England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Holne St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Holne is located in central southern Devon, high on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. Holne is about 4 miles west of the large village of Ashburton on the narrow lane which heads between Buckfastleigh and Dartmeet. Holne is a small compact village gathered around a complex of intersecting lanes on a ridge above the deeply incised valley of the River Dart. Holne would have been primarily occupied with pastoral farming, cattle on the lower slopes and sheep on the bleaker slopes of Dartmoor's edge. In addition mining & quarrying would have provided employment. Holne is sited on the lower slopes of Dartmoor at around 190 metres above sea level but land rises steeply to the west onto the moor and local heights top out at over 500 metres on Ryder Hill, the area is very popular for hiking and the Two Moors Way trail passes through the village and supports the local bed & breakfast trade. As mentioned Holne sits on a ridge to the south of the Dart valley, this mountain stream heads determinedly eastwards to reach the English Channel through Dartmouth. With its relatively upland settlement and incorporating tracts of Dartmoor, Holne parish was large for the area at almost 4,200 acres (of which 2,000 were moorland) it would have supported almost 400 parishioners. In Domesday times Holne was held by one William of Falaise and was an impoverished area documenting a mere 6 ploughs and a scatter of animals.

The Church

St Mary's church is tucked away on the western edge of the village behind the Church House Inn. The church claims a 13th century origin, although Pevsner indicates it is only the western tower which shows signs of that early date. The building, like so many has been added to and restored over the centuries and it is not its external fabric which is its set-piece, rather the intact rood screen which is its finest piece. The building makes extensive use of the local granite, its grey appearance characteristic of the district. St Mary is set back from the road and is accessed by a footpath leaving behind the Church House Inn, a set of metal gates gives access to the churchyard which boasts a venerable yew probably older than the church itself. The building is rather tightly bordered by walls and views are often better from outside the tight confines of the graveyard.