England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Kennerleigh St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of Kennerleigh lies almost centrally within the county of Devon being roughly 5 miles north of the market town of Crediton. This area is remote from most significant communications the nearest major roads being at Crediton mere lanes crisscross this deeply rolling landscape of small pastoral fields and hedge-enclosed stone walls. Kennerleigh is a straggle of a community along the main lane(Crossway Hill) that passes through what is little more than a hamlet en route from northwards. The main economy of this parish would have been from pastoral farming albeit over 10% of the acreage was deemed waste of moor & furze. Kennerleigh is drained by the headwaters of the River Creedy which head southwards through Crediton to join the Exe to the northwest of Exeter and thence to English Channel. kennerleigh is sited at around 120 metres above the sea in deeply incised countryside, it sits some 40 metres above the nearby river, land continues to rise to the northwest reaching just over 200 metres at nearby Black Dog junction. Kennerleigh parish was one of the smaller in Devon, covering just under 650 acres it would have supported just over 100 parishioners. There is no mention of Kennerleigh in Domesday Book.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits on the western side of Crossway Hill towards the northern end of Kennerleigh's properties. The church has its origins in the 14th century, however a major restoration of the late 1840s has removed much of the dating evidence. Detailed study when the church became a listed building shows chancel and tower to be 14th century, the south aisle of the 15th and the nave almost complete rebuilt in the 19th century. Given the significant changes wrought upon the building Pevsner's description is terse and merely descriptive. The churchyard sits between Crossway Hill and the lane, which becomes a footpath of Langham Lane, entry is off Crossway Hill where there is little room for parking so care is required. The churchyard is open and with few obstacles to photography.