Stoke Canon is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

near the confluence of the rivers

Exe Exe or EXE may refer to: * .exe, a file extension * exe., abbreviation for executive Places * River Exe, in England * Exe Estuary, in England * Exe Island, in Exeter, England Transportation and vehicles * Exe (locomotive), a British locomotiv ...

and Culm on the main A396 between

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

and Tiverton in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, and the district of

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). The district was formed ...

. At the 2001 census it had a population of 660. The population was unchanged in 2011 but the village forms the major part of the Exe Valley

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

. The population of this ward was 2,041 at the 2011 Census. There is a pub, The Stoke Canon Inn, and a post office and general stores in the centre of the village.

The church

St Mary Magdalene, Stoke Canon, Devon - geograph

The Church (St. Mary Magdalene) was wholly rebuilt in 1836, except for the west tower, at the cost of £1000. The interior is neatly fitted up, and the tower has a clock and four bells. It contains a remarkable font of Norman date, made from a single block of

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...

, and a number of 17th-century floor slabs to local families. It was here in 1666, at this 14th-century church, that George Boone III, grandfather of the famous

American pioneer American pioneers were European American and African American settlers who migrated westward from the Thirteen Colonies and later United States to settle in and develop areas of North America that had previously been inhabited or used by Nati ...

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

, was baptized.Boone Society article

History

The manor was given by King Athelstan to

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 14 ...

, and still belongs to the Dean and Chapter. A charter, still in existence, records the grant of land at Stoke Canon by King Cnut to the King’s minister Hunewine in the year 1033. In April, 1847, a hot cinder, blown from one of the railway engines, ignited the thatched roof of a row of cottages, and the fire spread until 24 dwellings, including the parsonage house, were destroyed. In 1966 there was still a working water mill producing stone ground flour, and another one producing paper. Despite being so close to the River Exe, the village had not been known to flood until at least 1967 even though it was nicknamed (by Exeter residents) as "Stoke Canon where the floods are", it used to stand out as an island.

The bridge

Stoke Canon Bridge, which stretches over two arms of the River Culm, was already built in the late 13th century. Bishop Stapeldon left money in his will (1326) for its upkeep. It contains some old work but has been much widened to carry the main road.

The railway

A station opened to serve Stoke Canon in 1860 with staggered platforms. The up platform was north of the level crossing; the down platform was to the south. On 1 May 1885 the Exe Valley branch was opened from a junction a little to the south of the station. This was relocated further south so that it could serve both lines from 1 July 1894. As with most stations on the

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

to Exeter line, the platforms were moved apart in 1932 to accommodate new loop lines, and the branch was given its own side of the up platform so that trains could run on to the branch while a train stood in the up loop. The site can still be recognised from passing trains. The station closed on 13 June 1960.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Devon