Heanton Punchardon (/ˈhɛntən/ /pʌnˈtʃɑːrdən/) is a village, civil parish and former manor, anciently part of Braunton Hundred. It is situated directly east-southeast of the village of Braunton, in North Devon. The parish lies on the north bank of the estuary of the River Taw and it is surrounded, clockwise from the north, by the parishes of Braunton, Marwood, Ashford and across the estuary, Fremington.^[2] The population was 418 in 1801 and 404 in 1901.^{[lower-alpha 1]} Its largest localities are Wrafton and Chivenor. The surrounding area is also an electoral ward with a total population at the 2011 census of 2,673.^[3]

Quick Facts Population, OS grid reference ...

Heanton Punchardon
St Augustine's Church, Heanton Punchardon
Heanton Punchardon Location within Devon
Population	2,406 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SS5035
District	North Devon
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BARNSTAPLE
Postcode district	EX31
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Devon
List of places UK England Devon 51.09464°N 4.14346°W / 51.09464; -4.14346

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The parish is within Barnstaple Deanery for ecclesiastical purposes.^[4] The parish church is dedicated to St Augustine of Canterbury, who brought Christianity to England. It is a Grade I listed building and has three listed monuments in its churchyard.^[5] Parts date to about the 13th century. It has a bell-tower at the west end, with embattled parapet with crocketted corner pinnacles. The nave contains Tudor arched doorways and a five-bay arcade. The sundial over the south porch, dated 1795, is by John and Thomas Berry.

An ornate Easter Sepulchre tomb in the chancel is to Richard Coffin (1456–1523), Sheriff of Devon in 1511. The church has monuments to the Ballyman family and to the Basset family, lords of the manor, situated in the Basset Chapel, at the east end of the north aisle, now almost fully occupied by the organ.

Heanton Court, the former manor house of the Manor of Heanton Punchardon, is a grade II listed building^[6] situated on the north shore-line of the River Taw estuary, about a mile south-east of the parish church. Rev. John Swete described the house in spring 1796 as "the seat of Col. Basset" and wrote of it that "The house exhibits itself handsomely though its situation (like that of Lord Heathfield's on the Exe [i.e. Nutwell]) seems to be too contiguous to the water. Nearly opposite to it was a large track of marsh and sand..." He later made a copy of a painting by William Payne, c. 1790,^{[lower-alpha 2][7]} The house as painted by Swete in about 1797 is essentially as it survives today, retaining its battlements and corner towers. It is currently used as a public house and hotel, known in 2015 as the Braunton Inn. In 2019 known as Heanton Court.

Among those who rest in the churchyard is the poet Edward Capern (1819–1894), known as the Rural Postman (poet) of Bideford.^{[citation needed]}

• Basset family