Tretire with Michaelchurch

63 TRETIRE WITH MICHAELCHURCH (D.d.).

(O.S. 6 in. L, N.E.)

Tretire with Michaelchurch is a small parish 5 m. W. of Ross. The church of St. Michael is the principal monument.

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of St. Mary, Tretire, has been entirely re-built in recent years. It contains from the old church the following

Fittings—Churchyard Cross: square base with octagonal top and rounded upper angles, pointed niche in W. face set in a triangular-headed and cusped sinking, three stone steps, 15th-century, shaft and cross-head modern. Coffin-lid: In vestry—broken slab with cross in low relief, c. 1300. Communion Table: with turned legs, moulded rails and stretchers, mid 17th-century. Font: In rectory-garden—octagonal bowl with chamfered under edge, 15th-century. Monuments and Floor-slab. Monuments: In churchyard— S.E. of vestry, (1) to Joyce, wife of John Winston, c. 1700, headstone; S. of nave, (2) to Margary, wife of William Machin, Jun., 1706. Floor-slab: In chancel —to William Edwards, rector, 17[10]. Plate: includes stand-paten of 1705, with the engraved date 1706, and large stand-paten probably of 1668, with modern inscription. Miscellanea: In rectory-garden—12th-century round-headed window.

(2). Church of St. Michael, Michaelchurch (Plate 4), stands in the northern part of the parish. The walls are of local sandstone rubble with dressings of the same material; the roofs are covered with stone slates. The church, consisting of a continuous Chancel and Nave, is probably of late 11th or 12th-century origin, and the N. and W. walls may be of this period. The rest of the structure was re-built in the 13th century. The South Porch was added, probably in the 17th century, and the church has been restored in modern times.

Among the fittings the font, re-used Roman altar and the paintings are noteworthy.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (16¾ ft. by 18¾ ft.) has, in the E. wall, two 13th-century lancetwindows. The N. wall has a single window and the S. wall two windows, similar to but smaller than those in the E. wall.

The Nave (34½ ft. by 17½ ft.) has a N. doorway, probably of the 13th or 14th century, with chamfered jambs and two-centred head cut out of a 12th-century tympanum with lozenge-pattern in incised lines; the doorway is now fitted as a window. In the S. wall are two windows, the eastern of late 14th-century date and of two plain pointed lights with plain tracery in a two-centred head; the western window is uniform with the side windows in the chancel; the 14th-century S. doorway has chamfered jambs and two-centred head. High up in the W. wall is a narrow loop-light, perhaps of the 12th century. On the W. gable is a square timber bell-turret of uncertain date.

Between the nave and the chancel is an old tie-beam with vertical boarding above; the rest of the roof is plastered internally.

Fittings—Bells: two, inaccessible. Coffin-lid: In nave—upper part of slab with enriched circular head of cross and two rosettes flanking stem, early 14th-century. Communion Table: In nave—with stop-chamfered legs and moulded top rails, 17th-century, top and stretchers modern. Door: In S. doorway—of battens with two strap-hinges, one with ornamental end, 14th-century. Font: (Plate 38) tapering cylindrical bowl with band of simple interlacing arches at top, and below, bands of diaper work, interlacing and cheveron ornament, plain round stem, 12th-century. Paintings: on E., N. and S. walls remains of 13th-century painted decoration on plaster, including masonry-lines and borders with cheveron-design; on E. wall, N. of windows, large panel (Plate 184) with checker-pattern, consecration-cross in circle below; between windows ornamental foliated designs and a second cross in a circle; on N. and S. walls, superimposed on earlier painting, remains of 16th or 17th-century 'black-letter' inscriptions, including the Commandments, on N. wall, in a guilloche-border. On tie-beam and boarding, between chancel and nave, remains of 16th-century conventional foliage. Panelling: on chancel walls—dado made up of 17th-century panelling. Pulpit: modern but incorporating moulded 17th-century panelling. Screen: between chancel and nave —of six bays with central doorway, with chamfered framing and mullions, made-up lower panels, early 16th-century, arch to doorway and traceried heads to side bays, modern. Stoup: In nave—in recess of former N. doorway, Roman altar (Plate 40) cut back to form a round stem and rough bowl in the form of a cushion capital; on one face a Latin inscription "Deo Tri-[vii] Beccicus donavit ara[m]."

Condition—Poor.

Secular

(3). Tretire Castle (Plan, p. xxxiv), earthwork, S.E. of the church of St. Mary, in the 13th century formed part of the possessions of Fulk Fitzwarine. All that now remains is an earthwork consisting of a roughly rectangular mound, approximately 70 yards by 55 yards, with a semi-circular N.E. end and remains of a rampart and a dry ditch along its N.W. side. The scarps have been somewhat cut into and destroyed as also has the top of the mound, in process of levelling for a modern tennis-court.

Condition—Bad.

(4). The Rectory, N.E. of the church of St. Mary, is of two storeys with attics and cellars. The walls are of rough ashlar; the roofs are covered with slates. The S.W. part of the house is probably of 16th-century origin, but, for the major part, was re-built and heightened at the end of the 17th century. It has since been altered and added to. In the S.W. wall of the basement is a 16th-century window of two lights with chamfered jambs and square head; in the S.E. wall are two similar windows. Inside the building across the ceiling of the basement is a large hollow-chamfered beam. A doorway in the basement has a stop-chamfered frame and there are some similar door-frames in the attics, one of which has a door of moulded battens. The late 17th-century staircase has turned balusters, moulded strings and hand-rails and panelled newels.

Condition—Good, much altered.

(5). Treberon, house and barn, about ¾ m. E.N.E. of the church of St. Michael. The House is of two storeys with attics and cellars; the walls are of rough ashlar and rubble; the roofs are covered with slates. The house was built c. 1600 on an L-shaped plan with the wings projecting towards the S. and W. It was considerably altered early in the 18th century when the N. wall was refaced with ashlar. There is a modern extension to the W. wing. In the N. wall of the cellar is a two-light window of c. 1600, but the remaining windows have early 18th-century frames with wooden transoms and mullions. In the W. wall of the S. wing is a blocked two-light window of c. 1600. Inside the building some of the rooms have exposed ceiling-beams. The staircase has a late 17th-century moulded handrail and square newels. The Barn, N.E. of the house, dates from the 15th century, but the westernmost bay is of 16th-century date, and the E. half is a modern extension. The walls are timber-framed and weather-boarded on a stone base; the roof is tiled. The two 15th-century bays have 'crutch' trusses which have been strengthened with later timbers.

Condition—Good.

Unclassified

(6). Mound, in field 1,200 yards W. of church of St. Michael is of irregular shape, being segmental on the N. and W. sides, but possibly cut away on the E. during the making of the roadway against which it stands. It rises 4 ft. above the surrounding ground on the W. and 7 ft. above the road. In the same field are two large irregular-shaped sinkings.