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LITTLEHAM (Near Bideford)

Select map to view parish boundaries in detail.

"LITTLEHAM (ST. SWITHIN), a parish, in the union of BIDEFORD, hundred of SHEBBEAR, Great Torrington and N. divisions of DEVON, 9 miles (S.S.W.) from Bideford; containing 390 inhabitants. This place, anciently a royal manor, formed part of the dower of Matilda, consort of William the Conqueror. The parish is bounded on the south by the river Yeo, which separates it from the parish of Monkleigh; the scenery is enriched with wood, and in many parts beautifully picturesque, especially on the road from Bideford to Buckland-Brewer, in a line parallel to the course of the Yeo, on the banks of which are some grounds producing hops of superior quality. Littleham Court, the seat of George Anthony, Esq., lord of the manor, is a handsome mansion. . . The church is an ancient edifice, with some interesting details, among which is a wooden screen, richly carved." [From Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England (1844)]

• General historical and descriptive information, area map from 1765, details about administrative boundaries, etc., about Littleham (Nr Bideford) from the Devon Library's Local Studies Service.
• Littleham & Landcross Parish website - an extensive site, with much general, historical and genealogical information about the two parishes.

Cemeteries

Littleham Churchyard M.I.s at St. Swithuns Church, Littleham, from Ian Mitchell's Littleham & Landcross Parish website.

Census

Snetzler, M.F. North Devon Surname Index to the Census. Microfiche: M.F. Snetzler, Barcott, Buckland Brewer, Bideford, Devon EX39 5LN. [Covers 1841, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census records for this parish]

Church History

Littleham - Bideford - from J. Stabb. Some Old Devon Churches (London: 1908-16).

Herbert George Morse. The Church of S. Swithin, Littleham. London: Pickering & Chatto (1900).

Church Records

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1538 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library - for details see Parish Registers in the Devon & Cornwall Record Society's Collection.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Marriages 1754-1837 - for details see their book list.

Other churches and chapels (with pre-1840 records):

• Wesleyan Chapel: Registers for c1819-37 - see Bideford (PRO RG 4/955)

Littleham Parish registers 1538-1836, National Library, Australia, (1998). [ISBN 1 875790 05 5 (Microfiche)] [Lookups]

An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Abbotsham, Alverdiscott, Alwington, Bideford, Buckland Brewer, Bulkworthy, Clovelly, East Putford, Frithelstock, Hartland, Landcross, Littleham, Monkleigh, Northam, Parkham, Wear Gifford, Welcombe and West Woolfardisworthy. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850 and Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England 1844, CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2009). [Abbotsham Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Alverdiscott Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1775-1837; Alwington Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Bideford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Buckland Brewer Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Bulkworthy Bapt: 1813-1841, Mar: 1814-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Clovelly Bapt: 1813-1838, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; East Putford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1797-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Frithelstock Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Hartland Bapt: 1838-1839, Mar: 1558-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Landcross Bapt: 1814-1839, Mar: 1761-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Littleham Bapt: 1813-1841, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1851; Monkleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Northam Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Parkham Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1537-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Wear Gifford Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Welcombe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1757-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; West Woolfardisworthy Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837.]

Description and Travel

Directories

Transcription provided by Val Henderson of the entry (description and names) in Morris and Co's Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire 1870.

Hingeston-Randolph, F.C. The Rectors of Littleham in the Deanery of Hartland, annotated by J. Ingle Dredge. Exeter: William Pollard (1891) 91p. [Westcountry Studies Library - s283.0922/LIT/HIN]

Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

Genealogy

The Online Parish Clerk for this parish is Ethelda Peshko, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs on Fiche up to 1837, Protestation returns.)

genealogy section of the Littleham & Landcross Parish website - includes census records, MIs and more.

Rothe, B.M. Descendants of John and Mary (Sketch) Morrish [of Littleham, Bideford, mainly in the USA], (1999) [DFHS 929.2/MOR]

History

Transcription, by Elizabeth Howard, of by William Henry Rogers' "Notes on the History of Littleham".

Badcock, L J. Littleham my Littleham. (1989) [Barnstaple Library - BT:LIT 3 /1928/BAD]

Shakespeare, Liz. The memory be green: an oral history of a Devon village (Littleham). Littleham: Letterbox Books (1990) 110pp., [8]p of plates. [ISBN 0951687905] [Index]

Shakespeare, Liz. Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard. Littleham: Letterbox Books (2005) 270pp. [ISBN 0-9516879-1-8] [Names]

Probate Records

Will of William Braund (1810), transcribed by Janet Few.

Last updated: 28 Jul 2009 - Brian Randell

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