Church of St James

At one time the manor belonged to the De Sullys, one of whom was a famous crusader. Later it passed to Sir John Leger, and later to Sir Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh (1818–87). The parish church has its origins in the 13th century, but mostly dates to the 15th century. The parish registers start in 1541. 92 adult males in leddeslegh parish signed the Protestation Returns of 1641–1642, in which they swore an oath of allegiance to the Protestant religion. This indicates the population at that time. The church was partially rebuilt in 1720. It was repaired and partially rebuilt in 1848. The vestry is an 1850 addition to the west end of the north aise. Memorial windows were added…

The church of St. James is in the Gothic style. The walls are of coursed slate stone rubble with some granite ashlar in the buttresses of the tower. The roof is gable ended, covered in slate with decorative ridge tiles from the late 19th century. There is a four-stage tower with battlements at the western end with angle buttresses, with a crouching animal gargoyle on top of each buttress. The tower holds six bells. The first two are dated 1620 and the third is dated 1629. The tenor bell has an inscription in old English characters dedicating it to St. George. In 1911 two new bells were added to commemorate the coronation of King George V. The church has a chancel, nave, aisles and south…