CREDITON, market town of Devonshire, England, 71 m. N.W. of Exeter by the S.R. Pop. of urban district (1931) 3,49o. It is situated in the narrow vale of the river Creedy near its junction with the Exe, between two steep hills, and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town.
Crediton (Credington, Cryditon, Kirton) is traditionally the birthplace of Boniface, following whom it was for a while a bishop's seat. In 1049 Leofric, bishop of Crediton, requested Leo IX. to transfer the see to Exeter, as Crediton was "an open town and much exposed to the incursions of pirates." At the Domesday Survey much of the land was still uncultivated, but its prosperity increased later on. The jury of the borough are mentioned in 1275, and Crediton returned two members to parlia ment in 1306-1307, though never afterwards represented. In 1231 the bishop obtained a fair, still held, on the vigil, feast and morrow of St. Lawrence. This was important as the wool trade was established by 1249 and certainly continued until 1630, when the market for kersies is mentioned in conjunction with a saying "as fine as Kirton spinning." The church of Holy Cross is a Perpendicular building with Early English portions. The gram mar school was founded by Edward VI. Agricultural trades with a little manufacture of confectionery have superseded the former large woollen and serge industries. In 1897 Crediton was made the seat of a suffragan bishopric in the diocese of Exeter.