Lightning flashed from the heavens on a day now known as The Great Thunderstorm of 1638 and toppled the spire of St Pancras church in Widecombe on the Moor killing 4 people and injuring another 60!

The story of the lightning strike is told in verse hanging on the wall of the church – very old verse that reminded me of how Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were written back in the 14th Century.

There is a wonderful account of the disaster as told by eye witnesses who claimed it was the work of Satan….

… and if you follow the link above you’ll find a transcription of the rhyme on the tablets.

The four unlucky parishioners who were struck dead by the toppling tower are buried beneath etched stone slabs on the church floor.

Meanwhile, the church graveyard holds the remains of generations of local families and frames the pathway to the church door.

Was it holy retribution that struck St Pancras parishioners that fateful day – or the Devil’s work, as some of the locals believe? We’ll never know!