If you visit the church of St Michael the Archangel in Chagford you will find a verse carved into the stone floor commemorating Mary Whiddon.
It is believed this inspired R.D. Blackmore to write Lorna Doone.
The verse reads:
“Reader wouldst know who here is laid,
Behold a matron yet maid,
A modest look, a pious heart,
A Mary for the better part,
But dry thine eyes, why wilt thou weep -
Such damsels do not die but sleep.”
Behold a matron yet maid,
A modest look, a pious heart,
A Mary for the better part,
But dry thine eyes, why wilt thou weep -
Such damsels do not die but sleep.”
It is said that in 1641, as she left the church after her wedding, she was shot by a jealous former lover.
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