Scroll down for list of vicars starting from 1249
▪ The earliest parts of the church are the south porch and tower and the adjoining arch which you can see looks quite different to the rest of the south aisle. In 1401 Robert Haretrow (of Hartrow Manor?) left 10 shillings for building the tower.
▪ The door to the rood stair on the north side of the church dates from the late 1400s and is beautifully carved. The handle is also very fine and is decorated with seven crosses, like the front of the former church house next to the Old Vicarage on High Street.
▪ Most of the oak bench ends date from around 1530 and are unusual in still being in their original positions. J M Neale (who wrote Good King Wencelas) said In 1843 that "Stogumber Church has a remarkably fine collection of wood seats... very well and very elaborately carved". In about 1842 some more bench ends were made by Webbers of Dunster using oak from Nettlecombe Park, owned by the uncle of curate Edward Otto Trevelyan.
▪ Near the altar of the north aisle is a brass memorial to Margery Wyndham who died in 1586.
▪ The tomb of Sir George Sydenham (died 1596) on the right of the chancel is unusually sophisticated for its date - each of the 128 rosettes in the arched ceilings are different. Notice his name is spelt Sir Gorge Sidnum. His daughter Elizabeth married Sir Francis Drake.
▪ The oldest bell was originally cast in 1624 and is inscribed 'When I cale, in God reioice all'.
▪ The brass chandelier was made by Thomas Bayley of Bridgwater in about 1770. Each of the 24 arms is slightly different, and after polishing (to which we devote a morning each year) has to be put back in the right place.
▪ The Chancel was decorated by Rev Edward Henry Jones in the Gothic Revival style of Pugin.
▪ The east wall and window of the Chancel were rebuilt in about 1862 and are typical of the architect George Edmund Street . The east window and the other stained glass windows (except the north chancel) were given by the Rowcliffe family of Halsway Manor and were made by Clayton and Bell.
▪ The Church was restored fairly sensitively (for the time) in 1872-5 by architect John Dando Sedding, who wrote that there were "signs of an unusual amount of skill and care in the workmen who reared this interesting building".
List of Vicars and Monarchs
♔ Henry III 1216-1272
1249 Thomas
1255 Thomas Mackerel [Macharel] [Rector]
♔ Edward I 1272-1307
♔ Edward II 1272-1327
1276 Thomas de Sancto Neotho [Neocho, Neothe]
♔ Edward III 1327-1377
1331 (15 July) Robert de Rues [Ruwes]
1336 (15 August) William de Bown [Bourn]
1348 (15 March) William de Wodeford [Wodestone]
Tholomeus de la Ryxyn [Ryxem,Nyxyn] (until 24 March 1350)
1350 (24 March) John Hechene [Hethene]
1351 (17 November) William Coke
1352 Robert le Bruer
Richard Frost (until 4 January 1376)
1376 (4 January) Geoffrey Lombe
♔ Richard II 1377-1399
♔ Henry IV 1399-1413
John Lodre (until 26 November 1404)
1404 (26 November) John Lange
1409 (22 August) William Jevan [Jem, Jenn, Ywean, Owen, John Oweyn]
♔ Henry V 1413-1422
♔ Henry VI 1422-1461
1446 (8 February) John Pedewell [Pedewel]
1448 (29 May) Richard Huchyn
1449 (4 July) John Lassehowe (Oxon) [Lassow, Lashow]
1455 (27 November) John Petworthy
♔ Edward IV 1461-1483
1476 (1 May) Hugo Roper [Hughe]
♔ Edward V 1483
♔ Richard III 1483-1485
♔ Henry VII 1485-1509
♔ Henry VIII 1509-1547
1534 (11 November) Edward Golde MA (Oxon)
1535 Edward Loketon MA (Cantab) [Lockton] (deprived 1554)
♔ Edward VI 1547-1553
♔ Mary I 1553-1558
1554 (1 July) James Bonde MA (Oxon)
1556 (4 July) John Slade MA, BD (Oxon)
♔ Elizabeth I 1558-1603
Edward Loketon MA (Cantab) [Lockton] (restored)
1581 (3 August) Richard Phelps
♔ James I 1603-1625
1621 (3 July) John Bourne MA, BD, DD [STP] (Oxon)
1622 (2 June) John Crosse MA (Cantab)
♔ Charles I 1625-1649
1631 (1 October) John Baynham MA (Oxon)
Commonwealth May 19th 1649
Oliver Cromwell 1653-1658
Richard Cromwell 1658-1659
♔ Charles II 1660-1685
♔ James II 1685-1688
♔ William III 1689-1702 & Mary II 1689-1694
1689 (15 November) John Farthing LLB, BCL (Oxon)
1696 (12 February) Robert Edgar BA (Oxon)
♔ Anne 1702-1714
1703 (12 June) William Capell MA (Oxon)
1711 (17 January) William Camplin MA (Oxon)
♔ George I 1714-1727
1722 (22 February) Richard Lux BA (Oxon)
♔ George II 1727-1760
1737 (12 October) Charles Egerton [non gradatus nec academicus]
1746 (27 May) Clement Elswood BA (Oxon)
1753 (16 April) George Churchey MA (Cantab)
♔ George III 1760-1820
1761 (24 April) John Turner MA (Oxon)
1817 (25 September) James John Talman MA (Oxon)
♔ George IV 1820-1830
1820 George Trevelyan MA (Oxon)
♔ William IV 1830-1837
♔ Victoria 1837-1901
1841 Edward Otto Trevelyan MA (Oxon)
1871 Edward Henry Jones AKCL
♔ Edward VII 1901-1910
1907 (6 December) Ernest Ambrose Couch MA (Dunelm), LTL
♔ George V 1910-1936
♔ Edward VIII June -Dec 1936
♔ George VI 1936-1952
1944 William John Paterson Cox
♔ Elizabeth II 1952
1963 Paul Ashwin MA (Cantab), Kelham Th Coll
1967 Trevor William Rhys (Salisbury Th Coll)
1977 (3 February) Roderick Neville Swinburn
1985 (15 November) Roger C Spurr (Lincoln Th Coll)
1996 Bruce Twyford Lyons Cert Ed (K Alfred’s Coll Win) Tyndale Hall, Bristol
1999 (6 January) Elfrida Beatrice Savigear BSc (Wye Coll Lond) MSc (Bath) STh (Lambeth) Ridley Hall
2009 (11 October) Valerie Isabelle Dawn Frances Plumb BTh Ripon Hall Cuddesdon
2016 (25 July) Angela Veronica Isabel Berners-Wilson MTheol (St Andrew’s), Cranmer Hall, Durham
List compiled by Christopher Legrove 2019