ABOUT THE FONT:
"15thc. Perpendicular type with quatrefoil panels, made of Beer stone. A gift from Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Lady of the Manor, and mother of Henry VII. The font cover dates from 1660."
-- Information Sheet in Church
ABOUT THE CHURCH:
"Built at the highest point in the town the Parish Church of St. Peter, St. Paul & St. Thomas of Canterbury has an intriguing history. It is suggested that a 13thC. church was commissioned by Sir Henry de Tracy,(who subsequently became the first Lord of the Manor of Bovey Tracey), as a means to expiate the sin of his kinsman, Sir William de Tracy, one of the four knights who murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Later in 14thC. the church fell into a sad state of neglect and poverty probably caused by the French wars and the terrible Black Death. All that remains of this 13thC. church is the tower.
The present 15thC. church was transformed into the present 'hall plan' which incorporated the transepts into the North and South aisles, (the outer North aisle was added in 19thC.). It is interesting to note the Green Men carved over the South Porch and in the roof of the South aisle. These were thought necessary at this time. Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby and mother of King Henry V11 owned Exeter lands and it is thought she was the benefactor who gave the beautiful Screen and Pulpit.
In 1628 King Charles 1 appointed a fiery Scotsman and ex-army Chaplain, James Forbes, to be vicar. He was ejected during the Commonwealth and certainly made his feelings known to the Parliamentarians and the 'intruder parsons'. This is evident by the panels he had made after the restoration of the monarchy which are situated on the West Screen.
The 19thC. is notable for the long incumbency of the Hon. Charles Leslie Courtenay, a son of the Earl of Devon. He was directly appointed by Queen Victoria and married one of her Maids of Honour, Lady Caroline Summers. Canon Courtenay restored and renewed much of the church fabric we see today.
In 20thC. the church suffered its share of war damage. The East window was shattered when a land mine fell in a field close by. The other stained glass window worthy of mention is the War Memorial window on the South wall. This was presented by the parishioners as a lasting memorial to those lost in the 1914-1918 War from Bovey Tracey. Each of the diamond quarries show the initials, service badge and date of death of each serviceman."
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"Parish church. C15 with C14 tower; second north aisle added 1858 under the "direction" of William Slater. Vestry and boiler house C19. Restored 1858 and 1887-8. Granite and slatestone rubble with granite dressings; most of the window detail is in limestone. Boiler house is of yellow brick. Slated roofs; in 1836 the roof had dormer windows, presumably removed in the 1858 restoration. Nave, chancel, south aisle, 2 north aisles, west tower, south porch; vestry and boiler room at the east end of the north aisles. The south aisle has Perpendicular windows, each of 4 lights, in the south wall; all of them appear to be C19 restorations. The east and west windows are of 3 lights and may be partly original Perpendicular. The north windows of the north aisle are similar to those on the south; the intention in 1858 was to re-use the windows of the medieval north aisle and repair then in Caen stone, but it is not clear how far this was carried out. The east and west windows of the 2 north aisles also appear to be C19 Perpendicular, except for the east window of the medieval north aisle, which seems to be original Perpendicular with 3 cinquefoiled ogee-headed lights, although the lower part has been blocked. The north and south chancel windows are similar, apparently with original head-tracery. The same is true of the 5-light east window. The south aisle has buttresses flanking the windows and is finished with a crenellated parapet enriched with quatrefoil panels. The medieval north aisle seems to have been similarly treated, since a plain crenellated parapet survives at the east and west ends. Each of the 2 medieval aisles also has a 5-sided, crenellated stair turret at the outer corner of its west end. Chancel and south aisle have clasping buttresses at their east ends. In the south wall is a priest's door, ogee and hollow-moulded with a 2-centred head. South porch has an enriched crenellated parapet with a pinnacle on each outer corner; below each is a gargoyle carved respectively with the arms of Stawell and Forbes. The outer doorway is a C19 restoration, but the inner doorway is medieval, of heavily moulded and enriched limestone with a 2-centred head. Wooden roof of porch has heavy, intersecting moulded beams with carved bosses at the intersections; in the centre a boss with a cluster of 4 heads. Flanking the top of the inner doorway are 2 moulded limestone corbels; lower down, on the right, is a holy water stoup with ogee head. In the east wall is a plaque with the carved inscription: "The Floor of this Porch new laid, & gate made, Anno Dom 1710'. The present iron gates are C20. The tower is in 3 stages, each stage tapered and slightly narrower than the one below. In the west face of the lowest stage is a round-arched, hollow-moulded granite doorway; it is set high up, presumably as a result of the ground level being altered. Above it is a 3-light granite window with intersecting tracery; this seems to be a complete restoration. The second stage has a slit window at its base on the north, south and west sides, the south window having a pointed head. Above the slits on the south and west sides is a large black clock-face with gilded detail. The third stage (belfry) has 2 tiers of openings in each face. The lower openings are of 2 lightsd with pointed heads, the south and west openings having the lights set under a 2-centred arch. The upper openings have paired, shouldered-head lights, perhaps contemporary with the oversailing battlemented parapet and finials, all of which are C19.
