Guide to the Church of St Mary & St Gabriel

Stoke was the Anglo-Saxon word for a place – a holy place – and it is safe to assume that there has been a place of worship on this spot, overlooking the river and mill pond, for well over a thousand years. The church and the river are still today the centre of village life.

From earliest times, Stoke was part of the Ecclesiastical Manor of Paignton and the Bishop of Exeter was the Lord of the Manor. In 1086, twenty years after the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, Stoke was included in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of the towns, villages, and shires of England for the purpose of levying taxes.

In the mid-13th century, the bishop dedicated the church to St Gabriel, following which the village acquired the more distinctive name of Stoke Gabriel. The dedication of the church survived until 1846, when it was changed to St Mary and St Gabriel.

More detailed information relating to the church is available from the Church Guide, which is available as a linked pdf file or as a printed copy in the parish church at a modest price.