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MODBURY

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"MODBURY is a small ancient market town, consisting chiefly of four streets, diverging to the cardinal points, and pleasantly situated at the foot and on the sides of three acclivities, in the heart of a fertile district, 12 miles E. by S. of Plymouth, . . . Its parish contains 5977 acres of land, extending westward to the navigable river Erme, and including 143A. of woodland, 181A. of orchards, 144A. of waste, and 85A. of common. Its population amounted in 1801 to 1813 souls, and in 1831 to 2116, but in 1841 they had decreased to 2048. . . . The woollen manufacture was formerly carried on here extensively, but here is now only one small serge factory. The town consists chiefly of small old houses, but is highly salubrious, . . . The parish has many scattered farm-houses and five corn mills; and the small hamlets of Caton, Leigh, Brownston, Penquit, and part of Ludbrook. . . . Modbury Church (St. George,) is a spacious and handsome structure, with a tower, containing six bells, and crowned by a spire, rising to a height of about 134 feet. . . . The vicarage . . . is in the patronage of the Masters and Fellows of Eton College, and incumbency of the Rev. N. Oxenham, M.A. . . . " [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]
A market town and parish in Ermington Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Totnes, and the Diocese of Exeter. Regarded as part of the South Hams area.

General information:

Biography

Green, G, C. Collections of Natural History and Sport in the Life of a Country Vicar, (1886) pp.221. [Vicar of Modbury]
Harpley, W. Obituary notices: Richard Andrews. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 26, (1894) pp.41. [Lawyer, 1830-1893]
Harris, S.G. Samuel Hieron: a Devonshire vicar in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 24, (1892) pp.77-85. [1599-1617]

Cemeteries

Whitmore, J.B. Devonshire Monumental Inscriptions, MS at Society of Genealogists (1951). [Extracts]
The Inscriptions on the Headstones and Memorials of St George's Church, Modbury. Modbury History Society (2009) 378pp.

Census

Name index to the 1841 census, provided by Ray Osborn.

Church History

Photographs and description of the Parish Church, provided by Richard A. Derrick.

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1553 are held in the Devon Record Office - for details see Parish Registers in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1553 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):

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1590-1837 and Marriages 1553-1565, 1601-1837.
Rowe, J. Brooking. A Modbury Churchwardens' Account, Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. 4, (1906/7) pp. 60-61. [Transcription]
An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the Deanery of Plympton. with photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850 and The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868), CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2007). [Brixton: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Cornwood: Bapt (1813-1840), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1838), Ermington: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1838), Bur (1813-1837 ), Harford: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1755-1837), Bur (1813-1838), Holbeton: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Ivybridge: Bapt (1835-1840), Mar (1835-1840), Bur (1836-1840), Kingston: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1836), Bur (1813-1837), Modbury: Bapt (1813-1840), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Newton Ferrers: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1836), Bur (1813-1837)), North Huish: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Plympton St. Mary: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Plympton St. Maurice: Bapt (1813-1840), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Plymstock: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Revelstoke: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837), Shaugh Prior: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1835), Ugborough: Bapt (1813-1840), Mar (1754-1841), Bur (1813-1837), Wembury: Bapt (1813-1839), Mar (1612-1837), Bur (1813-1840), Yealmpton: Bapt (1813-1840), Mar (1754-1837), Bur (1813-1837)]

Directories

Transcript of entry in White's Devonshire Directory of 1850.

Transcription of the complete entry for Modbury in Pigot & Co's Devon (1830), and of the directory for Modbury in White's Devonshire Directory (1850) by Terry Partridge.

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

Transcription of Modbury entry in the 1923, 1930, and 1935 editions of Kelly's Directory for Devonshire, provided by Sheila Jones.

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 Paul Sherriff, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs, Pigot's etc.)

Sherriff Family History web-site.

