England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Stoke Pero Parish Church

The Parish

The parish of Stoke Pero lies in the extreme west of Somerset about 7 miles west of the coastal resort of Minehead and within the National Park of Exmoor. Stoke Pero sits over 3 miles south of the coastal A39 road which links Minehead through to the Devon resort of Lynton. Stoke Pero is a tiny place with no real village at all, indeed it is merely a scatter of farmstead across the rough moorland that is northern Exmoor. This is an area where farming is strictly the low impact grazing of sheep on the tough grasses of high ground, there is no low lying land within the parish suitable for arable. The rich red soils led to speculation of the presence of iron ores but there has been no exploitation of that. Today Stoke Pero is the haunt of hikers, wildlife lovers and, due to the steep hills around, extreme cyclists. Deeply incised valleys funnel the fast flowing drainage off of the northern edges of Exmoor uniting into the Horner Water and flowing into the outer Bristol Channel to the east of Porlock. Stoke Pero's tiny church sits at the commanding height of 320 metres above the sea but the land rises still more to Dunkery Beacon at 519 metres the highest point in southern England and just over 2 miles southeast of the church. Rough moorland needs a vast acreage to support enough parishioners for a parish and Stoke Pero parish covers over 4,000 acres in which a population under 100 parishioners would have been supported. In Domesday times Stoke Pero came within the manor of Wilmersham, a holding of Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances, offering merely 2 ploughs along with its extensive pastures and woodland.

The Church

Stoke Pero's tiny church, it has no known dedication. sits on a narrow lane which flanks Exmoor and connects lanes running from Porlock & Luccombe respectively through towards Exford. Pevsner rightly states that it is the most solitary church in Somerset, a single cottage stands alongside it. Dating evidence for the building is scant, Pevsner states that parts look to be Norman but the location makes a much later date more likely. Historic England are more forthcoming assigning the tower to the 13th century, Early English Gothic period, and the doorway to either 16th or 17th century albeit much restored. The rebuilding of 1897 accounts for the dating of much else including the main combined nave & chancel. Thankfully the very narrow lane is widened to the south of the site allowing safe parking for a car or two. The slope on which the church stands rises steeply to the east and it is a climb to reach via a flight of stairs. Whilst the churchyard has a tree or two as minor inconveniences it is the steeply sloping ground that inconveniences the photographer most.