Bere Ferrers
Encyclopedia
Bere Ferrers, sometimes called Beerferris, is a village and civil parish
on the Bere peninsula in West Devon
in the English
county of Devon
. It has a population of 3,066, and is located to the north of Plymouth
, on the west bank of the River Tavy
. Bere Ferrers railway station
on the Tamar Valley Line
is nearby.
; it is 600 years old. The building was probably built at various times between 1290 and 1340; it is recorded that an archpresbytery was founded here in 1333 and the north transept appears to be the earliest part of the church while the south aisle is the latest, perhaps 15th century.
Features of interest include the Norman font
, an unusual altar stone, benches having benchends carved with traceried arches, and an early medieval monument to a knight and lady (probably of the Ferrers family, Latinised as Ferrariis). In the church are two other monuments: another recess with effigy of a knight, and a tomb chest of the 1520s, perhaps for Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke
(d. 1521/2). The church saw the death, in 1821, of the antiquarian draughtsman Charles Alfred Stothard
who was killed on falling while making a tracing from a window: his tombstone is in the churchyard.
of Ferrers, overlaid by 3 ship's rudder
s in bend sinister, the badge of the Willoughby family, inherited from Cheyne, as evidenced by an appearance on the earlier Cheyne tomb at Edington Priory
, Wilts. Further rudders are shown in the field, one in base, 1 in sinister
. That on the south side shows the arms of Willoughby de Broke, quartered as on the tomb of Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke
(d.1502) at Callington
, Devon, with some details omitted in the wood-carving. The full blazon is: Quarterly, 1st grand quarter quarterly, 1st and 4th a cross crosslet double crossed 2nd and 3rd a cross moline;(Willoughby) 2nd grand quarter, a cross fleurie (Latimer) 3rd grand quarter, 4 fusils in fess each charged with an escallop (Cheyne) 4th grand quarter, a chevron within a bordure engrailled (Stafford)
of Knighton, Isle of Wight
and Wraxall, Somerset
, from a co-heiress of which the Cheyney's were descended, blazoned as Argent, a gurges azure. A gurges is a form of canting arms
, being Latin for a whirlpool, depicted as a whorl
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
on the Bere peninsula in West Devon
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. It has a population of 3,066, and is located to the north of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, on the west bank of the River Tavy
River Tavy
The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...
. Bere Ferrers railway station
Bere Ferrers railway station
Bere Ferrers station on the Tamar Valley Line is situated near the village of Bere Ferrers in Devon. The station is on the former Southern main line between Exeter and Plymouth via Okehampton...
on the Tamar Valley Line
Tamar Valley Line
The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport in Plymouth Devon, to Gunnislake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line follows the River Tamar for much of its route.-History:...
is nearby.
Parish church
The church of St Andrew has the oldest Stained-glass window in Devon, excepting Exeter CathedralExeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
; it is 600 years old. The building was probably built at various times between 1290 and 1340; it is recorded that an archpresbytery was founded here in 1333 and the north transept appears to be the earliest part of the church while the south aisle is the latest, perhaps 15th century.
Features of interest include the Norman font
Norman language
Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. Norman can be classified as one of the northern Oïl languages along with Picard and Walloon...
, an unusual altar stone, benches having benchends carved with traceried arches, and an early medieval monument to a knight and lady (probably of the Ferrers family, Latinised as Ferrariis). In the church are two other monuments: another recess with effigy of a knight, and a tomb chest of the 1520s, perhaps for Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke
Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke
Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke, de jure 10th Baron Latimer, KB , 2nd Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 10th Baron Latimer....
(d. 1521/2). The church saw the death, in 1821, of the antiquarian draughtsman Charles Alfred Stothard
Charles Alfred Stothard
Charles Alfred Stothard was an antiquarian draughtsman.Stothard was born in London, the son of the painter, Thomas Stothard. After studying in the schools of the Royal Academy, he began, in 1810, his first historical picture, the Death of Richard II in Pomfret Castle...
who was killed on falling while making a tracing from a window: his tombstone is in the churchyard.
Heraldic bench ends
The church contains late 15th.c. oak pews with ornately carved bench ends. Two of these are of especially fine work and interest as they are carved with heraldic escutcheons of Ferrers and Willoughby families. Each is at the outer end of the central row of pews closest to the chancel. That on the north side shows a bend charged with 4 horse-shoes (fer-de-cheval), being the canting armsCanting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
of Ferrers, overlaid by 3 ship's rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
s in bend sinister, the badge of the Willoughby family, inherited from Cheyne, as evidenced by an appearance on the earlier Cheyne tomb at Edington Priory
Edington Priory
Edington Priory in Wiltshire, England, was founded by William Edington, the bishop of Winchester, in 1332 in his home village of Edington. The priory church was built between 1352 and 1361.-History:...
, Wilts. Further rudders are shown in the field, one in base, 1 in sinister
Dexter and sinister
Dexter and sinister are terms used in heraldry to refer to specific locations in an escutcheon bearing a coat of arms and by extension also to a crest. "Dexter" means to the right from the viewpoint of the bearer of the arms, to the left of that of the viewer...
. That on the south side shows the arms of Willoughby de Broke, quartered as on the tomb of Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke
Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke
Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke , K.G., was at the Siege of Boulogne with King Henry VII, and was one of the chief commanders against the Cornish rebels in 1497.-Early life:...
(d.1502) at Callington
Callington
Callington is a civil parish and town in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. The town is situated approximately seven miles north of Saltash and nine miles south of Launceston....
, Devon, with some details omitted in the wood-carving. The full blazon is: Quarterly, 1st grand quarter quarterly, 1st and 4th a cross crosslet double crossed 2nd and 3rd a cross moline;(Willoughby) 2nd grand quarter, a cross fleurie (Latimer) 3rd grand quarter, 4 fusils in fess each charged with an escallop (Cheyne) 4th grand quarter, a chevron within a bordure engrailled (Stafford)
Heraldic roof-bosses
The junctions of the oak beams of the ceiling of the south porch are embellished with several oak bosses, some of which display carved armorials of the ancestral families of Willoughby, as shown within the bench-end escutcheons, namely Ferrers, Latimer and Cheyne. Also shown here are the arms of the Gorges familyGorges family
The House of Gorges is an ancient English family with Norman origins. Radulph, Lord of the Château de Gorges came over to England from Gorges in the canton of Périers in Normandy in the army of William the Conqueror in the year 1066 and acquired a knighthood. He had thus started the history of...
of Knighton, Isle of Wight
Knighton, Isle of Wight
Knighton is a hamlet near to Sandown on the Isle of Wight.It is usually pronounced as Kay-nighton by local people, to avoid confusion with the larger, homophonic village of Niton, near Ventnor....
and Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall, Somerset
Wraxall is a village in North Somerset in England. The parish of the same name also included Nailsea and Flax Bourton until 1811. It is now within the parish of Wraxall and Failand.-History:...
, from a co-heiress of which the Cheyney's were descended, blazoned as Argent, a gurges azure. A gurges is a form of canting arms
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
, being Latin for a whirlpool, depicted as a whorl
Whorl
A whorl is a type of spiral or circular pattern.Other meanings of whorl include:* Whorl , used to describe the attachment of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches at a single point...
.
Sources
- Rogers, W.H. Hamilton, The Strife of the Roses and Days of the Tudors in the West, Exeter, 1890, pp. 1–36, Willoughby de Broke