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

The Parish

The parish of St Stephen within the ancient city of Exeter lies to the north of the city centre, immediately north 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 Stephen's parish is sited at around 40 metres above the sea in the higher portion of the city centre. St Stephen was a small parish covering a short stretch of Exeter High Street and neighbouring blocks, despite this small size it would have held around 400 parishioners.

The Church

St Stephen's church sits amongst commercial premises on the High Street, shops and offices crowd the site and it is best approached on foot. The church suffered a significant catastrophy in 1664 when fire destroyed much of the original building. Few signs of that building remain but suffiecient for Pevsner to identify 13th century origins. The rebuilding following the fire does, however, form most of today's fabric. The church has received a number of restorations, work in 1826 revealed a crypt which is nowadays resealed and in 1972 the eastern chapel was divided from the main body. Internally the church is decorated in a neo-Gothic style resulting from the work of 1826. The church has no churchyard being flush to the pavements of the area's pedestrianised streets, it archway under the eastern chapel forming a route through between streets. Crammed cheek-by-jowl with shops either side the church can only be viewed from eastern or western faces.