Church of St Decuman, Watchet
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Decuman in Watchet
, Somerset
, England has a 13th century chancel
with the rest of the church being from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The dedication is because Watchet is believed to be the place where Saint Decuman
was killed.
The church stands on a prominent site overlooking the town. It was restored
and reseated by J P St Aubyn in 1886-1891, with further internal alterations being made in 1896 when the Caen
stone reredos
was erected.
The church includes a memorial to Sir John Wyndham
(1558 – 1645) an aristocratic English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country
against the threat of Spanish invasion.
Watchet
Watchet is a harbour town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, with an approximate population of 4,400. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The parish includes the hamlet of Beggearn Huish...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England has a 13th century chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with the rest of the church being from the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.
The dedication is because Watchet is believed to be the place where Saint Decuman
Saint Decuman
Decuman was one of the Celtic saints who came to Somerset from South Wales during the 7th century, arriving on a raft with a cow for a companion. There he was a pastor and physician to the local inhabitants.-Life and cult:...
was killed.
The church stands on a prominent site overlooking the town. It was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
and reseated by J P St Aubyn in 1886-1891, with further internal alterations being made in 1896 when the Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
stone reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
was erected.
The church includes a memorial to Sir John Wyndham
John Wyndham (1558-1645)
Sir John Wyndham JP was an aristocratic English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country against the threat of Spanish invasion....
(1558 – 1645) an aristocratic English landowner who played an important role in the establishment of defence organisation in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
against the threat of Spanish invasion.