England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Exeter St Martin

The Parish

The parish of St Martin within the ancient city of Exeter lies to the north of the city centre, immediately northwest of the cathedral precinct. Exeter is the traditional capital of its county, a position disputed by Plymouth, and is located about 170 miles southwest of London sitting on the A30 road to the southwest. A regional hub with excellent communications Exeter is a thriving market centre, industrial hub, port and university city, travel to London by rail being only 2 hours it is also becoming a commuting centre for the capital. Modern developments abound with the aforementioned rail line as well as the southern terminus of the M5 motorway. Exeter has a long and distinguished history, reputed to be a city prior to the Roman conquest it was their primary centre for control of the southwest, it also featured prominently during repeated military campaigns from the Celts through to the English Civil War. Exeter sits on the eastern banks of the Exe which drains the city to the nearby English Channel. St Martin's parish is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in the higher portion of the city centre. St Martin was a small parish covering a short stretch of Exeter High Street and the properties fronting the cathedral precinct, despite this small size it would have held around 250 parishioners.

The Church

St Martin's church sits on the edge of the Cathedral's precinct where a narrow lane leads trhough to Exeter's High Street, the church is crammed in by commercial premises in a largely pedestrianised area of the city. There has been a church on this site since pre-Norman times, documentary evidence dates its consecration to the 1065, just a few months before the Norman landings at Hastings. Of that building little remains, Pevsner does note that the northeastern corner of the nave has Saxon work which complements that documentary date. It was the cramped and crowded site that perhaps prompted the builders to place the church's tower to the north of the main body rather than to the west. The church was rebuilt during that great church-building era when Perpendicular styles were fashionable, Pevsner neglects to give a date for that work but the style covered the 14th and 15th centuries. Given the church's location visitors should be necessity approach on foot after using one of the city's car parks, the site is compromised by neighbouring commercial premises making for a challenging building to adequately capture.