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Summary

Exminster is suggested to be the site of a pre-conquest minster. There were said to be monastic remains to the rear of the vicarage but this seems doubtful. It is possible that there was an important church here in the Saxon period with residential parochial priests which led to it being called a minster.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX98NW/24
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX98NW6

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINSTER (VIII to Late Medieval - 701 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

Pengelly, W., 1875, Memoranda, Part 1., 199 (Article in Serial). SDV310207.

Exminster monastery. The vicarage stands on the site of Exminster Monastery. A Gothic arch stood in the garden in the 1860's, but was removed before 1875. Some of the old masonry can still be traced in the walls. An old building at the rear of the vicarage is believed to have been the monastic granary.

Hoskins, W. G., 1950, Untitled Source, 301 (Monograph). SDV310209.

One of two minsters in Devon, the other being Axminster. Probably a Collegiate Church founded shortly after the setting up of a Diocese at Sherborne in 705.

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 395 (Monograph). SDV17562.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1954, SX98NW6 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV310210.

Site of a collegiate church. The vicarage stands on the site of an old monastery. A Gothic arch, the last remains, stood until recently in the garden. An old building to the rear of the vicarage is believed to have been a granary for the monks (citing TDA 1875).
One of two minsters in Devon, the other being Axminster. Probably a collegiate church (citing Hoskins & Finberg, Devonshire Studies).
Site visit 30th June 1953. There are no remains of the Saxon monastery which is alleged to have been visited by St Boniface. The alleged granary [is later in date].

Knowles, D. + Hadcock, R. N., 1971, Medieval Religious Houses: England and Wales, 465, 487 (Monograph). SDV323253.

Knowles and Hadcock state that 'Minster' is a name often combined with a placename in Saxon charters. However, it may not mean that such places had a Saxon religious house. Indeed some have no apparent contemporary records of a religious community. They go onto say that it appears that some important churches with residential parochial priests came to be called 'Minsters'.
Exminster is listed as a 'Minster' in this category.

Devon County Council, 1986-87, Devon Religious Houses Survey (Un-published). SDV347681.

Exminster was one of sixty plus religious houses investigated as part of the Devon Religious Houses Survey, a Devon County Council Rescue Project. The aims of the survey were to identify how much remains of the site and to consider how any surviving remains could be conserved for the future. The work comprised a rapid assessment of the site, summarising the present state of knowledge, followed by a more detailed survey where sufficient evidence and remains survived. See separate entries for the results of the surveys.

Devon Religious Houses Survey, 1986-87, Devon Religious Houses Survey 1986/87. Preliminary Assessment Form. Exminster (Un-published). SDV366900.

Reichel argues that there was a pre-conquest minster here and it is listed by Knowles and Hadcock on place name evidence. They suggest it may have been an important church with resident parochial priests but with no religious community as such.
There were said to be monastic remains to the rear of the vicarage but this seems doubtful. The building here is a 14th century priest’s house.
It is suggested that the priority here should be in assessing the status of the church. The location of the pre-conquest church is unlikely to be discovered except by excavation.

Exeter Archaeology, 2004, Archaeological Assessment of Land adjacent to The Manor, Exminster, 4 (Report - Assessment). SDV81579.

The precise location of the Gothic arch mentioned by Pengelly is unknown and the building to the rear of the vicarage may have been the Priest's House. It is unlikely to have been directly associated with any pre-conquest monastery but as 'Glebe Land' it may have been associated with other buildings belonging to the church.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV2416 - Devon Religious Houses Survey

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