England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Farringdon St Petrock

The Parish

The parish of Farringdon lies in eastern Devon roughly 6 miles east of the city of Exeter. Farringdon sits about a half mile north of the A3052 road which links Exeter through to Lyme Regis in Dorset. Farringdon is an estate village dominated by the parkland surrounding the 18th century house of Farringdon House, most of the northeastern section of the parish lies beneath this parkland. The main village sits around a T-junction of narrow lane west of the small stream that drains the parish. To the south on the A3052 there is also a small presence with the inn at Nine Oaks. Like most estate parishes the needs of the estate dominated the local economy and here it was pastoral farming which dominates the land-use, the village was also noted for its fine lace making. Farringdon is drained northwestwards by its small brook which eventually meets the River Clyst wherein water turns southwestwards to reach the Exe Estuary and thence to the English Channel. Farringdon is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, it sits in a gentler area of the county with land rarely exceeding the 130 metre contour, a spot height some of neighbouring Aylesbeare at 134 metres being the highest point for some distance in gently rolling terrain. Parishes in Devon are often more extensive than in eastern England, this was not the case for Farringdon which covered a little under 2,000 acres and would have supported a population of close to 400 parishioners. In Domesday time Farringdon was shared between the large West Country landholder Count Robert of Mortain and a bowman, Fulcher, assets of just 4 ploughs backed by meadows, pastures and woodland indicate a small rural farming manor.

The Church

St Petrock's church (full dedication is to St Petrock & St Barnabas) sits at the heart of the village set back behind fronting properties and accessed from Upham Lane by a short dead-end lane. Sadly there is little of the medieval left in this church following an extensive Victorian rebuild in 1871. Whilst the basal stage of the tower remains and some masonry from the medieval period was reused most of the church we see today comes from that rebuild. The work made excellent use of the local red sandstone giving the church an attractive glow in evening sunshine. The details of the build are based upon the 13th century Early English Gothic period which became re-fashionable in the late Victorian period. From suitable parking in the village it is only a short stroll to the elegant lychgate which grants entry to the churchyard, views of the church from the north are removed by close-set trees and those not from directly south are also somewhat restricted but enough angles remain for the photographer.