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Allhallows-Goldsmith church stands in Goldsmith-street; is an ancient edifice of nave and chancel; was closed for upwards of a century; and, after undergoing thorough repair, was re-opened in 1822. All hallows-on-the-Walls stands in the Old Bartholomew cemetery; was built in 1845, after designs by Hayward; is in the later English style; consists of nave and chancel, with lofty tower and S porch; and has an E window, of four lights, with stained-glass representation of the four evangelists. St. Edmund's church stands in Edmund-street; was rebuilt and enlarged in 1835; and consists of nave, aisles, and sanctuary, with western tower. St. John's church stands in Fore-street; is very ancient; and had a bow, with sanctuary above, till 1863. St. George's church stood in South-street, and was demolished in the course of the recent city improvements. St. Kerrian's church stands in North-street; is ancient and dilapidated; and has long ceased to be used. St. Petrock's church stands in High-street; is ancient; consists of nave, chancel, and two S aisles, with western octagonal tower; and contains a handsome reredos and a very ancient font, both recently restored. St. Lawrence church also stands in High-street; was restored in 1847; consists of nave and chancel; and has a carved oak screen, and an altar-piece of 1846 by Bacon. St. Martin's church stands in the Cathedral-yard; is partly of the 11th century and partly later English; consists of nave and chancel; and has a superb marble monument to Philip Hooper, Esq. St. Pancras' church stands in Pancras-street; was long closed, but afterwards restored; and was re-opened in 1830. St. Mary-Arches church stands in a street of its own name; takes that name from its Norman piers; is said to be the oldest church in the city; consists of nave and aisles, with small tower; has undergone many alterations; and contains several very ancient monuments. St. Mary-Major church stands in the Cathedral-yard; was partly Norman, partly early English; and was rebuilt in 1868, on an enlarged scale, in the first pointed style, a cost of £6, 000. St. Mary Magdalene's church, in Rack-street, is subordinate to this, and was erected in 1861. St. Ma-Steps church stands in West-street; figures in 1291 as well endowed; consists of nave, S aisle, and sanctuary, with western tower; contains a fine Anglo-Norman font; and has, on its tower, a curious clock, said to have been erected in honour of Henry VIII., and having three figures supposed to represent the king and two of his attendants. These figures are popularly called Matthew the Miller and his two sons, from a tradition that a miller in the neighbourhood passed and repassed daily with a regularity which resembled clockwork; and a local rhyme respecting them says, -
Adam and Eve would never believe
That Matthew the Miller was dead;
But every hour in Westgate tower
Matthew the Miller nods his head.
St. Olave's church stands in Fore-street; is very ancient; consists of nave, sanctuary, N aisle, and transept, with small south-eastern tower; was given by William the Conqueror to Battle abbey, and used by the French refugees after the battle of Nantes; ceased, for some time, to be occupied; and was repaired, enlarged, and re-opened in 1815. St. Paul's church stands in Paul-street; was built at the latter end of the 17th century; consists of nave and sanctuary, with small tower; and contains a black marble font, and a few elaborate monuments. St. Stephen's church stands in High-street; is small and ancient; consists of nave, chancel, and aisles, with western tower; has windows of later English; and anciently had a crypt. Holy Trinity church stands in South-street; was rebuilt in 1820; consists of nave, aisles, and small chancel; and contains about 1, 000 sittings. St. David's church stands on St. David's hill; was rebuilt in 1541; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel; and has a decorated font. St. Sidwell's church stands in Sidwell-street; is the finest, architecturally, of all the city churches; comprises ancient pillars with figures of St. Sidwella and angels, but was chiefly rebuilt in 1812-13; consists of nave, chancel, and aisles, with western tower and spire, -the tower improved and the spire added in 1823; and contains a handsome reredos, a richly carved pulpit, and an octagonal font. St. Leonard's church stands at Mount Radford; is plain and modern: and consists of nave and aisles, with small bell turret. St. Thomas the Apostle's church stands in Cowick-street, in the suburb beyond the Exe; is a handsome edifice, with elaborate workmanship; consists of nave, chancel, aisles, and transept, with western pinnacled tower; has an E window, of five lights, in the decorated English style; and contains a fine stone monument, by Bacon, to Mrs. Medley, the wife of the vicar of St. Thomas, who became Bishop of Fredericton. Bedford chapel stands in Bedford Circus precinct; is a neat brick edifice of 1832, with Tuscan portico; and consists of nave, aisles, and sanctuary. St. James' church stands in St. James'-road; is a spacions but plain edifice of 1836; and consists of nave, chancel, and aisles. St. Michael and All Angels' church was built in 1868, at a cost of £20, 000; and is in the first printed style, with tower and spire 233 feet high.
