England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holcombe Burnell St John

The Parish

The parish of Holcombe Burnell lies in south central Devon roughly 4 1/2 miles west of the city of Exeter. Holcombe Burnell sits about 1 mile south of the busy A30 expressway which carries traffic from Exeter & the M5 motorway into western Devon & Cornwall. Holcombe Burnell is a tiny place, today, not even meriting a place-name on modern Ordnance Survey Maps, a scatter of farms and cottages gather loosely around a valley formed by one of the many tributaries of the River Teign that cut into the hills which form the approaches to nearby Dartmoor. The most important farm is that formed by Holcombe Burnell Barton, an early 17th century manor house. The biggest concentration of properties lie at nearby Longdown on the B5212. The height & resulting climate of this area limited arable production and it is cattle, mainly for the dairy industries, that would have dominated the local farming economy. The Teign's small tributary drains the parish southwest and then south to meet the Teign to the north of Doddiscombsleigh, from here the Teign, itself, heads further south to Newton Abbot before turning sharply east to reach the English Channel through Teignmouth. Holcombe Burnell's church sits at around 170 metres above the sea , the strongly rolling countryside rising locally to nearby Cotley Castle, complete with hill-fort, at 209 metres. Holcombe Burnell parish was fairly typically sized for its area, covering a little over 1,400 acres it would have supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. In Domesday times Holcombe Burnell was held directly by King William, a small settlement, as today, offering just 7 ploughs and a moderately sized stretch of woodland.

The Church

St John's church sits on the narrow lane that turns northwards off the B3212 at Longdown to eventually run parallel to the A30 expressway, the church sits on its northern side. Whilst the church has its origins in the 12th century much has changed in particular as a result of a substantial rebuild in 1843. The earliest remaining part is a mere piece of the southern doorway which is retained despite later modifications and shows the 12th century Norman Romanesque style in its rounded arch. The most substantial remaining medieval portion is the late 15th century Perpendicular western tower, albeit there is some speculation that the granite piers of the northern arcade might be 14th century. By 1843 the northern aisle was in such a state as to be called ruinous and this and other factors caused a major rebuild that not only repaired the aisle but also extended the chancel, replaced most window tracery, added a vestry and "re-seated " the church. Such was the extent of the work that most dating detail from the church was lost or masked making Pevsner's account rather succinct. The lane passing the church is very narrow but to the east of the site there are broader verges allowing careful off-road parking. Entry is by an arched metal gate set within thick hedges. Once within there are no significant obstacles for the photographer.