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Parish Church of:
Kilkhampton
The church of St. James is a building of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, north and south chapels, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower, with crocketed pinnacles, containing 6 bells: the south doorway, the only remnant of the ancient church, is a fine specimen of Late Norman work of four orders, and on the porch are the arms of John Grenville, rector, with the date 1567 and the legend "Porta Celi" carved thereon: the chancel and side chapels are separated from the nave by elaborately carved screens, the sanctuary being paneled in oak; the oak choir stalls are finally carved, the panels with the linen pattern and the ends with grotesque figures: the bench ends in the north aisle are carved with emblems of the Passion and initials, and in the nave aisle are two with figures of bishops fully vested: the north chapel contains an organ built by Father Schmidt, circa 1780, and presented by Lord John Thynne, and a memorial
window to Grace Countess Grenville, ob. 1744: in the south chapel is a fine mural monument of marble to Sir Bevil Grenville, of Stow, in this parish, who fell at Lansdowne, July 5, 1643, and a mural tablet with bust in relief to Henry Frederick, Baron Carteret, d. 1826, and three stained windows to the Granville family; in a vault below the south aisle lie buried various members of the Granville family, Earls of Bath, and in the chancel two former rectors, Oliver Rouse, ob. 1561, and - Bullen, ob. 1672: the east window and the west window of the south aisle were given by tenants on his Granville estate as memorials to Lord John Thynne, subdean of Westminster, d. 9 Feb. 1881, and the west window is a memorial to Capt. William Frederick Thynne, of the Rifle Brigade who fell at Lucknow in 1858: in the south aisle are two stained windows containing figures of British and Cornish saints and to one to Sir George Stucley bart, d. 1861, and there are various other stained
windows: there are brasses to the Rev. John Davis, rector here for 53 years, who died in 1857 and is buried under the porch: the font of granite is a good example of Perpendicular work and bears the arms of the Granville family: the church was restored in 1860, under the direction of the late Sir George Gilbert Scott R.A. at a cost of £4,500: there are 450 sittings, Radiating from the lynch gate are three fine avenues of lime trees. The register dates from the year 1539.
There are two parochial chapels: that of St. Peter at Stibb consists of chancel and nave and has a stained window at the east end; it will seat 80 persons; the other at Thurdon is a plain building seating 60 persons.
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