Shute Church, 28 October 1901, Shute

Pencil and wash drawing of Shute Church,  28 October 1901, Shute

Shute Church

The parish church of Shute is dedicated to St Michael and dates from the 13th century. It was enlarged in 1811. St Michael's Church is associated with the Pole family of Shute House and contains many monuments to that family including a marble statue of Sir William Pole, 4th Baronet (1678-1741). Master of the Household to Queen Anne. A later 19th century member of the family, Margaret Pole, is commemorated by an alabaster sculptured panel depicting her greeting her daughters at the gates of heaven. The graves of members of the Pole family can be found in the churchyard. This anonymous pencil and wash sketch of the exterior St Michael's Church was drawn on the 28th of October 1901.

The Pole's arrived in Shute in 1560, when William Pole (1515-1587) purchased Shute House from Sir William Petre and remained in the parish until the 21st century. A history of the Pole family and Shute can be found in M. F. Bridie's book, 'Shute: the Bonvilles and the Poles', which was published by Shute School in 1955. Copies of this book are held here at the Devon and Exeter Institution. A reprint of this book was published by Creeds Design and Print of Broadoak in 1995.

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Prints and Drawings

Sketches of Devon churches