England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Withycombe Raleigh St John in the Wilderness

The Parish

The parish of Withycombe Raleigh lies in southeastern Devon, indeed it forms part of Devon's English Channel coast albeit with the estuary of the River Exe. Withycombe Raleigh is located about 7 miles southeast of the city of Exeter, the parish includes not only the former village of the same name but also a greater part of the suburbs of the modern port & seaside resort of Exmouth. Withycombe Raleigh has now been totally subsumed within the spreading nature of Exmouth but was located in lanes about a half-mile east of the A376 road which connects Exmouth with Exeter. At the time of this transcript Withycombe Raleigh would have had a mixed economy not only involved in farming (largely pastoral) but also exploiting the estuary of the Exe and the nearby sea. AS a coastal community Withycombe Raleigh is drained by numerous small streams which flow a short distance westwards into the EXe Estuary. Withycombe Raleigh is sited at around 20 metres above the sea and land ruses noticeably to the northeast to local heights in excess of 120 metres, the landscape is rolling and dominated by the colour of the local red sandstones the soil being that colour when ploughed. Withycombe Raleigh parish was of a fairly typical size for the area, it covered about 1,900 acres and would have supported a population of just under 1,200 parishioners. In Domesday times Withycombe Raleigh was held by one Walter of Claville and was a rather smaller place offering just 4 ploughs plus small meadows, pastures and woodland.

The Church

St John in the Wilderness' church sits at the northern end of the former village of Withycombe Raleigh sited to the east of St John's Road and surrounded by suburbia. The church is a shadow of its former glory having been usurped by a newer church within the village in the 1860s. The church was largely demolished in 1788 leaving only the western tower and northern aisle remaining. These show traces of what was once a Perpendicular style building. The church was renewed in 1925 but is very much the subservient church to St John the Evangelist in Withycombe Raleigh itself. The church is almost hidden from St John's Road, a lane leads through housing to a small parking area by the brick-walled churchyard with metal gates. The church is totally enclosed by trees from the south restricting the views to a single angle and being difficult especially in sunny conditions.