The original parish church of the port of Dartmouth in Devon was St Clements situated on the hill above the Estuary. When King Edward I visited the town in 1286 to review the fleet, he granted permission for the residents of the port area and the lower town to build their own church. However, the Bishop of Exeter and the Abbot of Torre, who between them controlled appointments to St Clement’s objected that they had not been consulted in the decision and the church was not consecrated until 1372. It was originally dedicated to ‘The Holy Trinity’ but for reasons not known by 1430 had become known as St Saviour’s.
One interesting person buried in the Church is John Hawley (1340 or 1350 -1408). Hawley was 14 times mayor of Dartmouth and 4 times a member of parliament. He was also a wealthy ship owner and privateer (state-licensed pirate) operating in the English Channel. He also was briefly the Deputy Admiral of the English Fleet.
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