“Here we have a little parish of some thousand acres, with a population of little more than fifty persons, and a small church nestled among trees, that so closely embower it, that it is possible to pass by it unobserved.
Yet this was an ancient manor, and possibly, as will be shewen, an ancient religious site.
Bittadon lies between the parishes of East Down, West Down, and Risdon suggests that its name may have been derived from Petit Down. Turning to Domesday we find that Bedendona then belonged to the Bishop of Countances, who also held West Down, the two contiguous manors thus forming a fair property. Until the alterations of 1847 these three parishes were all included in the Deanery of Shirwell.
Attempts to give the derivation of place names are fraught with danger; but Bedendona, and Byttendene, seem to to be akin to “Betteys” a chapel, or Bede prayer. So that between East and West Down, was Bede Down, the “hill of prayer” where a sacred site, pagan or Christian, had long existed.
The present church erected in the 13th century, may have been built by the lords of the manor, enlarging or replacing some older chapel. These 13th lords called themselves after their land “de Byttedene,” and the benefice was in the nature of a family living. John de Byttedene presented in 1319, and later a Sir Robert Byttendene occurs as rector.
The church which is built of local stone has a low western tower covered with a dwarf conical roof. The base of this is possibly the oldest part of the church. At the head of the east window plain tracery of the 13th century, very good of this kind, has been retained. The south side shews three low gables, of aisle, transept, and porch. The windows have renewed tracery, replaced in 1887, the lights being square headed, with the exception of two cusped lancets west of the porch. A north window also preserves twin lancet lights.
Above the south porch is a sundial with the legends:- “Memo rest brevis avi” John Berry fecit 1764.
Within the tiny church comprises nave, chancel and south transept. The roof is low and the floor tiled, and all shews traces of renewal during the 19th century. Possibly the transept is a late erection, as Davidson, describing the church in 1832 writes of a “projection for a pew belonging to a respectable farm house near the church.” He also mentions a cross cut in stone above the porch, the date 1636 on the ceiling, and “a rude chancel screen”. By this last we must not infer a Rood screen as Mr Davidson always describes as a “chancel screen” the erection on the east wall, with commandments &c, we now call a “reredos”
He also mentions the font, still existing, and one of the oldest features of the church, “square with a central shaft and four attached shafts.” This frequent style of 13th century font has been tampered with since 1832. It still retains the square bowl, but the central column has been done away with, and the four shafts grouped together underneath, so much cut down that the projecting bowl almost hides them, and their unmistakable early English moulding dating from about 1170.”
The cache co-ords will take you to St Peters in Bittadon, a very small church containing only a few graves. You need information from six of these.
Edwin Henry Verney, born 23 March 19a0
Ann Brown, died May b9 1850
Reginald Thomas Cole born 1c July 1907
Dorothy Louse Houlford died aged 6d
James Harris December e4 1936
Winifred Mary Hosking Cole, born 19 March 19f2
The cache is at N51 09.abc W004 04.def
The cache is a 3 x 2 locktop box