Church Of St Morwenna And St John The Baptist

This parish church contains fabric spanning from the 12th to the 20th centuries, with particularly important Norman elements. The front, south doorway, part of the porch doorway, and three bays of the north arcade are 12th century. The chancel and two bays of the north arcade date from the 13th century. The north aisle wall is 15th century, whilst the south arcade is largely 15th century with two bays from the 16th century, one featuring a dated capital. The south wall is probably 16th century. The lower stage of the tower is 15th century, with the upper stages 16th century. The church underwent restoration in the 1870s, received a vestry in 1887, and had further restorations in 1904 and 1908.

Materials and Construction

The building displays a variety of materials reflecting its long construction history. The chancel is built of stone rubble of small dimensions with freestone dressings. The south aisle uses stone rubble with granite and greenstone dressings, whilst the north aisle has stone rubble with freestone dressings. The tower is dressed stone brought to course, with granite dressings in the two upper stages and parapet of larger masonry blocks. The south porch combines stone rubble and polyphant. The 12th and 13th century arcades are of local dunstone, the 15th century arcade of polyphant, and the 16th century piers and arches of granite. The roofs are 19th century slate.

Plan and Layout

The church comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, five-bay north and south arcades, south porch, and north-east vestry.

Chancel

The chancel has 19th or 20th century set-back buttresses with offsets and a coped east gable. The east wall appears to have been rebuilt. It contains a three-light 1870s steeply-pointed window with hoodmould and carved label stops, featuring flowing rectilinear tracery with carved floral motifs instead of cusping. Single 13th century lancet windows appear in the north and south sides, the southern one appearing restored. A blocked, pointed, chamfered priest's door survives on the south wall.

Vestry and Ancillary Buildings

The vestry, dated 1887, stands under a lean-to roof against the north wall and has rectangular windows with square leaded panes. A lean-to shed stands against the north wall of the north aisle.

Aisles

The north aisle features a 19th century four-light east window with hoodmould and label stops but no cusping or head tracery. Three similar three-light windows in the north aisle are widely spaced to accommodate the thickness of the north arcade columns. The south aisle has a three-light granite window west of the porch, probably 16th century and similar in design to the north aisle windows. Two larger four-light greenstone windows east of the porch are probably 19th century following the pattern of 16th century windows. The east gable of the south aisle appears rebuilt above a string course which rises to form a hoodmould for the east window, which has been repaired as four simple granite mullioned lights. The west ends of both aisles, facing seawards, are windowless and rendered.

West Tower

The unbuttressed three-stage west tower is imposing in the landscape, with long and short granite quoins, moulded strings, and granite coping to the merlons and embrasures of the battlementing. Tall corner pinnacles have crocketted finials. There is no belfry opening in the west wall. A north-west internal stair turret provides access. The lower stage is probably 15th century; a reference in 1550 to "ffynysshing of the towre" probably refers to the upper stages. A heavily-moulded granite string runs above the tower plinth. The tower has a shallow-moulded, arched west door with hoodmould and carved label stops. A chamfered ogee-headed opening appears on the south wall at bell-ringing stage. Wide two-light belfry openings in the north, south and east have slate louvres below blind head tracery. The string below the parapet has triple bead moulding.

South Porch

The gabled south porch has heavy coping and pairs of 12th century corbels used as kneelers. The porch is surmounted by a carved Agnus Dei and two dragons. The porch doorway consists of a re-used outer order of 12th century moulding from the 12th century south doorway, being a round-headed arch of polyphant zig-zag carving below an order of flowers carved in heavy relief. An 18th century slate sundial is mounted on the porch gable. Steps descend into the porch, which has a 20th century diagonal boarded roof.

South Doorway

The present south doorway consists of the remainder of the 12th century doorway reset (compare with Kilkhampton church) minus the outer order of carving, for which the colonnettes remain. The inner order consists of beakheads and zig-zags carved on the soffit. The present outer order has zig-zags with zig-zags carved on the soffit. Birds and pine cones are carved on the capitals. The door itself is 19th century.

