File:St Michael's Church, Chagford (6193).jpg

English: St Michael's Church, Chagford. Mural monument to John Prouse (d.1664) of Chagford (Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.250). He died without progeny. He was the 2nd son of Humphry Prouse (d.1648) of Chagford by his 1st wife Catherine Arscott, daughter of Tristram Arscott of Annery in the parish of Monkleigh, Devon. (Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.626). The arms of Arscott appear on the monument.

Latin inscription translated as:

"In memory of that most illustrious man John Prouz Esquire, descended from the very ancient Family of Prouz. Trusting in the Lord, he was loyal to the King, a dear husband and a faithful friend. With him the race of Prouz (in the male line) became extinct (In illo ultima Prouzou proles (de stirpe virili) arvit extincto^[1][2]), heiresses were born in the name. His ethereal spirit has been uplifted to the regions whither first ascended Christ, to the Star of Day. Judith his mourning widow, daughter of George Southcott, Knight, erects this tablet. He died the 19th Day of May 1664".

Heraldry: (Sources: Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, Vol.IX, 1916-17, pp.81-97 "Prowse Shield of Arms in Chagford Church"[1]; Brown, Mike, "Heraldic Notes St Michael's Church", Dartmoor Press[2])

John Prouse was the son and heir of Humphry Prouse (d.1648) of Chagford, by his first wife Catherine Arscott, a daughter of Tristram Arscott of Annery in the parish of Monkleigh. (Vivian, pp.626,20) Humphry Prouse married secondly to Eleanor Bellew, a daughter of Richard Bellew of Ash Rogus in the parish of Braunton, (Vivian, pp.626,69, 230) and widow of Richard Coplestone of Woodland (Vivian, p.230) in the parish of Little Torrington. Humphry Prouse married thirdly to Honor Lippincott, daughter of John Lippincott (d.1597) of Wibbery (Vivian, p.531) in the parish of Alverdiscott and widow of Richard Coplestone of Northleigh.(Vivian, p.531)

At the top is a shield quarterly of 12 which shows the arms of all the heraldic heiresses married by the Prouse family, mostly as set out in Vivian, 1895, p.626, pedigree of Prouse of Chagford. The arms are as follows:

• 1: Sable, three lions rampant argent (PROUZ)
• 2: Or, a lion rampant azure (de REDVERS). Peter Prouz of "Eastervale" (the first of the Prouse family listed in the Heraldic Visitations of Devon pedigree) married Mary de Redvers, daughter and heiress of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon (d.1217) of Tiverton Castle, and widow of Sir Robert de Courtenay (d.1242) feudal baron of Okehampton,(Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.626, pedigree of Prouse) ancestor of Hugh de Courtenay, 1st/9th Earl of Devon (d.1340). Pole was not convinced by this supposed marriage in the Prouse pedigree (created by Brooke, York Herald), and stated: "I can hardly admytt without better proofe than theire allegacion". (Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.245, re Gidleigh Castle).
• 3: Gules, a fess lozengy ermine (DINHAM)
• 4: Sable bezantee (de GIDLEGH)
• 5: Argent, on a bend sable three horseshoes or (de FERRERS of Bere Ferrers, Devon) (As shown in several 16th century stained glass roundels in Churston Ferrers Church, Devon, shown here incorrectly as as Or, on a bend sable three horseshoes argent)
• 6: Sable, a maunch argent a bordure of the second (de PONT)
• 7: Sable, a bend gules on a chief vert a cinquefoil argent (WADECOTT)
• 8: Azure, a bend per party indented gules and argent between six escallops or (CRUWYS)
• 9: Argent, a fess indented gules in chief two [ducks?] sable (NORTON)
• 10: Azure, a chevron argent between three pears or (ORCHARD)
• 11: Argent, in pale an ass gules between two mullets of the second a bordure sable platey (COLE)
• 12: Party per chevron gules and sable, in the chief two ducks [?] addorsed argent in the base a fish naiant of the third (COBB)

The lower shield shows the arms of Humphry Prouse (John Prouse's father) of 12 quarters as on top, with a double impalement: firstly in chief Arscott with 4 quarters, for Catherine Arscott, a daughter of Tristram Arscott of Annery in the parish of Monkleigh (Vivian, pp.626,20), Humphry's first wife; Secondly in base Lippincott with a further 6 quarters, for Humphry's third wife Honor Lippincott, a daughter of John Lippincott (d.1597) of Wibbery (Vivian, p.531). The arms of the sinister (femme) half of the lower shield are:

• 1: Per chevron azure and ermine in the chief two stag faces caboshed or (ARSCOTT)
• 2: Argent, a cross paty gules between four crescents of the second (TILLEY, heiress of Arscott)
• 3: Argent, a chevron sable between three roses of the second barbed and seeded of the first (RENSTON, heiress of Arscott)
• 4: ARSCOTT, as 1
• 5/1: Per fess embattled gules and sable, three cats passant argent (LIPPINCOTT, heiress of Prouse)
• 6/2: Sable, a chevron argent between three mermaids of the second with hair and mirror or (GOUGH "of Cornwall", see Carew's Scroll of Arms, no.62) or (WIBBERY of Wibbery (mod: Webbery) in the parish of Alverdiscott, heiress of Lippincott)
• 7/3: Argent, a chevron gules between three goats heads couped of the second armed or (LAPLODE of Sydbury, heiress of Lippincott)
• 8/4: Argent, a cross lozengy sable between four eaglets [?] of the second (GOGHE/GOUGH of Kilkham in Cornwall, heiress of Lippincott)
• 9/5: Gules, three stirrups or on straps sable (SCUDAMORE)
• 10/6: LIPPINCOTT, as 5.