Coffin Stone - St Winifred - Branscombe, Devon
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SMacB
N 50° 41.408 W 003° 08.426
30U E 490080 N 5615377
An ancient coffin stone at St Winifred's church, Branscombe.
Waymark Code: WM1607D
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/05/2022
Views: 0
"Coffin stone approximately 2 - metres south of nave of Church of St Winifred GV II Coffin stone. Medieval. Beerstone ashlar. A stone coffin without its lid is set on its side. The inside is cut to the shape of a corpse, and in this case a very tall one. In fact it does not belong to the churchyard. It was uncovered alongside the Weston Road in 1790 and moved here."
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A document from the 15th century says that the saint's body was held in a stone coffin, much like the one we see here. Legend tells that Branscombe is the final resting place of Saint Brannoc - a 4th Century Celtic martyr (Branscombe may well have got its name from the saint). A 15th century writer described a stone coffin that contained the body. But other writers have suggested that only the saint's arm was buried here and this was removed to Dorset in 933 AD.
It is unfortunate, then, that a Victorian rector records that the coffin was brought here from Otterton.