People have gathered to worship on this site for around a thousand years. From a simple Saxon church to the building you see today, St Mary’s has been at the heart of Bideford’s life through every generation, and its story is full of fascinating people and treasures waiting to be discovered.
Through the centuries
- Before 1066: A Saxon church built of cob and wattle stood here at the time of the Norman Conquest.
- Around 1080: The round granite font, still in use today, is thought to date from this time.
- 1259: A new stone church was built over the Saxon one and dedicated by Bishop Bronscombe. Its tower still stands today.
- 1513: Sir Thomas Grenville, patron of the parish, died and was laid to rest in the tomb beside the altar.
- 1589: Raleigh, one of the first Native Americans to be brought to England, was buried in the churchyard.
- 1646: John Strange, four times Mayor of Bideford, died of the plague after caring for those who had caught it.
- 1863 to 1865: The old church was rebuilt. The Rector, the Revd Francis Ley Bazeley, laid the foundation stone on Easter Monday 1863, and the silver trowel is on display near the pulpit. The new church was consecrated by Bishop Henry Phillpotts on 12 January 1865.
- 2015: Our 150th anniversary was marked with celebrations and commemorative banners.
- Today: The story continues with Project Mustard Seed, equipping St Mary’s for the 21st century with a new entrance, level floors and more to come.
Why the church was rebuilt
By the 1860s the medieval church was in a poor state. A Faculty of 1862 described it as “very dilapidated… damp, ill-ventilated and unwholesome”. The architect Edward Ashworth rebuilt it between 1862 and 1865 in the Perpendicular style, using stone rubble with limestone details. Only the tower was kept, along with many of the old church’s fittings and monuments, which you can still see today.
| Listing | Grade II* (Historic England List Entry No. 1200893) |
|---|---|
| First listed | 8 November 1949 |
| Churchyard | The walls, gates and railings are listed Grade II |
Treasures to look out for
- The tower: the oldest part of the church, with its battlemented top and a peal of eight bells, five cast in 1722 and three in 1876. The town’s War Memorial stands beside it.
- The font: a round granite font with cable decoration, possibly showing the change from Saxon to Norman styles. Local legend says Cromwell’s soldiers threw it out during the Civil War and used it as an animal trough.
- The tower screen and doors: made from carved Tudor bench ends saved from the old church, including the Grenville coat of arms.
- The Grenville tomb: to the right of the altar, Sir Thomas Grenville lies in armour with a dog at his feet, beneath a Tudor arch with a Latin inscription.
- The pulpit: carved in 1894 by Devon craftsmen from white Ashburton marble veined with orange, with green and red marble columns.
- The organ: a three-manual instrument by “Father” Willis, installed in 1865 and refurbished in 1971.
- The windows: the east window is by Alexander Gibbs (1865) and the north window by Arthur J. Dix.
- The engraved glass screen: engraved by Peter Tysoe and dedicated on Easter Day 1982, it shows the baptism of Jesus, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Luwum of Uganda, Saint Boniface, Saint Anne, and a Bideford fisherman with a knight.
- The chained book: a 1567 copy of Bishop John Jewel’s Apology of the Church of England. Copies were once chained in churches so everyone could read them but nobody could carry them away. Jewel went to school in nearby Barnstaple.
People remembered here
The Grenville family were patrons of the parish for several centuries. Sir Thomas Grenville’s great-grandson captained the Mary Rose, which sank off Portsmouth in 1545, and his great-great-grandson, Sir Richard Grenville, the Elizabethan sailor and explorer, died in 1591 at the Battle of Flores commanding the Revenge.
Raleigh, a Native American brought to England in the 1580s, is remembered with a plaque in the church. He was buried in our churchyard in 1589, and records about him are kept near the main entrance.
John Strange, a merchant, benefactor and four times Mayor of Bideford, is remembered with a bust on the south wall. He died of the plague in 1646 after helping those who had caught it.
Admiral Bedford Pim, a Royal Navy officer, Arctic explorer and author who searched for the lost Franklin Expedition, has a large memorial on the north wall near the main entrance.
Why not come and discover St Mary’s history for yourself? Find out how to visit us.
Read more about our history
- Church of St Mary, Bideford – Historic England listing
- Church of St Mary, Bideford – Wikipedia
- Devon Historic Churches Trust, which has supported the care of St Mary’s
