The church stands on the hill from which one can look east over the town towards the Teign valley. The “old” churchyard surrounds the church itself while the “new” churchyard extends east down the hill.
There are graves of many notable people, including the artist William Snell Morrish, the prominent Victorian landscape painter who died in October 1867; James Perrott, the famous Dartmoor guide who created the first “Dartmoor letterbox” at Cranmere Pool, a recreational pastime that continues today; and the Berry family, who built the former woollen factories of Chagford in the 19th century.
Over the years, the church has created a list of all graves located in the churchyard with an alphabetical list by surname so that visitors can find the location of family graves fairly easily. The books are located on a table near to the servery at the southwest end of the church.
On the bank to the north side of the church is the “Roman Altar”, so called because of its great antiquity. It is thought to have been one of the earliest altars in this church. Mr Caroe MA FSA said in his report of 1912: “In fact it must be late Saxon or very early Norman work and without doubt it is the stone altar of Chagford Church. We do not know of a more perfect specimen of an ancient altar in Devonshire. It is, therefore, the most valuable and ancient [Christian] treasure belonging to Chagford.” Other authorities differ from Caroe’s opinion, preferring to think that it was a tomb.
Below the Church, in the new churchyard, stands the War Memorial. The base and top sections are made of two crosses which formerly stood in the Square. The new churchyard has breathtaking views towards Castle Drogo (the last castle to be built in England) and the Teign Valley. To help you to have “time to stand and stare“, or maybe sit, there are numerous welcoming benches with surely one of the finest churchyard views in Britain.
