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MARWOOD

Select map to view parish boundaries in detail.

"MARWOOD, a village on the Ilfracombe road, 3 miles N.N.W. of Barnstaple, has in its parish 1012 souls, and 5596 acres of land, including the scattered hamlets of Mudford, Milltown, King's Heanton, Guineaford, and Prixford. Part of the parish is in the Earl of Devon's manor of Braunton, and the rest belongs to Chas. C. Drake, Henry Ley, Thomas R. Harding, Thos. Bridges, and John Crang, Esqrs., Dr. Yeo, the Rev. F. Mules, the Rev. J.H. Mules, and several smaller owners. Marwood was the seat and property of the Mervin family, and Whitfield was the seat of a branch of the Bastards. Church Marwood was long held by the Lords Martin and Lords Audley, and afterwards by the Bourchiers; and Westcote was originally the residence of the Westcote family. The Church (St. Michael,) is an ancient structure, with a tower and six bells, and a finely carved screen." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

• General historical and descriptive information, area map from 1765, details about administrative boundaries, etc., about Marwood from the Devon Library's Local Studies Service.

Cemeteries

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

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

Parish church website.

Church Records

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1602 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, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their book list.

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

• Wesleyan Chapel, Prixford: Registers for c1807-37 - see Barnstaple Circuit (PRO RG 4/954)

Brock, Bob and Ann. From Cradle to Grave 1900-1919, 20 years of Birth, Marriage and Death Notices Taken from the 'North Devon Journal' for the parishes of Ashford, Bittadon, Heanton Punchardon, Georgeham, Marwood, Morthoe and West Down Braunton Museum, The Bakehouse Centre, Caen Street, Braunton, N. Devon EX33 1AA (2002?) 60p.

Dredge, J.Ingle. The Marwood list of briefs 1714-1774. Devonshire Assoc. Trans. (1893) 27p.

Directories

Transcription, by Jonathan Frayne of the Marwood section of Kelly's Directory of Barnstaple and Neighbourhood (1941).

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

Genealogical notes on the families of Whitfield and Garland who were successively owners of the manor of Whitfield, in the parish of Marwood, Co. Devon, from the reign of King John down to 1710, in: Drake, Sir William Richard, Devon notes and notelets . . . Privately printed, 188-, pp. 71-79. [Includes folded pedigree, 15-18th c.]

Land and Property

Whiddon Common Enclosure Agreement (1850) between John Nicholetts, Frances Drake, Anne, Harriet and Emma Cutcliffe, Thomas Carder and John Gould, transcribed by Desmond Painter.

Names, Personal

Marwood contributors to a 1678 brief for the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral.

Social Life and Customs

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Last updated: 15 Feb 2008 - Brian Randell

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