early in the church’s history. Band repaired the statue and stood it in a niche above the pulpit, but it was again lost and only rediscovered when the staircase to the rood loft was recently excavated.

The current church comprises a bell tower, chancel, nave and wide north aisle. It was built from a mixture of local materials, with the nave piers and arcade being of white Beer stone, and the walls of dressed ‘chert’, which is a compact, flinty type of stone. The present south aisle and chancel were built in the 15th century, along with a new north aisle, which was also added by William Denys, who is a notable figure in the history of the village. Old records suggest that ‘there is nothing deserving particular notice in this building; it seems, indeed, rather too large for the extent of the parish’ but visitors today would note that it has a number of unusual features, including the stairway and stair turret, which are attached in what is described as a ‘bold’ manner, and a very old south door, which is formed of two leaves that are hinged in the middle. The stair turret door is 14th century, made of oak, and still houses the original lock and key. The font and piscina (which is a basin into which water for washing sacred vessels was emptied) are both 15th century. There used to be a 14th century window in the south wall of the Sanctuary, but this is now blocked up and concealed by the rafters of the vestry roof.

The tower itself, which was most recently restored in 1912, is the oldest part of the church, dating back to the 14th century. It is known to have once contained a musicians gallery, but this was removed during major restoration that started in 1859. The tower houses 3 bells, one which dates back to c. 1430, made by Robert Norton of Exeter, the second to 1758 (possibly made by Samuel Dunn) and a third which was added in 1863. The earliest bell is inscribed in latin with the phrase ‘People rejoice as often as they hear me’ and they are all now regularly sounded by a team of local bell ringers. The clock on the tower has a face on ‘X’ sides and appears to date from around 1870, although church records show it has been wound since at least 1837, so it could be earlier in origin. The vestry was built in 1827.

In 1536 Richard Lucas was presented as the Rector of the church by one Sir John Moore, which coincides with the start of the reign of Henry VIII, suggesting it may have been a political appointment. However Rev. Lucas sold the church silver in 1552 in order to avoid having to surrender it to the state, presumably to swell the King’s war coffers. Nevertheless he still had to pay out the profits on the sale in lieu. The church displays the coat of arms of Charles II. The practice of displaying the royal coat of arms in churches dates back to the Reformation, when England broke away from the Catholic church.