 The church comes under the Diocese of Exeter.It is not known why the church is dedicated to St Sabinus; in the 13th-century there was a chapel in nearby Barnstaple dedicated to him but this no longer exists.There is a popular local legend that the church is actually dedicated to a Celtic saint of the same name from Ireland who was shipwrecked on Woolacombe Sands, but there is no historical evidence to support that claim.