Exbourne lies in the rolling Devon countryside north of Dartmoor, being more or less equidistant from Okehampton to the South and the small towns of Hatherleigh and North Tawton to the West and East respectively. The Parish, comprises of a village surrounded by outlying farms and houses. The population of around 350 is mixed, some long-established families together with many who have moved in recently. The ancient granite church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin has stood at the heart of the Devon village of Exbourne since at least the time of the first recorded Rector, William de Molys, in 1266. The church comprises features of the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular styles of architecture and is grade ll*. The churchyard was laid out in 1886-7 and nearby stand the ruins of the ancient church house built in 1506-7. Burials and the interment of ashes continue to this day. There is a gateway from the schoolyard into the churchyard which ensures the safe access of the children to and from the church. The Church of England primary school adjacent to the churchyard was founded in 1839.