Bampton Devon
Church of St Michael and All Angels, Bampton Devon consisting of a west tower, nave, chancel, 5-bay north aisle, north-east vestry &amp; south porch, stands surrounded by 500 year old yew trees in a unique circular  churchyard , which could indicate a pre-Christian site. 
The town is situated on a ford in the river that is crossed by north-south and east-west routes and the packhorse way to Exeter.   There is evidence of Roman and Saxon remains and it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book.   
Of the first wooden Norman Castle built in 1067,   the motte is still evident.  It is probably on the site of an earlier Saxon mound, burned down along with the town in 1136 during a siege by King Stephen   A stone castle replaced it c 1250, but by 1550 it had been abandoned &amp; according to local legend, it fell down in 1607 
A Norman stone church built at the same time probably replaced a wooden Saxon one. 
The earliest part of the present church is the 13c tower with a north-east projecting stair turret &amp; 14c west window, which has a clock with musical chimes <a href="https://flic.kr/p/oFJjhq" rel="noreferrer nofollow">flic.kr/p/oFJjhq</a> and 6 bells: 
The roof was raised and the church rebuilt in the 14c with the north aisle added c1450, new chancel arch, rood screen, 2-centred tower arch, with 15c wagon roofs to nave and aisle with moulded ribs and carved bosses with Bourchier emblems &amp; a greenman <a href="https://flic.kr/p/9yfYRj" rel="noreferrer nofollow">flic.kr/p/9yfYRj</a> .  This was paid for by the Bourchier lords of the manor who had 3 generations buried under table tombs in the chancel starting with William Bourchier 1470 &amp; wife Thomasine Hankford 1453; son Fulk Bourchier, 2nd Baron Fitzwarin 1479, and grandson John Bourchier 1st Earl of Bath 1539.   
(The Swan Inn  nearby was also built at this time to give refreshment and accommodation to the masons working on the church <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/7NrdjLq46r">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/7NrdjLq46r</a> )
Sadly all that is left of their tombs are the sides &amp; ends stuck onto the chancel walls <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/c8Veg88YT1">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/c8Veg88YT1</a>
Some ancient stained glass placed by John 2nd Earl of Bath in 1540 survives as a memorial to the fallen of the Great War. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/jfM87M5458">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/jfM87M5458</a>

On the side of the church is a sundial dated 1558 – one of the oldest in the country.  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/8j8213p03x">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/8j8213p03x</a>

By 1870 the building was in a dilapidated condition, and a series of restorations 1872-98 took place with new windows and Perkins HPHW heating system heating pipes  -  The 1913 organ now hides the burial crypt 

The chancel had a 18c pedimented timber reredos in the Roman style which originally incorporated an oil painting, now in the tower. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/655jqQN261">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/655jqQN261</a>

The 15c octagonal font survives, but possibly has been partly  recut. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/ur3q8nX497">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/ur3q8nX497</a>

There is a wall tablet in the chancel to John Tristram 1732 with a cartouche surround.  <a href="https://flic.kr/p/9yd2nx" rel="noreferrer nofollow">flic.kr/p/9yd2nx</a>

A memorial plaque fixed to the external wall of the tower in memory of the clerk's son has the unusual inscription : 
&quot;Bless my eyes...., Here he lies
In a sad pickle, killed by Icicle, In the year 1776&quot;.  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/71kwdE9g78">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/71kwdE9g78</a>

Originally a wool town, Bampton became an important leather-work area, having 4 master cordwainers at one time.   The tanneries, of course, made Bampton a very smelly place!   But this all came to an abrupt end in 1884 when the railway arrived and cattle could be distributed to other areas of the country.
Quarrying now became the major industry , the stone used mainly for building roads and railways, until 1963 when the railway closed. 
Now in its 760th year, Bampton has the oldest running fair in the country starting when the town was granted a charter by Henry lll in 1258.  Known then as St Luke’s Fair for selling wool &amp; sheep,  it  has always been held on the last Thursday in October..

Picture with thanks - copyright Victoria Binning <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bampton+st+michael+church+font+devon&amp;source=hp&amp;ei=jQqBY8LPE5WP8gKu8q6ABA&amp;iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY4EYnSsdgBKduHdr6mBC0511f5cGGyb6&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiCyoua_Mn7AhWVh1wKHS65C0AQ4dUDCA8&amp;oq=bampton+st+michael+church+font+devon&amp;gs_lcp=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-C1jTZGCFd2gHcAB4AIABhwGIAfcekgEFMjcuMTWYAQCgAQGwAQo&amp;sclient=gws-wiz#lpg=cid:CgIgAQ==,ik:CAoSLEFGMVFpcFBhMlI4bHZsc0JzSW9tUENheTduRDNtTGxZRVU2RHhhMWFvTHJE" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.google.co.uk/search?q=bampton+st+michael+church+font+...</a>
bampton church devon