The rediscovery of an important “Lost slate epitaph" behind the St Giles church organ.
By James Grimwood-Taylor.
As past Chairman of the Friends of St. Giles, I have spent more time than most looking around the churchyard and into the dustier corners of the church. (This may have something to do with my training as an archaeologist back in the 1970s...).
A few weeks ago I was surprised to see a part of an inscribed slate epitaph peeping out from behind the left hand side of the back of the organ, and spent some time piecing together the visible wording. The lettering is most attractive (and was, to my eyes, very old indeed), and I immediately wondered if it might be even older than the 1635 Joan Pheasant brass plaque on the window-sill near the altar (Joan was the 1635 rector’s mother-in-law), which is described in the c.1995 Guide leaflet as being the oldest inscription in the church. Frustratingly the visible lettering did not include a name or a date, and close examination of the organ cabinet suggested that further examination would be impossible without chisels and/or saws...
While pondering the next step needed to uncover the answer to this puzzle (the visible inscription can be seen in the attached photograph), I went back to the 1934 book about the church by noted Devon historian, Beatrix F. Cresswell. To my amazement, I soon found the answer; the inscription was quoted in the 1934 guide book after all, but noted then as being one of two early monuments “now no longer in the church”, which is why I had never tried looking for it! After all, it was over 80 years ago that it was supposedly lost...
It had apparently only once been recorded in full, in something called “Dean Mille’s Parochial Return for about 1755”, of which I shall say more in the next article.
The left-hand lettering of each line is what I have recently deciphered from the visible part of the monument (the small part of the beautifully carved slate to the left of the organ; three quarters of the text is now totally hidden behind the organ), while the right hand part of each line is the rest of what is quoted in the 1934 book (slightly inaccurately transcribed previously in a couple of places):-
A few weeks ago I was surprised to see a part of an inscribed slate epitaph peeping out from behind the left hand side of the back of the organ, and spent some time piecing together the visible wording. The lettering is most attractive (and was, to my eyes, very old indeed), and I immediately wondered if it might be even older than the 1635 Joan Pheasant brass plaque on the window-sill near the altar (Joan was the 1635 rector’s mother-in-law), which is described in the c.1995 Guide leaflet as being the oldest inscription in the church. Frustratingly the visible lettering did not include a name or a date, and close examination of the organ cabinet suggested that further examination would be impossible without chisels and/or saws...
While pondering the next step needed to uncover the answer to this puzzle (the visible inscription can be seen in the attached photograph), I went back to the 1934 book about the church by noted Devon historian, Beatrix F. Cresswell. To my amazement, I soon found the answer; the inscription was quoted in the 1934 guide book after all, but noted then as being one of two early monuments “now no longer in the church”, which is why I had never tried looking for it! After all, it was over 80 years ago that it was supposedly lost...
It had apparently only once been recorded in full, in something called “Dean Mille’s Parochial Return for about 1755”, of which I shall say more in the next article.
The left-hand lettering of each line is what I have recently deciphered from the visible part of the monument (the small part of the beautifully carved slate to the left of the organ; three quarters of the text is now totally hidden behind the organ), while the right hand part of each line is the rest of what is quoted in the 1934 book (slightly inaccurately transcribed previously in a couple of places):-
“AN EPITAP... H UPON R.C. ESQUIER
WHO DEPA... RTED THIS LIFE OCTOBE... R 23rd 1617. DISCENT AND... BIRTH ARE TITLES VAYNE WHEN DETH WIT... H KILLING DART DOTH STRIKE, THE PRINCE, TH... E PEER, THE SILLY SWAYNE TO DETH ARE... SUBJECT ALL ALIKE. IN GRAVE INTO... MED THE WORM I FIND TILL TROMPET... SOUND THE DOOM DECREED WHEN LAND... AND SEA MUST NEEDS RESTORE THE DED W... HICH THEY RECEAVED BEFORE; IF I THEN IN... CHRIST FIRMLY TRUST, IN HEVEN... TO LIVE AMONG THE JUST.” |
That makes it the oldest dated monument in the church by almost 20 years!! [But see below.]
The R.C. in question was the second of the three successive Richard Coplestons who all lived at Woodlands, the ancient farm - mentioned in the 1086 AD Domesday Book - down by the river.
