Crediton Parish Church

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Church of the Holy Cross
Crediton Parish Church
Dedication	The Holy Cross and the Mother of Him who hung thereon
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Broad Church
Administration
Parish	Crediton and Shobrooke with Sandford and Upton Hellions
Deanery	Cadbury
Archdeaconry	Exeter
Diocese	Exeter
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Rector	The Revd Nigel Guthrie MA ARCO
Curate	The Revd Caroline Ralph
Priest	The Revd Catherine Carlyon
Other
Reader	Isolde Summers
Organist/Director of Music	Steven Martin MA LTCL
Organ Scholar	Kate Macpherson
Churchwarden	Anne German
Churchwarden	Clare Shelly
Churchwarden	John Wakefield
Parish Administrator	Gill Lee
Servers' Guild	Bill Rimmer
Website	www.creditonparishchurch.org.uk

The Church of the Holy Cross and the Mother of Him who hung thereon (or Crediton Parish Church) is an unmissable and promient building and worshiping community in the Devon town of Crediton. The church was the cathedral of the Lord Bishop of Crediton in the former diocese until 1050 when the See was transferred to Exeter. A College of Canons remained at Crediton, administering the buildings and life of the collegiate church. At the Reformation the church was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1545 and the college dispersed. The church buildings were bought by the Crediton Town Corporation who still administer the fabric today. Now a parish church, the life of the church is administered by the Parochial Church Council (PCC), although many still refer to the church (often incorrectly) as the Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross.

The parish of Crediton centres around the Holy Cross, a magnificent and beautiful building with a long history. It is the house of God for the whole community and all people are welcome to come into the church for worship, prayer or simply to visit. The church seeks through its members to draw everyone into the love of Jesus Christ.

The Church is held in trust by the Governors of Crediton for the people of the parish, but its life and worship are planned by the clergy and Parochial Church Council (PCC).

[edit] History

Crediton Church has a history which is as long as that of any church in Devon, including Exeter Cathedral. Crediton was chosen as the site for the cathedral for Devon and Cornwall. In 1046 Leofric was appointed to the sees of both Devon and Cornwall, and moved the see to Exeter. The cathedra, the bishop's throne, was moved to Exeter in 1050, where it was placed in a Saxon minster until a purpose-built cathedral could be constructed.

Crediton had lost the see, but the Bishop of Exeter retained his palace there (a little to the north-east of Holy Cross) and his lands around the town. The church survived, though not in its original building. The construction of a Norman church on the present site was started - building work was in progress in the 1130's - and a collegiate church which was initially staffed by 18 canons with 18 vicars, was established, although lack of funds meant that this number of canons was soon reduced to 12.

The collegiate church was always completely secular - none of the canons or vicars lived the communal life of monks; their work being funded by income from tithes on the extensive lands of the parish (which were shared with the bishop).

The early dedication of the church was to St Mary, the present dedication - the Church of the Holy Cross and the Mother of Him Who Hung Thereon - came into use only after the 1230's. The church was extended in the late C13th by the addition of the Lady Chapel and the Chapter House.

John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, (1327-1369) attempted to ensure that at least the chief officers of the college, the precentor and the treasurer, were resident in the immediate area of the church. Grandisson had enormous influence on the church in Crediton in another way. This was by introducing - or reviving - the cult of St Boniface (the cult of the saints was in full swing at this time) and firmly established Crediton as his birthplace.

In a will it was described that the Norman nave of the church as being "now nearly levelled to the ground." His bequest, and others of around the same time, brought enough money for a complete rebuilding of the nave and chancel areas, which started in the early years of the fifteenth century. Great church building depended on generous funding being available. The Perpendicular Gothic rebuilding of Crediton Collegiate Church created a church which though impressive in scale is architecturally fairly modest.

The collegiate churches were dissolved between 1545 and 1549 and Crediton's was "surrendered" to Henry VIII in May 1545. Shortly afterwards the parishioners of Crediton entered into successful negotiations with the crown for the purchase of the collegiate church which was then threatened with demolition. These were completed in the spring of 1547, when the town paid the sum of £200 to the king. In April 1547 Edward VI signed a charter created a new organisation for the governance of the church. This was a corporation of 12 governors to administer the Parish Church and its endowments. A vicar of Crediton was appointed and together with two chaplains, one of which ministered to Sandford (the adjoining parish).

The twelve governors of Crediton Parish Church still own and administer the church buildings. Only two other parish churches in England, Ottery St Mary in Devon and Wimborne in Dorset have a similar form of governance.

[edit] Services

Sunday

• 8 am: Holy Communion (BCP) at the High Altar
• 9.30 am: Parish Eucharist in the Nave (1st Sunday: Family Communion in the Boniface Centre)
• 6 pm:
  • Choral Evensong with Sermon in the Nave (1^st Sunday)
  • Evensong in the Lady Chapel (2^nd Sunday)
  • Talkback in the Boniface Centre (3^rd Sunday)
  • Evensong at St Lawrence's Chapel (4^th Sunday)
  • Taize Vespers at St Lawrence's Chapel (5^th Sunday)

Tuesday

• 8.15 am: Holy Communion
• 4.45 pm: Evening Prayer

Wednesday

• 8.15 am: Morning Prayer
• 12 noon: Holy Communion at St Lawrence's Chapel
• 4.45 pm: Evening Prayer

Thursday

• 8.15 am: Holy Communion
• 4.45 pm: Evening Prayer

Friday

• 8.15 am: Morning Prayer
• 10 am: Holy Communion (BCP)
• 4.45 pm: Evening Prayer

[edit] Exeternal Links

Crediton Parish Church
Choir of Holy Cross
The Search for Saxon Crediton
Crediton Festival 2009