Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Kingswear

The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is situated in the village of Kingswear in the English county of Devon, it stands in a slightly elevated position at the junction of Higher Street and Church Hill close to the railway station and the Dartmouth Lower Ferry and overlooks the River Dart. The church is a grade II listed building.

History

A church has stood on the present site since 1170 when the land for a church was given by William de Vasci and his wife Juliana, the de Vasci family had been the local landowners since the Norman Conquest. The church was dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury and this is thought to have originated because of the wave of piety which followed Thomas’ death in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. In its early days the church came under the sphere of influence of Totnes Priory and the church’s priests were monks from the priory. One of these early priests (around 1250) was the monk Philip Fitzurse who is believed to be a descendent of Reginald Fitzurse one of the knights who murdered St Thomas.

Throughout the following centuries the church was much utilised by continental pilgrims who used Kingswear as a landing place on the pilgrimage to Canterbury to see the tomb of St Thomas. During the 14th century St Thomas’ became a Chapel of ease to the parish church at Brixham. Subsequent neglect saw it fall into considerable disrepair and by the time Kingswear was declared a separated parish in 1837 it needed substantial renovation work. In 1847, with the town of Kingswear expanding, funds were granted to rebuild the church with the work being overseen by Exeter architect J. Hayward. The church was demolished except for the original 12th century tower with the rest of the church reconstructed in local limestone with freestone dressing. Hayward used the same Decorated style and the same design as the old church, but on a slightly reduced scale.^[1]

The interior

Church features

The church has a peel of three bells within the tower, there was formerly four but one was sold off in 1767 to pay for a clock for the church, it is not known which foundry cast the bells although one of them has a date of 1680 stamped on it. The present day clock dates from 1897, it cost £124 and was purchased by subscription from Kingswear village to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. It is thought by some that the octagonal font is Norman although Cresswell states that it is 15th century,^[2] the cover is mid 20th century and is the work of a local craftsman. The carved wooden pulpit dates from 1921 and was a gift from the late Bishop William Boyd Carpenter while the oak choir stalls and seating come from the same year and were donated by Sir Thomas Leonard.^[3]

The organ dates from 1916, it was restored in 1950 at a cost of £500, it now stands in a chamber on the north side of the chancel. The most noteworthy stained glass window is located near the organ, it depicts St Michael and is a memorial to Commander Valentine Gibbs who took part in the Zeebrugge Raid during World War I and is buried in the church cemetery. The church also contains a memorial and citation to Lieutenant-Colonel H. Jones VC who was killed in the Falklands War.The nave has some 18th century tomb slabs on the floor while the porch contains a framed drawing of the church from 1841 and shows the building before the 1847 rebuild.^[4]

References

1. ^ Dartmouth.org. Gives some history.
2. ^ "Notes On Devon Churches", B.F. Cresswell , Says font is 15th century.
3. ^ "Kingswear Parish Church", Mike Trevorrow, (leaflet October 2009) , Gives historical and architectural details.
4. ^ British Listed Buildings. Gives details of architecture and some history.

Coordinates: 50°20′54″N 3°34′21″W / 50.3484°N 3.5725°W / 50.3484; -3.5725