debris4spike | A Wander Round A Church (Reply)

On our way out yesterday our first stop was that of Newton St Cyres as it is about 5 miles from Exeter and 3 miles from Crediton. Apparently there is an Arboretum there, but will admit as it was raining we only went to see the Church. The cantre of the village is mostly thatched cottages, but again I din't want to get soaked exploring ... an idea for another day.

As I was looking into the dedication of the saints I also found out a bit of it's history (that I have copied & pasted from "Visit MidDevon website") -

During the reign of Edward VI, Newton St Cyres was the site of a battle over religion and revenge. The ‘battle of Newton St Cyres’ being the culmination of a series of other battles locally between royal protestant troops against local catholic clergy and their followers. The leader – a Geoffry Arundel – died at Newton having sought to rescue his daughter who had been taken by the royal troops.

During the English Civil War, Parliamentary Commander-in-Chief Sir Thomas Fairfax rested in Newton St Cyres with his army on 22/10/1645.

In the 1700’s, Newton St Cyres and nearby Upton Pyne were famous as sources of Manganese, supplying the United Kingdom from their mines.

So, here are some photos of the 15th century Church ... it has a very unusual dedication to King James II (most were removed as he was a Catholic King) ... and an amazing monument to Sir John Northcote The Church is dedicated to St Cyr & St Julietta