Welcome to this page describing the church of St Mary the Virgin, which is the parish church of Rewe. The information contained on this page can be downloaded from this link: St Mary the Virgin Church.
The earliest mention of the church at Rewe is in January 1280, when Nicholas of Totnes was instituted as Rector. The present church was built from 1450 onwards, although the south porch is of a simpler style and may be a remnant of the older building. An ancient tombstone in the floor at the chancel step reads “Pray for the soul of Thomas Veysey, once pastor of this church” – Thomas Veysey was Rector from 1402 to 1426. The carved oak chancel screen, the font and the carvings of small figures holding shields date from the 1400’s.
During the time of Sir Nicholas Wadham, who succeeded to the Manor of Rewe in 1495, considerable additions and improvements were made to the church. The chancel was rebuilt and a chantry chapel – now the Vestry – was added. The richly carved bench ends were added at this time and the present tower was probably completed in 1520. The octagonal alms box on a three foot high pillar bears the date 1631 and the collecting box used at services is dated 1708.
The original lectern Bible (purchased in 1718 and now housed in a special cabinet) is known as a Vinegar Bible because of a misprint at the heading page of St Luke XX, which is printed‘The parable of the Vinegar’ instead of ‘Vineyard’.
Now partly hidden by the organ, the large monument in the east end of the north aisle commemorates Paul Draper 1689, an Exeter merchant who lived at Rewe and who was a steward of the City of Exeter in 1659.
On Christmas night in 1810 the tower and church were hit by lightning, causing extensive damage to the windows. The weather vane from the tower was found on the marshes of the River Culm, some quarter of a mile away. The church was extensively restored and redecorated in 1867. The stained glass windows date from the 1800’s. The carved figures above the screen were erected in 1929 as a memorial to a parishioner (Arthur May, died November 1928).This summary was adapted from more comprehensive historical information available at the church.
For more information please follow the link St Mary the Virgin Church.