St. Breward is situate in the hundred of Trigg, and hath upon the
north Advent, south Blisland, east Altar Nun, west St. Tudy. There was
not such parish or church extant in Cornwall at the time of the Norman
Conquest as Brewer; probably it was taxed under Tudy. In the
inquisition of the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, in order to
the Pope’s annats, 1294, Ecclesia de Bruerd, in Decanatu de
Trig-minor-shire, was valued at 7_l._ vicar ejusdem 20_s._ In Wolsey’s
inquisition, 1521, and Valor Beneficiorum, 8_l._; the patronage in the
Dean and Chapter of Exeter; the incumbent Downes, the rectory or
sheaf, in ――――, and the parish rated to the 4_s._ per pound
land-tax, 1696, by the name of Brewer, 111_l._ 12_s._ The present name
of this church is celebrated in memory of its founder, William Brewer,
(son of William Lord Brewer, Baron of Odcombe in Somerset,) who was
consecrated Bishop of Exeter, 1224, and was afterwards, by King Henry
III., sent on divers embassies to foreign princes, and to conduct
Isabel, sister of the said King Henry, to be married to Frederick the
Emperor, whom he and Peter de Rupibus, Knight, afterwards accompanied
into Palestine, and were made generals of 40,000 men against the
Turks. And after all those fatigues, as Bishop Godwin saith, he
returned home safely to his see of Exeter, and spent the remainder of
his days in building and endowing churches, adorning and enriching his
own cathedral church, and instituting within the same a dean and
twenty-four prebendaries, allowing the latter a stipend of 4_l._ per
annum, since augmented to 20_l._ (which is no more than 4_l._ in those
days was worth). He also set up a chantor, chancellor, and treasurer
within the same. To the chantor and subdean thereof he appropriated
the rectory of Rainton and Chudleigh in Devon, and the rectory then,
now a vicarage, of Egloshayle, in Cornwall. To the chancellor he
appropriated (or impropriated) the vicarage of Newlan in Cornwall, and
Stoke Gabriel in Devon, on condition that he should preach a sermon
once a week. To the canons a lecture in Divinity, or on the Decretals,
within the cathedral of Exeter, and in case the chancellor should fail
in this particular, it should be lawful for the bishop thereof for the
time being to resume the said churches so appropriated, into his own
hand, and bestow them at his pleasure; as appears from a deed between
the said bishop, dean, and chapter, 12th May, 1662, as Hooker saith.
But this covenant is exactly kept ever since by the chancellor or his
clerk, who once a week, at six o’clock morning prayers, preach a
sermon to the canons.
This Bishop Brewer appropriated this church bearing his name to the
dean and chapter of this cathedral, which he had as aforesaid erected.
He lies buried in the middle of the choir thereof, with an inscription
still legible, which, amongst others, containeth these words: Hic
jacet Willielmus Brewer, quondam hujus Ecclesiæ Cathedralis Episcopus;
fundator etiam quatuor principalium ejusdem Ecclesiæ Dignitatum. By
the four principal dignities or dignitaries of the church, I suppose,
is meant the dean, chantor, chancellor, and treasurer thereof.
The deanery of Exon was founded by William Briwere, Bishop of Exon
1225.[20]