Early History

Holy Cross Church, Crediton has a long history traceable back to 739 when Aethelheard King of the West Saxons granted twenty hides of land to found a monastery in a place called Creedy.

In 909 the Diocese of Sherborne was split in to three smaller dioceses – a reduced Sherborne, Wells and a separate see of Devon and Cornwall. Crediton was chosen as the site for the cathedral of the latter probably in part because St. Boniface had been born in or near to Crediton in around 675AD and in part because of the presence of the established monastery. We do not know the exact site of the Saxon monastery or cathedral although evidence of Saxon occupation has been found to the north of the current building.

From 926 Cornwall has its own Bishop who at first acted as a suffragan of the Bishop of Crediton, a full diocese of Cornwall only being formed in 994. This see only survived until about 1020, when it was again absorbed by Crediton.

In 1046 Leofric was appointed the ninth Bishop of Crediton in charge of the sees of Devon and Cornwall. For probably a mix of economic, political, security and social reasons he decided that the cathedral should be moved to Exeter. In 1050 Leofric was enthroned as Bishop of Exeter in the presence of King Edward the Confessor and his queen.