Church Of Saint Manacca

CHURCH OF SAINT MANACCA

A parish church of 12th and 15th century date, built with shale rubble walls and mostly granite dressings. The roof is covered with dry Delabole slate, with gable ends, those to the north aisle coped. The building comprises a nave and chancel under one roof, a west tower, a north aisle, a north vestry at the north doorway, a rood-stair turret, and a south transept. The original plan was probably cruciform in the 12th century; the southern half of the nave and transept survive. The tower, with its pointed doorway, was probably begun in the 14th century and completed in the 15th century. The north aisle dates to the 15th century and the vestry to the 19th century.

The two-stage west tower has a plinth, a string dividing the stages, and a string below an embattled parapet. The pointed arched west doorway has a hoodmould and carved heads as stops. Above it is a 15th century Perpendicular two-light window with trefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil tracery over. Similar windows appear to each side of the upper stage but louvred, all with hood-moulds and relieving arches.

The north aisle has 15th century three-light windows arched with tracery to the gable ends and flat-headed to the north wall, all with cinquefoil-headed lights and latticed leaded glazing. The north wall has two windows to the left of the rood stair turret, two between the stair and north doorway, and one to the right of the doorway. The window to the right of the stair has a relieving arch; all the windows are arched inside, suggesting perhaps a change of plan. A 19th century vestry stands in front of the doorway. 18th and 19th century wall monuments are located to the left of the stair, including those to Lawrence (son of Richard and Mary Polwhele), Sarah (daughter of Edward Budge), and John Olivey (died 1774) and his children.

The chancel has a three-light east window of late 19th century date. The south wall features a south transept gable end projecting at the middle, a Norman doorway to the left of the transept, a 15th century two-light window to the left of the doorway (similar to those of the north wall), and two 13th century lancets to the right of the transept. The south gable of the transept has a 15th century two-light arch window like those of the tower and a reset 13th century lancet to the east wall. The lower parts of the south wall are 12th century, and a very old fig tree grows from the left-hand corner. The south doorway survives in situ up to impost height but is rebuilt above using 12th century carved voussoirs; it has three orders, nook shafts to the jambs, scalloped capitals, and a cogged band to the outer orders of the arch. Mason's marks appear on the east capital and a mass-dial below. A reset corbel and cross stand above the doorway.

The interior features a six-bay 15th century granite arcade between the nave/chancel and north aisle with standard A piers (to Pevsner's classification) and four-centred arches springing from moulded capitals. A squint between the south transept and chancel has a hollow chamfered pier with pyramid stops. A carved 12th century impost stone has been reused as a quoin in the opposite corner. The rood stair has a basket-arched doorway. A circa 13th century stoup with pointed granite and elvan arch stands east of the south doorway. A pointed arched piscina appears on the south wall of the chancel, and another with pyramid stops is on the east wall of the transept. The 19th century open waggon roofs are carried on moulded 15th century granite corbels at the north side; the chancel roof is narrower. The tower arch is steep four-centred, with a rear arch to the west window of the tower. The floor is coloured clay tile.

The fittings include a round granite font, possibly late medieval (a copy of a Norman original), a painted letter of thanks from Charles I written while at his camp at Suddely Castle in 1643, a 19th century oak pulpit incorporating carved fragments of the 15th century waggon roof, and other 19th century fittings. Richard Polwhele served as vicar of Manaccan from 1794 to 1822 and was well known for his histories of Devon and Cornwall. A monument to his son Lawrence stands on the north wall. Polwhele was also a poet and friend of Sir Walter Scott and is said to have befriended Captain Bligh.