Feniton (St. Andrew)

FENITON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of Honiton, hundred of Hayridge, Honiton and N. divisions of Devon, 4 miles (W. by S.) from Honiton; containing 315 inhabitants. Feniton bridge was the scene of a sanguinary contest, in which Sir J. Russell and Lord Grey defeated the Cornish insurgents, in the reign of Edward VI. The parish comprises 1822 acres by measurement, of which 1220 are arable, 450 pasture, 92 orchard, and 60 woodland; the soil is fertile. The village is situated near the river Otter, about one mile from the great western road. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £16. 18. 6½., and in the gift, in turn, of Christopher Flood, Esq., G. B. Northcote, Esq., and Mrs. Woolly: the tithes have been commuted for £280, and the glebe comprises 70 acres. The church, a venerable structure erected about the time of Henry VII., contains a very rich wooden screen. A Wesleyan meeting-house has been erected.