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March 26, 2025
Sublime Rambling #14
By Vicki L. George
The Bandera Prophet
English epistle #10
Feb. 14, 1998
We headed east and then a little bit south into the moors toward the village of Chagford. We were searching for more information on how to get to the Scorhill stone circle. But Chagford is another one of those ancient places and we stayed through lunch to explore. The little town was chartered in 1305 as a Stannery Town, a place where smelted tin was collected and weighed for taxing purposes. Tin was once the major industry of the west country.
In the center of town is St. Michael Parish Church and churchyard (cemetery). The church was dedicated to the archangel on July 30, 1261. Most of the present building is 15th century although some is 13th century. The roof loft was put up in 1555. At one time the people who profited from the tin were wealthy and this church is the largest we’ve seen yet and has enough gold plated objects in the chancel that it is now kept locked. However, a woman was there cleaning when we walked in and we got to talking. When she saw how interested we were she unlocked the chancel for us and allowed us in to take pictures. She loves this church. She told us she left England when she was a young woman and went to America thinking she’d stay. She didn’t say why, but after several years there she wanted to come back to her roots. So she came home to Chagford and has devoted her life to caring for this church building. Her face radiated such joy and peace and contentment. She was a delight to talk with.
There are two graves inside the chancel and, when I asked about the people buried there, she told us a fascinating story:
The tomb in the wall on the left, as you face the sanctuary, is that of Sir John Whiddon, who was a judge of the King’s Bench in 1552. Reputedly he was the first judge to ride to Westminster Hall on a horse instead of a donkey. He died in 1575.
The other grave is in the floor to the right, as you face the sanctuary, up front right behind the kneeling rail. In that grave is a direct descendent of Sir John, Mary Whiddon who, it is said, was shot by a jealous former suitor as she left the church after her wedding in 1641. On the granite marker which lays flat over her tomb are these words:
“Reader wouldst know who here is laid,
Behold a matron yet a maid.
A modest look, a pious heart,
A Mary for the better part.
But dry thine eyes, why wilt thou weep -
Such maidens do not die but sleep.”
Now, tradition has it that any girl being married from Whiddon House will meet the ghost of Mary Whiddon. The old Whiddon House is now the Three Crowns Inn and Pub, right across the street from the church. Of course, that’s where we ate lunch. No ghosts, but it was built in the 1500s, two stories high with a thatched roof.
Let me digress here for a moment and tell you something Hubby and I found amusing. While getting directions to the Scorhill Circle, a woman explained this to us. She told us that whenever we came to a town or village and wanted to find a pub for a meal we just need to sight the church tower. It’s always the tallest thing around. Then we just head for the church and we will find a pub because there is always a pub next door to, or across the street from, the church. She said that’s because church people drink. But, she warned us, if we ask and are directed to a chapel, then we shouldn’t waste our time, as chapel people do not drink. She went on to tell us that when someone new moves to the area they are asked if they are church or chapel, as the two groups do not socialize with each other. Ah, these English!
In the center of town is St. Michael Parish Church and churchyard (cemetery). The church was dedicated to the archangel on July 30, 1261. Most of the present building is 15th century although some is 13th century. The roof loft was put up in 1555. At one time the people who profited from the tin were wealthy and this church is the largest we’ve seen yet and has enough gold plated objects in the chancel that it is now kept locked. However, a woman was there cleaning when we walked in and we got to talking. When she saw how interested we were she unlocked the chancel for us and allowed us in to take pictures. She loves this church. She told us she left England when she was a young woman and went to America thinking she’d stay. She didn’t say why, but after several years there she wanted to come back to her roots. So she came home to Chagford and has devoted her life to caring for this church building. Her face radiated such joy and peace and contentment. She was a delight to talk with.
There are two graves inside the chancel and, when I asked about the people buried there, she told us a fascinating story:
The tomb in the wall on the left, as you face the sanctuary, is that of Sir John Whiddon, who was a judge of the King’s Bench in 1552. Reputedly he was the first judge to ride to Westminster Hall on a horse instead of a donkey. He died in 1575.
The other grave is in the floor to the right, as you face the sanctuary, up front right behind the kneeling rail. In that grave is a direct descendent of Sir John, Mary Whiddon who, it is said, was shot by a jealous former suitor as she left the church after her wedding in 1641. On the granite marker which lays flat over her tomb are these words:
“Reader wouldst know who here is laid,
Behold a matron yet a maid.
A modest look, a pious heart,
A Mary for the better part.
But dry thine eyes, why wilt thou weep -
Such maidens do not die but sleep.”
Now, tradition has it that any girl being married from Whiddon House will meet the ghost of Mary Whiddon. The old Whiddon House is now the Three Crowns Inn and Pub, right across the street from the church. Of course, that’s where we ate lunch. No ghosts, but it was built in the 1500s, two stories high with a thatched roof.
Let me digress here for a moment and tell you something Hubby and I found amusing. While getting directions to the Scorhill Circle, a woman explained this to us. She told us that whenever we came to a town or village and wanted to find a pub for a meal we just need to sight the church tower. It’s always the tallest thing around. Then we just head for the church and we will find a pub because there is always a pub next door to, or across the street from, the church. She said that’s because church people drink. But, she warned us, if we ask and are directed to a chapel, then we shouldn’t waste our time, as chapel people do not drink. She went on to tell us that when someone new moves to the area they are asked if they are church or chapel, as the two groups do not socialize with each other. Ah, these English!