Church of Saint Pancras, Widecombe-in-the-Moor

The Church of Saint Pancras stands in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, a village on Dartmoor in Devon. Built mainly in the fourteenth century in the Perpendicular style, it uses local granite. Its 120-foot tower gives the church its nickname, the ‘Cathedral of the Moor’. Over the next two centuries the building was enlarged, paid for partly by profits from tin mining. Inside, the ceiling carries many carved roof bosses, including the tinners’ emblem of three hares joined in a circle. In 1638 the church was struck by ball lightning during a packed afternoon service. About 300 worshippers were inside, four were killed and around sixty injured. Local belief links the event to the Devil’s visit. The parish once covered a wide area, so families walked long distances to reach Sunday services. Coffins had to be carried over rough ground and steep hills, and the Coffin Stone halfway up Dartmeet Hill marks a resting place for bearers. Beatrice Chase, a Dartmoor novelist of the early twentieth century, is buried in the churchyard. The granite building remains a landmark on the moor, its tower visible across the surrounding hills. Inside, the roof bosses and the tinners’ emblem recall the village’s history. The churchyard holds graves that tell of generations who once made the long walk to worship here.