A TIME-WORN gravestone dating from the 1600s has been discovered after being unearthed by a working party carrying out maintenance at a West Devon church.

The historic stone, marking the burial place of Robert Atwell in 1636, was found half-buried and propped up against the wall of the churchyard at St Marys in Walkhampton.

The Atwell family lived in Welltown, a hamlet whose name is believed to have derived from the Atwell family name.

Research has established that in 1848, the stone was to be found in the chancel of the church, but it appears to have been removed from the church in 1860, when the church was renovated.

It is believed that four other gravestones belonging to members of the Atwell family may have been lost nearby, but these have not yet been found.

They include the stones marking the graves of Richard Atwell, his wife Grace and two sons, Francis and Matthew.

Robert Atwells gravestone has been temporarily moved back inside the church to preserve it.

Rector of West Dartmoor Benefice, the Rev Nick Shutt, said: It seems strange to us today as we are so constrained by the heritage lobby such as English Heritage, that someone in Victorian times could simply decide to remove such a historic stone from the church, and leave it in the churchyard to decay.

We hope to apply to have the stone reintroduced into St Marys, as it is part of the history of this part of Dartmoor.

St Marys Church is open to visitors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 2pm and 4pm during August, where the gravestone and other items of historical interest can be viewed in the church.