The Wesleyan chapel, formerly Known as the Free church, in Southernhay, is in the Roman style, and consists of nave, aisles, and small chancel, with bell-turret. The Independent chapel, in Castle-street, was built in 1797, and afterwards enlarged. The Baptist chapel, in South-street, was built in 1823, and is in the Roman style. The Wesleyan chapel, in Mint-lane, was built in 1812, and afterwards enlarged; and has a fine organ. The Wesleyan chapel, in St. Sidwell-street, was built in 1834. The United Free Methodist chapel, in Musgrave-alley, belonged formerly to the Wesleyans, is very old, and has a massive Norman entrance. The Roman Catholic church, in the Mint, was founded in 1790, and enlarged in 1856; and is a cruciform edifice, in the Norman style. The Jews' synagogue, in Mary-Arches-street, was rebuilt in 1835; is lighted by an octagonal dome; and has an ark resting on Doric columns, and containing a very ancient manuscript of the Pentateuch. The chapel attached to Wynard's hospital, in Magdalen-street, dates from 1436; was recently restored by its patron, Mark Kennaway, Esq.; and has a beautiful specimen of Tudor work, of the time of Henry. VI., in the doorway which divides the nave and chancel. The chapel attached to St. Anne's alms-houses, in St. Sidwell-street, is a small later English structure. An Independent chapel was built, burnt, and refounded in 1869.
"The city of Exeter, " say the editors of the old "Magna Britannia, " published in 1738, "abounded with religions houses, before the dissolution, and other lesser suppressions. Within the circuit of the cathedral were three; one for the monks, supposed to be founded by King Ethelred; another for nuns, which is now called the Kalendarhay; and a third for the monks of St. Benedict, founded by King Athelstan, and is that part of the cathedral that is now called Our lady's chapel. Within the east gate stood the priory of St. John for regular canons, built, as is said, by Gilbert and Robert Long, brothers; St. James' abbey, replenished by Dominicans; and St. Nicholas, a monastery of black canons of St. Benedict, founded by William the Conqueror. The abbot of Battle built a priory here, which he dedicated to St. Nicholas, and made it a cell to his abbey; and without the south gate was a priory of grey friars, Franciscans; so that it is no wonder that this city bore the name of Monkton, when so many monasteries were in it." The crypt of St. Nicholas' priory, a massive Norman structure, is now used as a kitchen.
Parishes and Livings.—The parishes in the municipal borough, with their respective pop. in 1861, are All-hallows-Goldsmith, 371; All-hallows-on-the-Walls, 1, 002; Holy Trinity, 3, 841; St. David, 4, 486; St. Edmund, 1, 525; St. George-the-Martyr, 596; St. John, 653; St. Kerrian, 479; St. Lawrence, 561; St. Martin, 207; St. Mary-Arches, 652; St. Mary-Major, 3, 409; St. Mary-Steps, 1, 422; St. Olave, 945; St. Pancras, 345; St. Paul, 1, 308; St. Petrock, 220; St. Sidwell, 10, 478; St. Stephen, 407. Other places in the municipal borough are Bedford Circus precinct, 145; Brandninch precinct, 91; and Cathedral-close, 595. And a parish, and parts of parishes beyond the municipal limits, but within the parliamentary ones, are St. Leonard, 1, 576; part of Heavitree, 2, 757; part of Thomas-the-Apostle, 3, 570; part of Topsham, 98; and part of Alphington, 10.-The livings within the city, or designating from it, are Allhallows-Goldsmith, All hallows-on-the-Walls, Holy Trinity, St. David, St. Edmund, St. John-with-St. George, St. Kerrian-with-St. Petrock, St. Lawrence, St. Martin, St. Mary-Arches, St. Mary-Major, St. Mary-Steps, St. Olave, St. Pancras, St. Paul, St. Sidwell, St. Stephen, St. Leonard, St. Thomas-the-Apostle, St. James, and Bedford chapel. All, except three, are rectories, and St. David and St. Thomas-the-Apostle are vicarages, and Bedford chapel is a p. curacy, in the diocese of Exeter. Value of Allhallows-Goldsmith, £80; of Allhallows-on-the-Walls, £100; of Holy-Trinity, £111; of St. David, £174; of St. Edmund, £187; of St. John-with-St. George, £212; of St. Kerrian-with-St. Petrock, £138; of St. Lawrence, £135; of St. Martin, £77; of St. Mary-Arches, £162; of St. Mary-Major, £191; of St. Mary-Steps, £179; of St. Olave, £81; of St. Pancras, £60; of St. Paul, £135; of St. Sidwell, £300; of St. Stephen, £54; of St. Leonard, £260; of St. Thomas, £237;* of St. James and Bedford chapel, not reported. Patron of St. Lawrence and St. Olave, the Lord Chancellor; of St. Stephen and St. Mary-Arches, the Bishop; of St. Edmund, Mrs. E. M. Alleyne; of St. Mary-Steps, Mrs. Strother; of St. Leonard, Samuel Wills, Esq.; of St. Thomas, J. W. Buller, Esq.; of St. Sidwell and St. James, the Vicar of Heavitree; of Bedford chapel, Trustees; of St. John-with-St. George, alternately the Lord Chancellor and the Dean and Chapter; of all the others, the Dean and Chapter. Two chapelries connected with the city, or rather with St. Thomas parish, are Exwick and Oldridge.
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