PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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CHURCH OF St EDWARD, EGGBUCKLAND The Church of St Edward, or Eggbuckland Parish Church, is situated at Church Hill, Eggbuckland, Plymouth. A Saxon church is assumed to have stood on this site, within the control of the Augustinian Prior of Plympton. There was certainly a church here when Pope Nicholas IV completed his survey in 1291. The only other churches in the area at that time were at Tamerton Foliot, Stoke Damerel and Plymouth St Andrew's. When King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539, the Priory surrendered the tithes of Eggbuckland to the King. It is thought that the present church dates from around 1420/30. The parish registers date from 1653. A notable baptism took place in 1772 of a Negro slave to a Mr Sutherland. The church is a stone building in the Perpendicular style consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing six bells. The original single bell was apparently cast by Mr Robert Norton in 1422 and was inscribed "Voce mea viva depello cunta nocciva" ('With my living voice I drive away all harmful things'). By 1553 there were three bells in the peel, the two newest being replaced in 1682 and 1768 respectively. In 1882 the peel was inspected by Mr William Aggett of Chagford, who found that one was "crazed", as he described it, and the other two were in bad tone. Mr Aggett recommended that the bells be melted down, recast and increased to a peel of six. The contract was given to Messrs John Taylor & Company of Loughborough. The new bells were dedicated on November 29th 1882. They were re-hung in 1925 by the local blacksmith and a new stock was made by the local joiner. The Church was considerably enlarged in 1864 when the north aisle and chancel were added In 1901 a clock was installed in the memory of the Reverend Charles Edgar Turner, who had been vicar here for 40 years. There are memorial windows to the Briggs, Radcliffe and Elliot families. A church school was opened in built as part of the vicarage in 1846 and this remained in use until 1971 when the pupils moved to the school in nearby Fort Austin Avenue. In November 1874 a Mission Church was opened at Crabtree, within the parish, and this remained as the place of worship for the Laira area until the church of St Mary the Virgin was consecrated in 1914. This remained within the parish of Egg Buckland until 1939 when the City boundary was redrawn to absorb much of the area. A new two-storey vestry was added at the north-east corner in 1907, to the designs of Mr T R Kitsell, who was responsible for the Church of St Mary the Virgin at Laira. The parish hall was opened in 1971. The parish records are held at the Plymouth & West Devon Records Office in Clare Place, Sutton Road, Plymouth.
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