Documents

The rood screen of St Mary’s Church, Pilton, dates from the late 15th Century. It was painted and gilded in a rich array of colours, the dado panels being picked out in alternating red and green. Then in 1510, twelve apostles were added thanks to the bequest of Thomas Martyn, parson of All Saints, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton who then took up residence at Pilton until his death in 1510. In his will, written by the Prior of Pilton, John Bewmont, Thomas Martyn left a bequest of 26s.8p (£1.33p), a not inconsiderable sum in those days, ‘to the payntyng of twelve pictures in the Roode lofte in the churche of Pylton aforesaid’. This document tells the story of these paintings, thought to be of the Apostles, which were lost for centuries.