Parish church of St Giles, St Giles in the Wood

Of this building, only the outer walls and the west tower, which contains six bells,[2][3] survived its restoration of 1862–3 by John Hayward, funded by Mark Rolle.

[7] The monument was directed to be erected by his executor and nephew Thomas Chafe (1611-1662), MP for Totnes in 1660, in the will of the deceased, dated 24 September 1648, for which the sum of £30 was allocated by him.

During the rebuilding of the church in 1862 by Mark Rolle, the monument was moved from its original position of great honour in the chancel within the altar rails,[8] and was replaced against the south wall of the tower.

[10] In 1987 it was restored, repainted and repositioned in the south aisle in the newly created chapel enclosure financed by a bequest from the parishioner Mary Withecombe.

The Latin text of the monument is as follows: "In piam Thomae Chafe generosi memoriam ex perantique Chaforum de Chafe-Combe familia in comitatu Somerset oriundi ex collegio Exon(iensis) in academia Oxon(iensis) artium magistri; viri probitate virtute ac ingenio insigis qui in apostolica fide constante versatus in beatae justorum resurrectionis spe animam expiravit XXVto die Novemb(ris) anno salutis 1648 aetatisq(ue) suae climacterico magno.

Uxorem relquit Margeriam filiam Philippi Burgoyn e clarissima Burgoynorum prosapia orti matronam religiosissimam bonorumq(ue) operum plenissimam quae et obdormivit in Domino die .. anno a Chr(ist)o nato 16.. aetatis vero suae .. Abstulit a nobis misere quem flem ademptum, Abstulit e vivis mortis iniqua manus, Nec cecidit solus namq(ue) et providentia virtus, Candor, amor, pietas, interiere simul, Teste vel invidia vita est lethoq(ue) beatus, Vivus erat Domini mortuus in Domino".

Which may be translated thus:"In pious memory of the noble Thomas Chafe arisen from the very ancient family of the Chafes from Chaffcombe in the county of Somerset, Master of Arts from Exeter College in the University of Oxford; a man remarkable in probity, virtue and character who having been devoted in constant apostolic faith breathed out his spirit on the 25th day of November in the year of grace 1648 and in his grand climacteric year, in hope of the blessed resurrection of the Just.

His wife Margery died in 1655 and was buried on 30 March 1655 as is recorded in the parish register, yet no one remembered to inscribe her date of death and age on her husband's monument in the blank spaces left for that purpose.

There are two further inscriptions on the same slab made later to commemorate two distant relations: A mural monument on the west wall of the north transept is inscribed with the following much faded text: M(emoriae) S(acrum)[a] of Mary the wife of William Risdon of this parish , gent., who departed this life ..d of September An(n)o Dom(ini) 16(90?)