Interior: nave and chancel have unbroken arcades of 5 arches, the piers diamond-shaped in section with a shaft attached to each point and wave mouldings in between. Capitals foliated with several different designs, the half-columns which lie within the chancel having undercut foliage. 2-centred arches with ogee, wave, quarter-round and hollow mouldings. The 5 arches of the 1858 north arcade are copies of the original work. South door has segmental rear arch, hollow-moulded and enriched with 4-leaved flowers. Chapel at east end of south aisle has trefoil-headed piscina in south wall. Fragment of foliated masonry in south wall of chancel may be the remnant of another piscina. Nave and chancel have a wagon-roof, the older aisles flat roofs with intersecting moulded beams; all 3 roofs have large carved bosses. According to the 1858 contract the roofs were to have been rebuilt, but the bosses may have been re-used. 1858 north aisle has an arch-braced roof. A drawing of 1857 shows the nave roof with a ceilure above the rood screen. Fittings: octagonal Beer stone front, the shaft decorated with trefoil-headed panels, the bowl with quatrefoils; wooden font cover of circa 1660, in the form of an 8-sided pyramid with a large finial on top 5-sided stone pulpit of medieval work, richly carved with foliage trails separating 2-tier panels of niches containing figures; C20 paint may cover ancient colours, base probably C19. Late C15 brass lectern, believed to be East Anglian work; consists of large eagle with wings outstretched, standing on a moulded pillar with 3 small lions at the foot. Eagle's claws restored 1912. C15 timber rood screen across nave and old aisles was restored in 1887, when the missing vaulting was made, and again in 1910. Dado has almost complete set of painted figures in ogee-headed cinquefoil panels (those of the chancel doors late C19 or early C20). Open tracery above of Pevsner's 'Type A'. Trail enrichment of loft believed to be ancient in part. With the exception of the figures, visible paint is circa 1910, but may conceal some ancient colour. Parclose screens of first half C16 have two ogee-headed cinquefoil lights with doorways at east end and doors of 1907 (inscription). On south side of chancel, against parclose screen, 3 medieval stalls with misericords. At east end of the 1858 aisle an organ with painted pipes, installed in 1887-8.
Monuments: on north side of chancel is the monument to Nicholas Eveleigh (d.1618) in white limestone. Consists of a figure propped up on one elbow; beneath it an ornately carved chest, above it a high round arch flanked by Corinthian columns. Immediately above this, figure is a tablet carved with the inscription '1620 1D'. On south side of chancel is the monument of Elizaeus Hele (d.1636) in alabaster. Similar in design to Eveleigh's monument, but with less ornate detail; flanking columns are of grey marble. On front of the chest are the kneeling figures of his son and 2 wives. On the floor of nave and aisles several good C17 ledger slabs.
Sources: church guidebook. N Pevsner, South Devon, pp.55-7; Kelly's Directory of Devonshire, 1897, p.81 Devon Record Office: 1858 building contract (312M/TH405), Croker sketchbooks, 1836 and 1853 (2160A add. 14/PZI, p.8; 2160A add. 14 (PZ3,p.7). Ecclesioiogist, XVI N.S., 1858, p.115. 1857 sketch of the church interior, hanging on west wall of old north aisle. John Stabb, Notes on some Old Devon Churches, 1911."
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