Thank heavens that the 18th century folks were more interested in it than were the 1880s installers of the organ (or the 1960s restorers of the organ who may have moved it and then partly covered this epitaph).
So this epitaph is now the oldest personal monument in the church or churchyard, but ALSO.... there may be another even older (and even more lost!) one...
The 1934 book quotes one other “now lost” monument which was in the church in 1757 – it was “On the floor, east end of south aisle”, which is therefore now probably... right underneath the organ itself!!
This monument was even older and was a stone inscribed;
“THE EPITAPH OF R.C. ESQUIER WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 26TH OCTOBER 1586. UNDER THIS STONE THE CORPSE IS LAID OF RICHARD COPLESTON ESQUIER. HERE REST HIS BONES, HIS SOUL IS FLEDDE TO JOYS OF CHRIST, HIS SWEET DESIRE. WHAT EARTH DOTH HIDE, WHAT HENCE IS GON, THE JUDGMENT DAY SHALL JOYNE IN ONE.”
This R.C. was the father of the one recorded in the 1617 epitaph behind the organ, so it may be that their family had earlier funded the building of the whole side-chapel as a Copleston Family Chapel (which is now so unfortunately dominated by the organ). I understand from Mary Cobbledick that the flowers for the window to the right of the organ were traditionally the responsibility of Woodlands, and that Mary’s mother had always insisted that the pews in front of the organ were in fact the Woodlands pews...
So my guess is that the 1586 stone is still there too, set into the floor above Richard Copleston’s tomb (but now right underneath the organ). In my next report, I shall give a summary of the fascinating 1757 Dean Mille’s parochial return for Little Torrington, that I am transcribing from the copies which I just obtained of it from a very grainy microfilm in the Devon Archives in Exeter. It has the vicar’s answers to 100+ questions about the parish, its inhabitants, economy, farming and natural history, as well as about the church building itself.
Do let me (or the churchwardens or Vicar) know if you have any further information about the church’s south aisle chapel and any other Copleston monuments in the church.
The R.C. in question was the second of the three successive Richard Coplestons who all lived at Woodlands, the ancient farm - mentioned in the 1086 AD Domesday Book - down by the river.
Thank heavens that the 18th century folks were more interested in it than were the 1880s installers of the organ (or the 1960s restorers of the organ who may have moved it and then partly covered this epitaph).
So this epitaph is now the oldest personal monument in the church or churchyard, but ALSO.... there may be another even older (and even more lost!) one...
The 1934 book quotes one other “now lost” monument which was in the church in 1757 – it was “On the floor, east end of south aisle”, which is therefore now probably... right underneath the organ itself!!
This monument was even older and was a stone inscribed;
“THE EPITAPH OF R.C. ESQUIER WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 26TH OCTOBER 1586. UNDER THIS STONE THE CORPSE IS LAID OF RICHARD COPLESTON ESQUIER. HERE REST HIS BONES, HIS SOUL IS FLEDDE TO JOYS OF CHRIST, HIS SWEET DESIRE. WHAT EARTH DOTH HIDE, WHAT HENCE IS GON, THE JUDGMENT DAY SHALL JOYNE IN ONE.”
This R.C. was the father of the one recorded in the 1617 epitaph behind the organ, so it may be that their family had earlier funded the building of the whole side-chapel as a Copleston Family Chapel (which is now so unfortunately dominated by the organ). I understand from Mary Cobbledick that the flowers for the window to the right of the organ were traditionally the responsibility of Woodlands, and that Mary’s mother had always insisted that the pews in front of the organ were in fact the Woodlands pews...
So my guess is that the 1586 stone is still there too, set into the floor above Richard Copleston’s tomb (but now right underneath the organ). In my next report, I shall give a summary of the fascinating 1757 Dean Mille’s parochial return for Little Torrington, that I am transcribing from the copies which I just obtained of it from a very grainy microfilm in the Devon Archives in Exeter. It has the vicar’s answers to 100+ questions about the parish, its inhabitants, economy, farming and natural history, as well as about the church building itself.
Do let me (or the churchwardens or Vicar) know if you have any further information about the church’s south aisle chapel and any other Copleston monuments in the church.