Easter Week in North Devon Day 7

Under a threatening sky, we continued our tour of North Devon churches.  Swimbridge is notable for its "hunting parson" Jack Russell who was appointed in 1833 and served for 46 years, keeping a pack of hounds at the ready for a hunt after delivering his weekly sermon. As a student at Oxford he bought a pup off the butcher, crossed it with a local dog, and the Jack Russell breed was born.

The church's most famous art object is an 18th century canopied font . . .

. . . with 16th century carved panels used for the doors that hide the bowl.

Although I liked the knitted Last Supper much more.

Chittlehampton sits in a valley with walls so steep I don't know how the sheep  can
stand still and graze without pitching down the slope.

The church contains a real medieval shrine to a local saint. Hieritha was hacked to death at the urging of her pagan stepmother, and the shrine was established at the holy spring which appeared where she fell dead. 

A statue of St. Hieritha for pilgrims to venerate would have been in place in this niche, but was destroyed
in the wave of Reformation iconoclasm aiming to eliminate Papist practices.

Hieritha's tomb remains within the arched alcove placed next to the high altar.

A random tomb sculpture lies comfortably in the adjacent transept along with other random memorials.

And finally on to another CCT church . . .

. . . with a very old door . . .

. . . and a very charming interior . . .

. . . with a floor that could be a quilt . . .

. . . original furnishings . . .

. . . and a reminder to sing loudly and be joyous.

The next and last church on our list was locked, giving us more time in our comfortable Woolley Lodge, where without the distraction of broadband internet connectivity, we plowed through books, listened to Bob's extensive i-pod collection using a funny little speaker device, ate well and slept soundly.