Hooper, H.J. Hooper of Modbury. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 21 (7) 1941, pp. 326-29.
Hooppell, J.L.E. Old Traine in Modbury: the house and its owners, Trans. Devon. Assoc. 59, 1927, pp. 265-70. [17-18th c.]
Palliser, G.C. The Will as Window. In GRINZ Year Book 1995. Genealogy Research Inst. of New Zealand, Lower Hutt, N.Z. (1995) pp.1-16. ISSN 0113-2431 [Legassicke Family].
Peters, C.D. A Rouse Family in Devon [from c1100 in modbury & 1617 in Hatherleigh], (1995). [Devon FHS Library p929.2/ROU]

History

The Unique Heritage of Modbury - a comunity heritage project web-site with extensive historical information and photographs, and a catalogue of the holdings of the Modbury History Society.

Cawse, G.A. Modbury. London: The Author (1860) 32p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - sB/MOD/0001/CAW]
Hooppell, J.L.E. Old Traine in Modbury: the house and its early owners. Trans. Devonshire Assoc (1927) pp265-270.
Peachey, Stuart. The battle of Modbury 1643. Bristol: The Author (1993) 40p: maps. [ISBN 1858040205]
A history of Modbury in the County of Devon.Ivybridge, Modbury Local History Society,1971, [1], 33 pp. illus., map, plan. 22 cm. ISBN: 0950226203. [Index]
Modbury: a study. Exeter: Planning Dept., Devon County Council (1954) 10p, 4 leaves. [Westcountry Studies Library - px711.4/MOD/DEV]
Modbury: our inheritance, compiled by Modbury Local History Society. Modbury: The Society (1982) [32]p: chiefly ill, maps. [Westcountry Studies Library - pxB/MOD/0001/MOD] [Reprinted by Underhill Plymouth (1992).] [Index]
Remarkable Passages Newly Received of the Great Overthrow of Sir Ralph Hopton and his Forces at Modburie, 12 miles from Plimouth. London: Pr. for Henry Overton (1642) [2],6p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sDEV/1642/REM Tr 3]
Transcriptions of documents from various sources relating to Modbury. Manuscript, some typescript (19--) 1 box. [Westcountry Studies Library - msxB/MOD/0001/MOD]
A History of Modbury in the County of Devon, Modbury Local History Society (1971). [SoG Library]

Land and Property

Extracts from Return of Owners of Land (1873), provided by Sheila Jones.

Military History

Sullock, J.D.C. Militia of the South Hams - Part Two: Ashprington, Portlemouth, Chivelstone, Thurlestone, Ugborough, Modbury, Aveton Giffard, Harford, Kingston, Holbeton, Ermington, Ringmore and Bigbury.(1569AD). J.D.C. Sullock, Stockton, Cleveland (n.d.) 9p.

Names, Personal

Names from an 1822-23 edition of Pigot's Directory.

Occupations

Edgecombe, Gerald. Modbury Parish Apprentices. Devon Family Historian 28 (Oct. 1983) pp. 13-15. [Raymond: Includes list of children placed as apprentices, 1690s.]
Willson, Deborah. An examination of the woollen industry in Modbury, S.W.England, 1695-1851. Thesis (B.Ed) - Worcester Coll (1984) 98p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx677.31/MOD/WIL]
Modbury Apprentice Register 1833-1839, Exeter, Devon FHS (2006). [Foreword] [Names included in the overall index published as "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief" (CD 023).

Probate Records

Transcript of the will of Dorothy Windeatt (1841) by Pam Jackson, provided by Sandra Windeatt.

Will of Thomas Wreyford (1594) provided by John Moore.

Wills of John Boon (1827) and William Shepheard (1615) provided by Nancy Savery.

Extract of the will of Adrian Swete (1733), provided by Nancy Savery.

Transcript of the will of Roger Efford(1683), provided by Nancy Savery.

Schools

Waterhouse, G. (ed.) Modbury Schools Looking Back, Including the History of Bigbury, Brownston, Kingston and Ringmore Scools, 1881-1981. [Modbury]: {Devon County Council?] (1891). [Raymond: Includes various lists of names, and many personal remiinscences.]

Societies

The Modbury History Society has an informative website.

Find help, report problems, and contribute information.

Last updated: 26 Oct 2009 - Brian Randell

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