There once was a poodle. Its name was Azor and it was said to
have been presented by Frederick, King of Prussia to Sir Thomas
Swymmer Champneys in 1790. After the dog died in 1796, a statue
and plaque was raised above its grave at Wood Lodge,
Orchardleigh.Thomas died in 1839 and his home - Orchardleigh
House passed out of the family. Almost forty years later, the
Champney chapel in the St Mary's church was being restored when
the remains of his dog were found buried inside the church. A
check of the poodle's grave at Wood Lodge found it empty. In the
late 1890s, the English poet Sir Henry Newbolt who was courting
the daughter of the landowner, heard of the story and wrote
Fiedele's Grassy Tomb. In it, he recounted how the dog had been
buried at its master's feet. The local Bishop was incensed and
demanded that the dog must be removed. According to author Jan
Toms: " The sexton was of the opinion that the dog had behaved
in a more than Christian fashion by saving his master from
drowning and a deception was ca