England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holbeton All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Holbeton lies in the extreme south of Devon forming a lengthy stretch of the county's coastline with the English Channel. Holbeton is located roughly 9 miles southeast of the port town of Plymouth and stands just over a mile south of the A379 road which links Plymouth with Kingsbridge. Holbeton is a crossroads village tucked away into a side valley from that formed by the ria of the River Erme, a crossroads of lanes forms the heart of the village with most properties lying to the east and south of that junction. Whilst Holbeton village sits almost 2 miles from the coastline there is a small settlement actually on that coast within the parish, Mothecombe at the mouth of the Erme's ria is a typical straggle of coastal properties, the wider parish is dotted with isolated farmsteads and cottages. Like most of Devon Holbeton is a pastoral farming parish with traditional cattle the main livestock, Mothecombe would probably have supported a handful of pilchard boats to supplement the farming incomes. Today tourism is a significant part of the local economy with holiday homes a trend in the area.  The rugged coastline is traversed by the South West National Trail which had interesting logistics along this stretch with several ferries to coordinate, in addition Mothecombe's crossing of the mouth of the Erme can only be made by wading at lowest tide otherwise a lengthy diversion is required. A small stream tumbles down into the Erne draining the village. Holbeton covers a wide range of heights from sea level up to 118 metres just south of nearby Busland Wood the highest local ground in a strongly dissected landscape. Holbeton parish was extensive, covering 4,000 acres it would have supported a population of close to 1.100 parishioners. Holbeton is not specifically mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

All Saints' church stands on steeply rising ground on the southern side of Church Hill as it leaves the village westwards. The original church here may well have dated back to the 12th century but is only evidenced by the font, a relic of those early times. That early church was replaced in the late 13th century and early 14th century by a much larger church which came with its impressive western tower and spire, standing at 113 feet in height it is a landmark for the area and an impressive piece of building given the sloping site. The main body of the church was greatly extended in the early 16th century in the Perpendicular style, arcades, aisles and transepts were added creating a much larger footprint. Internally the church's stand-out feature was also crested, a sumptuous screen of c1535 which incorporated Renaissance elements into its design. The church received a lengthy phase of restoration between 1885 & 1889 funded by the local Mildmay family, most window tracery and the roofing was replaced and the interior decoration was sensitively restored including the screen. The village is typically Devonian in having narrow lanes with unforgiving banks but enough space sits to the west of the site for some on-street parking. The churchyard stands high above head height and is reached by a sloping pathway rising from a little rounded green. The churchyard is extensive allowing satisfactory views from all of the angles favoured by the photographer despite the steep ground.