The earliest Devon screens date from the 1380’s. They are a miracle of preservation and have remained for over 600 years.

Devotional objects in their own right, the screens formed the principal vista for worshippers in the nave and were the result of great expense. They had a didactic function emphasising the intercessory powers of the Saints, and were a framework for the rood ( or cross ) which portrayed Christ's death & its purpose in salvation.

In 1215 a papal decree ordered that the eucharist be kept under lock and key. Therefore the chancel became a holy place, a place of sanctity, requiring seclusion from the public by a screen, in particular if it was a closed order of a religious community.

But parishioners needed to see the moment of consecration and the elevation of the host, so screens had windows, giving a partial view of worship in the chancel. They were also the main object in front of the congregation, so reflected their preferences in the screen's decoration and iconography. The financing was done by voluntary fund raising from the parish community, and private sponsors.

Thus the rood was a focus for worship, but the screen helped to emphasise that where worship happened was particularly holy. It acted as a symbolic veil, but also provided a bridge between clergy and populace. It was often seen as a source and display of local pride, and a high profile way of keeping up with neighbouring parishes.

The painted figures of the Saints were expressions of faith. Their purpose was to point to the beyond in our midst - the spiritual beings ie Saints, looking as real as material ones, and often in contemporary dress. They would have been instantly recognisable, with their distinctive emblems, or attributes ( eg Apollonia with her robust pincers for toothache ). Painted with varying degrees of skill, the faces were sometimes those of local people who were sponsors.

From 1530-60 there were changes due to the Reformation. There developed hostility to 'graven images', a dislike of the separation of clergy and laity, and a loss of mystery, which was seen as superstition. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 made the King head of the church in England & in 1550 screens became controversial as reformers focused attention on church furnishings & images. The destruction of imagery was seen as important and was the subject of legislation.

The ideas of the Protestant reformers diminished the importance of the intercession of the Saints - a crucial element in medieval doctrines of Purgatory & the sale of indulgences. The emphasis on artwork to magnify the authority of the church was seen as a destructive force ; the worship of images was viewed as idolatry. This change of focus became a battle for the minds of the people as well as for the possession of the interior of the church - aesthetics at war with theology. The unremitting hostility no longer saw art and statuary as a rich embellishment to liturgical function. In 1561 it was decreed that the roodloft had to go, but the screen could stay. Sadly, in 1643 a parliamentary Ordinance for Demolishing Superstitious Images was passed, and many screens were defaced.

The changing interiors of the churches could be seen as a paradigm of the Reformation in England - destruction under Edward, replacement in Mary's reign, & Elizabethan finality. Out of 120 surviving rood screens in Devon today, only 41 still retain dado paintings ( see map ).

As structures the vast majority of screens were of wood. The cornice was formed of strips, called the running ornament, comprising skilled carvings of vines, leaves, birds & etc. Usually the Eastern facing side had very little enrichment, as one purpose of the screen was to indicate by colouring and gilding the wealth and status of the parish. There was considerable interaction between parishes concerning the construction and decoration of a screen, and between the carvers and painters who produced them. The choice of Saints reflects the anxieties and aspirations of the parish, possible rivalry with neighbouring churches, and the influence of both donors and clerics.

Between 1800 - 1884 at least 120 screens were removed in Devon. Georgian & Victorian taste was for open spaces, and expressed in the importance of preaching. From 1880 to the present day there was the growth and influence of the ideas of Conservation and Restoration. Today this has led to a renewed appreciation of the screens which remain, and which are widely accessible to all.