Interior: North Arcade

The interior contains an important Norman north arcade. The respond of the westernmost bay stands against a short section of wall running east-west. Dunstone ashlar columns, two with cushion capitals and one with a capital carved with zig-zags, support round-headed arches. The westernmost arch is an unchamfered double arch with some 12th century carvings at the apex and either side. The next arch to the east has three orders of carving, including beakheads, zig-zags and graduated pellets. A carved ram's head projects from the spandrel. The second arch from the west is also richly moulded with orders of decorative and sculptural zig-zags. At the east, this arch springs from a rectangular pier with engaged shafts to west and east. The two easternmost bays are Transitional with pointed double-chamfered arches.

Interior: South Arcade

The south arcade has three Perpendicular polyphant bays to the west and a polyphant east wall respond. The piers are of cavettos between four shafts (Pevsner Type A) with crested capitals with fleurons and deeply-moulded arches. The remainder of the arcade is granite with piers of similar section and less ornate capitals, one dated 1564, another with text carved upside down and back to front.

Interior: Roofs

The roofs throughout are Perpendicular waggons, now unceiled with flat bosses and fleurons carved on ribs and principals. The wall plates are vine-carved with carved angels. The chancel bosses are carved and of higher quality. The colouring of the chancel roof was restored in 1934. There is no chancel arch.

Interior: Tower Arch and Seating

The granite tower arch springs high from capitals on moulded engaged shafts. The church contains a complete set of fixed benches with carved rectangular ends, the bases being largely original including carved rails against the north and south walls. The benches have moulded rails, and the ends have gothic tracery above Renaissance arabesques. One end has "T.K." for Thomas Kempthorne, vicar from 1539 to 1594; another is carved with an inscription and date of 1575.

Interior: Font

The small, primitive 12th century or possibly earlier font has cable moulding round the centre and remains of carving below. The font stands on a plinth partly made up of moulded stone with carved fleurons, possibly the remains of a tomb.

Interior: Pulpit and Screen

The pulpit is a three-sided 20th century drum incorporating some earlier woodwork as blind tracery. The chancel screen was initially constructed by Hawker, removed, and then replaced in 1908. It is made up of fragments of 16th and 17th century carving, including some fine vine carving with birds and animals. The metal tracery in the screen dates from Hawker's design.

Interior: Reredos and Fittings

A large reredos in the chancel was designed by E H Sedding in 1908 and carved by the Pinwill sisters of Plymouth. The reredos contains a cartoon by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (1683-1754) and three engravings by John Baptist-Jackson (1701-1780). A piscina survives in the south wall. A fragment of late 15th or early 16th century mural painting exists in the north wall. A fragment of carving, probably 16th century, fixed to the south chancel wall consists of a profile head, dove and dragon.

Monuments and Memorials

A slate memorial to John Ley, alias Kempthorne, who died 1591, is fixed to the east wall of the north aisle. It features a demi-figure and armorial bearings incised within a border inscription. On the west wall of the south aisle is a slate memorial to Grace Coryndon, who died 1731, with arms, knotted drapery and winged skull carved in relief, with some ancient colour surviving. The Hawker memorial window by Lavers and Westlake, erected 1904 in the south aisle, illustrates Hawker and his dog, the church, and various features in Morwenstow associated with Hawker. A large slate memorial to Hawker's first wife, Charlotte, who died 1863, is set in the floor beside the pulpit.

Additional Furnishings

A 17th century communion table stands at the west end.

External Monuments

Three chest tombs adjoin the exterior south wall of the south aisle, and one chest tomb adjoins the exterior east wall of the south aisle.

Historical Context

The church was restored in the 1850s under Hawker's direction, when box pews were removed and wooden shingles on the roof replaced. Robert Stephen Hawker, the poet and antiquary, was vicar of Morwenstow from 1835 to 1874. A further 1870s restoration was probably by J P St Aubyn, followed by early 20th century restorations.