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NORTH TAWTON

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"NORTH TAWTON, a small ancient town, pleasantly situated on the east side of the Taw valley, 6½ miles N.E. of Okehampton, and 10 miles W. of Crediton, has in its parish 1728 inhabitants, and about 5350 acres of land, exclusive of Ilton Moor and Stone Moor, now being enclosed and cultivated. . . . In the town is a large tan yard and a woollen factory, the latter of which has been employed in the manufacture of serges, &c., from a very early period. Most of the modern brick and slated houses occupy the sites of old cob, buildings, which were burnt down in the last 30 years. . . . The Hon. Newton Fellowes is now lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the parish, and the rest belongs to the Trustees of the late Lord Rolle, and several smaller owners. Ashridge House is the seat of Wm. Orchard, Esq.; Crook Burnell, alias Stone, belongs to the Stuart family; and Nicholls Nymet belongs to John Wreford, Esq. . . . The Church (St. Peter,) is an ancient structure, with a tower containing six bells, and crowned by a wooden spire. . . in the incumbency of the Rev. G. Hole, B.C.L., of Chulmleigh. . . . " [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]
A parish in North Tawton Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter. The registers include entries for Broad Nymet.

General information:

Biography

Sir Henry Bath, Knight, from Worthies of Devon.

Williams, H.F. Fulford. Memories of a Devon childhood. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 92, (1960) pp.302-310.

Cemeteries

Whitmore, J.B. Devonshire Monumental Inscriptions, MS at Society of Genealogists (1951). [Extracts]

Census

The Devon Record Offices have, under Parish Records ref: 2914 A/PM 89 etc., a list of inhabitants compiled 1802/3 which includes ages and occupations. These original papers are in a very fragile condition, but constitute a valuable census, a transcription of which has been provided by John Pearce.

Church History

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

Williams, H. Fulford. Rectors of North Tawton. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 26 (1954-55) pp.20-24.
Wright, G.Russell. North Tawton Gospel Hall: the story of a Devon chapel. Bow: The Author (1992) 8p. [Westcountry Studies Library - p289.9/NOR/WRI]

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1538 are held in the Devon Record Office - for details see Parish Registers in the Devon Record Office.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Baptisms 1813-1839, Marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their book list.

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

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Independent Chapel Christenings 1812-1836.

The North Tawton Parish Registers are available on microfiche from Harry Galloway Publishers and Booksellers, The Cottage, Manor Terrace, Paignton, Devon TQ3 3RQ.

Hingeston-Randolph, F.C. The Rectors of High Bickington in the Deanery of Torrington. (1892) [Westcountry Studies Library, Devon & Exeter Inst.]
Williams, H. Fulford. North Tawton parish briefs 1666-1685...accounts 1653- 1659...and accounts 1676-1685. Typescript (1953) 26p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx361.73/NOR/WIL]
Williams, H. Fulford. North Tawton parish, Devon: churchwarden's accounts 1630-1655; parish accounts 1675-1686. Typescript (1953) 22p. [Westcountry Studies Library - s352.17/NOR/WIL]

Directories

Transcriptions of White's 1850, Slater's 1852, White's 1878-9, Kelly's 1889, Kelly's 1893, Kelly's 1902 and Kelly's 1919 directories.

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

The Online Parish Clerk scheme's representative for this parish is Denuse Hunt, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: Register transcription.)

This parish is one of the growing number of places for which the Devon Heritage website provides census or parish register transcriptions, articles, and/or illustrations, etc.

Caroline's North Tawton pages contain extensive information from directories, and on settlement and apprentices, wills, etc., including on John W Salter (artist), and on the Taylor Family.

Benson, J. The Valletorts of North Tawton, Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. XX, no. 7, (1939) pp.247-254.
Dymonde, R. Gifford or Giffard of Yeo, Devon, Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (New Series), 2, 1877, pp. 312-3. [Raymond: Pedigree, 14-17th c.]
Oswald, Neville C. Budds of North Tawton: a medical family of the 19th century. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 117 (1985) pp. 139-150.
Some notes on Devonshire families allied to Harington of Worden in Shebbear, viz Yeo of Heanton and Shebbear, Gay (probably the poets kindred), Somers of North Tawton, Brent of Newton St. Petrock and Shebbear, Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica N. S., 3, (1880) pp. 364-8. [Raymond: Includes 17-19th c. PR extracts.]

History

Sue Davey's North Tawton pages provide historical information, and parish register extracts.

Analysis of North Tawton Oath-Takers, 1723 by Jean Shields, provided by the Friends of Devon Archives.

William Budd and the 1839 North Tawton Cholera Outbreak, by Caroline.

Baker, Alison, Hoare, David and Shields, Jean. The Book of North Tawton: Celebrating An Ancient Market Town, Halsgrove House, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6SS, UK, Halsgrove Publishing (2002) 160 pp. [Index]
Gentry, F.D. Take Care of your Fire and Candle [11 fires in Devon towns]. Devon Books (1985) 138p. [ISBN 0861147596] [Devon FHS Library 929.35]
Mortimer, W. The History of North Tawton. (Rev. Ed.) North Tawton: The Author (1978) [2], 25p [Westcountry Studies Library - pB/NOR 9/0001/MOR]
Reichel, Oswald J. The "Domesday" hundreds of Devon: III. The Hundred of North Tawton. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 29, (1897) pp.245-274.
Williams, H. Fulford. Notes on the parish of North Tawton, Devon. Typescript (1950) 37p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sB/NOR 9/0001/WIL]
Williams, H. Fulford. North Tawton: a Devon market town. Trans. Devon Assoc. 86 (1954) pp. 115- 136.
Williams, H. Fulford. Norh Tawton Celebrations for the Peace of Amiens, 1802. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 28 (1959-61) pp.281-285. [Raymond: Gives the names of many 'officials' assisting in the conduct of the celebrations.]

Names, Personal

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

North Tawton List of Inhabitants - C1800, Exeter, Devon Family History Society D032. [Names included in the overall index published as "Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief" (CD 023).
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Last updated: 22 Jun 2011 - Brian Randell

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