Church of Saint Pancras, Widecombe-in-the-Moor

The church was originally built in the fourteenth century, in the Perpendicular (late Gothic) style, using locally quarried granite.

The church was badly damaged in the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, apparently struck by ball lightning.

[2] The size of the parish meant that, for centuries, families were obliged to walk for miles to go to church at Widecombe every Sunday.

The task was even more challenging when it came to burying their dead, whose coffins had to be carried over rough ground and both up and down exceptionally steep hills.

Halfway up Dartmeet Hill, for example, lies the Coffin Stone, close to the road, where the body would be placed to allow the bearers to take a rest.