England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Newton St Cyres St Cyriac & St Julitta

The Parish

The parish of Newton St Cyres lies in the southeastern portion of central Devon roughly 4 miles southeast of the market town of Crediton. Newton St Cyres sits on and also south of the A377 road which links Crediton with Exeter. The village has a substantial presence on the A377, west of the bridge over the Shuttern Brrok, further properties lie up that side valley as well as across the main river valley of the Yeo at the smaller settlement of Sweetham. Newton St Cyres had a diverse economy underpinned, like so many in Devon, by pastoral farming on the rich pastures Yeo-side. In addition there was some casual involvement in the extractive industries with both lead and manganese mined for as various times. All traces of those diggings have long since disappeared. Modern developments have come to the parish, the branch railway line linking Exeter with Barnstaple follows the Yeo's valley and also grants Newton St Cyres a station albeit at Sweetham. Newton St Cyres is drained southeastwards by the Yeo but that river soon meets the Exe to the northwest of Exeter before reaching the English Channel via the latter's extensive estuary. Newton St Cyres is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, land rises, however, in rolling hills south of the Yeo quickly rising to local high points of 248 metres at Waddles Down and 193 metres on Black Down. Newton St Cyres parish was extensive covering almost 4,200 acres that acreage would have supported a population of around 1,250 parishioners. Newton St Cyres' entries in Domesday are confusing in the extreme, the holding of the Bishop of Exeter claims an incredible 185 ploughs and 264 villagers, quite clearly a record for an area not a village; the entry held by one Dunn seems altogether more reasonable as a synopsis of a settlement not dissimilar in size to today's village, 21 ploughs, meadows pastures & woodland and a mill all make for a more believable asset count.

The Church

St Cyriac & St Julitta's church sits tucked away off the A377 up a steep slope away from the main road to its west. Whilst the church is a product of the great church-building era of the Perpendicular Pevsner points to the rere-arch of the southern doorway with its chamfered round-head as 12th century Norman Romanesque in style and date and speculates that it is a relic of a lost aisleless 12th century church that once stood here. The church was clearly rebuilt in an almost top to bottom rebuild during the 15th century, the local granite being well-used in that build. Nave and chancel are built to the same height and externally present an impressive 5-bays. The western tower is short but sturdy and carries a stair turret at its southwestern corner, Pevsner is particularly impressed with the church's northern aisle which he grants as being "ambitious". The whole is augmented with battlements and pinnacles. Restoration came early here being completed under the Georgians in 1832 to be followed by a further effort in the early 20th century, 1913. The steep lane rises sharply to the church, there are a couple of wider patches for single cars. The church looms high overhead reached by twin rising flights of steps, once within the churchyard it must be said that the church lies tight to the southern edges and thus the favoured aspects are removed making for a challenging subject on a sunny day.