Exminster is a village west of the Exeter ship canal and River Exe in Devon, England, 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Exeter, with a population of 4,379 at the 2021 census.[1]
Exminster is an ancient village associated with a Saxon minster or religious community, founded here in the 8th century.[2] and left by King Alfred the Great to his youngest son Aethelweard in his will of 889.[3] In the 14th century, it was the seat of the Courtenay family, the Earls of Devon. William Courtenay, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1381 to 1396, was born here.[4]
Exminster is part of the electoral ward of Kenn Valley.[5] Exminster Marshes, to the east of the village, are a major site for birds, especially migratory ones,[6] including the rare cirl bunting.[7]
- ^ "Exminster population 2011". Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "Exminster". Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Anglo-Saxon charters S 1507 (873x888), King Alfred's will, tr. S.Keynes & M.Lapidge, 'Alfred the Great', Harmondsworth, 1983, pp. 173-8, with notes, pp. 313-326. The identification of the estates inherited by Aethelweard is based on the corresponding notes translated by Keynes and Lapidge.
- ^ "Parishes: Exminster - Exmouth | British History Online".
- ^ "Kenn Valley ward population 2011". Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ BBC Devon article. Retrieved on 18 May 2007
- ^ BBC Devon article. Retrieved on 18 May 2007.