Dartmouth Austin Friars

Dartmouth Friary was a short-lived Augustinian friary located in the town of Dartmouth, Devon, England. Established in 1331, its operational history as a friary concluded by 1347 due to significant legal and ecclesiastical challenges.

Background and Founding

The establishment of Dartmouth Friary was intertwined with local disputes regarding church services and parish boundaries. The town's primary church was located at Townstal, a steep climb from the waterside area where many residents lived. Following an interdict on the Townstal church and a failed attempt to build a new parish church by the waterside, permission was granted in 1331 for aged and infirm parishioners to celebrate mass at the chapel of St. Clare.

Dissatisfied with the ongoing situation, William Bacon, a prominent local burgess, negotiated to provide an acre of land in Clifton, near the river, to two Augustinian Hermits for the construction of an "oratory and dwelling houses." This initiative led to prompt construction, but also drew the attention and disfavor of the Bishop of Exeter, who excommunicated Bacon and initially took action against the friars.

Legal and Ecclesiastical Challenges

The friary faced considerable opposition, primarily stemming from its location on land that the canons of Torre Abbey claimed as their own. In 1340, Elena Cove successfully sued to reclaim a house and half an acre of land at Clifton, which reduced the friary's landholding. Further complications arose when Bishop Grandisson and the Arches court of Canterbury ordered the demolition of the friary's chapel, asserting it was built on land belonging to the Abbot and Convent of Torre.

An appeal to the Pope in Avignon was ultimately unsuccessful, as the papal court upheld the principle that no new religious structures could be built on land held in advowson by Torre Abbey. In a final, unsuccessful effort to salvage the friary's status, Bishop Hugo of Damascus, a suffragan bishop, consecrated the church and grounds in March 1344, claiming papal authority. However, shortly after the appeal's result reached Devon, the Augustinian Friars were compelled to depart, marking the end of Dartmouth Friary's function.

Later History of the Site

The issues concerning the chapel were not fully resolved until 1372 when a charter was granted assenting to its consecration, provided it was maintained by the parishioners and not neglected in favor of the mother church at Townstal. Initially dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the chapel later became known as St. Saviour's, a dedication that has persisted to the present church on the site. St Saviour's Church is a Grade I listed building, and it is possible that elements from the original 14th-century friary structure, such as pairs of columns with pointed arches, remain within its nave.