![\"brentor\"](\"http:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Brentor-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Cornish & Devon Post, 10th May, 1947. Visits: 206<\/p>\n Cornish & Devon Post, 10th May, 1947. ANOTHER STORY \u2013 BRENTOR LEGEND DISCREDITED. Services Resume in Ancient Tor Church. \u00a0No landmark in the West of England is more striking than the famous Church of St Michael\u2019s, Brentor. \u00a0Believed to be an extinct volcano, and rising abruptly from an elevated down, the tor is visible from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":7622,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7760","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7760"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7765,"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7760\/revisions\/7765"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nANOTHER STORY \u2013 BRENTOR LEGEND DISCREDITED.
\nServices Resume in Ancient Tor Church. \u00a0No landmark in the West of England is more striking than the famous Church of St Michael\u2019s, Brentor. \u00a0Believed to be an extinct volcano, and rising abruptly from an elevated down, the tor is visible from a great distance, and perched on the very summit of the little weather-beaten church. \u00a0Only 37 feet by 14 \u00bd feet, it must be one of the smallest churches in Devon.
\nThe story used to be told that it was built by a merchant who, finding himself in peril of shipwreck, vowed that if saved he would build a church on the first point of land he saw. But a document recently discovered in the Duke of Bedford\u2019s archives proves that it was built about 1130 by Robert Giffard, Lord of Weare Giffard. \u00a0In the Twelfth century Brentor belonged to the Manor of Lamerton, and Robert Giffard having built the church, handed it over to Tavistock Abbey with some acres of land around the tor.
\nAnother document of the Duke of Bedford\u2019s records the settlement of a dispute between Jordon, Abbot of Tavistock (1222-33<\/em>), and Walter Giffard II, great grandson of the founder. \u00a0It was agreed between the parties that the Church of St Michael\u2019s Rock, Brenatorre, should in future be served by two priests and a clerk, who were to receive suitable yearly stipends from the Abbot and Convent, and, though subject to the Archdeacon\u2019s jurisdiction, were not to be removed from office without reasonable cause. \u00a0They were to reside at or near the church to administer the sacraments to the parishioners and to celebrate divine service daily for the souls of Walter Giffard\u2019s ancestors and relatives, living and deceased. This agreement was confirmed by the Bishop of Exeter, and attested by the Priors of Plympton and Launceston, the Archdeacons of Exeter, Totnes and Barnstaple, Robert (Vicar of Lamerton<\/em>), Robert Giffard and other witnesses.
\nIn 1283, the same Abbot John procured from Henry III, the grant of a three-day fair to be held at the Church of Brenatorre on the Eve of the Feast \u00a0and the Morrow of Michaelmas. \u00a0In those days fairs were not entertainments but occasions for buying and selling, all the more necessary and important because there was no regularly organised retail trade.
\nOne would suppose, however, that Brentor would not be a very convenient site for commerce; indeed, in 1535 the tolls from the fair were valued at only 6s.8d. per annum. \u00a0At some date between 1535 and 1552 the fair appears to have been removed from Brentor to Tavistock, where it became, as it were, the ancestor of the present \u201cGoosey Fair\u201d.
\nThe stone still lies by the road-side at Brentor on which the pole with a glove, the usual concomitant of a fair, was erected. \u00a0Instead of buns, which are usually eaten at country revels in the West of England, the inhabitants of Brentor could produce nothing but \u201ccramps\u201d \u2013 an inferior species of cake \u2013 probably due to the badness of their corn from the poverty of the soil. \u00a0Thus they were called \u201cCramp-Eaters\u201d.
\nOne or two interesting topographical particulars may be gleaned from surviving thirteenth-century charters.
\nThe rivulet near Holyeat was in those days called Fennilake. \u00a0A well on the South side of the Church is referred to as St Michael\u2019s Well, and there is mention of \u201cThe old walls under the rock at Brent Tor called Bynne\u201d, a mysterious word which cannot be explained.\u00a0 (O.E. binn \u2013 a manger<\/em>).
\nThe foregoing gives a brief idea of the history of this ancient tor and Church, where on Sunday evening the first summer service was held. \u00a0Long before the time of the service, parishioners and others made their way up the rugged hillside and the bells in the Church tower were pealing out, with the flag of St George fluttering above. \u00a0As one entered the beautiful Church, a visitor\u2019s book, with already many hundreds of names in it from far and wide, seems to say \u201cSign in God\u2019s presence\u201d.
\nThe service, which was a simple evening service, was conducted by the Vicar (Rev HE Owen Davies<\/em>) and the organist at Christ Church (Mr H B Randle<\/em>) played the harmonium, the singing being led by the choir.<\/p>\n![\"brentor-by-valantine\"](\"http:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Brentor-by-Valantine.jpg\")
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ![\"brentor-church-1936\"](\"http:\/\/launcestonthen.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Brentor-church-1936.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"