The Devil Went Down To Brentor

Today is the 29th of September, Michaelmas Day. Although rarely celebrated now, this was an important date in olden times. Indeed, the feast of St Michael, Archangel, was a quarter day, one of the major points on the calendar. It was especially important in the farming world, as it denoted the end of summer and beginning of autumn.

The Michaelmas Daisy (Astor)

Nowadays, the term Michaelmas is most often heard in relation to the terms of grand old universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge. Otherwise, it might be heard to describe a beautiful plant known as an Astor, which for of its late flowering habits, is commonly referred to as the Michaelmas Daisy.

St Michael was a highly regarded figure in mediaeval society, feted for his role in sending Lucifer tumbling from the heavens. So much is clear from the number of old stone churches named after him.

In Brentor, on the very edge of the high, mysterious plateau of Dartmoor, stands one such church. St Michael de la Rupe.

It boasts a most unusual location, perched atop a tor overlooking the borders of Devon and Cornwall. Tiny and exposed, devout pilgrim and secular tourist alike must climb a steep path to reach its doors.

But why should a church have been placed on such an unlikely spot to begin with?

The explanation is colourful. Local squire Robert Giffard founded St Michael de la Rupe (of the Rock) in 1130, following a scary experience at sea. Caught in a storm off Plymouth Sound, he prayed to Almighty God for deliverance, pledging to build a church on the very first piece of land he spied, should he be kept safe from the tempest. The storm died down and, approaching Devon's shores, Robert caught sight of Brentor rising above the morning mist. Being true to his word, he fulfilled his promise. St Michael de la Rupe is now the smallest, and probably highest, parish church in England.

The Smallest Parish Church in England

Another explanation is that the devil put it there! Well, of course he did. When he wasn't off hunting for souls with his whist hounds, or stopping off at the Tavistock Inn for a quick beer, he was busy making life as difficult as possible for the good folk of Brentor. It didn't matter how many times they tried to build a church in their village, Old Nick would thwart their plans by throwing it to the top of a nearby hill. Anything to prevent them going to Mass on a Sunday.

St Michael de la Rupe is on a leyline, which runs from St Michael's Mount in Cornwall all the way to the East coast of England at Hopton-On-Sea. Along this route, the line cuts through the famous Glastonbury Tor, upon whose crest lies the ruined church of St Michael. Elsewhere in Somerset, it cuts through Burrow Mump, where a ruined church dedicated to St Michael can be found upon a hill. I imagine even the most sceptical amongst you is sensing a theme here!

And well you might, for this esoteric path is aligned in such a way that it follows the exact line of the sun as she rises on the 8th of May. A day celebrated in the past as the Feast of the Apparition of St Michael.