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A parish in Shebbear Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter. Includes Westward Ho! Appledore had a chapel of ease (1838) and became a separate parish in 1844."NORTHAM, a large and well-built village, is pleasantly seated on the peninsula between Barnstaple Bay and the river Torridge, from 1 ½ to 2½ miles N. of Bideford. Its parish contains 3578 inhabitants, and about 2700 acres of land, including the pretty little seaport of Appledore; Northam Ridge hamlet; many neat villas and scattered houses, and a large plain of turf common, called Northam Burrows, on which the inhabitants have common right." [From White's History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devon (1850)]
Select map to view parish
boundaries in detail.
The Northam Archives are located above the Registry Office in Northam. among their resources are copies of the Bideford Gazette, with an associated index, and local census records - for further infomation contact Una Ash.
Grant, Alison and Mortimer, John, (Ed.). North Devon Maritime Museum - the first 21 years : a coming of age scrapbook, Appledore, N.D. Museum Trust [iv],36p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library: p623.8074/APP/GRA]
Boyle, Vernon C. R.T. Blackmore, shipwright, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 85, (1953) pp.139-144, plates: ill.
Radford, John H. Edward Calvert, artist. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 1:3, (1900) pp.82-87. [Artist, 1799-1883] [Index]
Carter, E.R. Appledore - Boyhoood Memories from 1920. (1989) [ISBN 095075686X] [DFHS LOC 206]
Heaton, P.M., Tatems of Cardiff, (Starling Press, Risca, 1987) 67p. ill. [W.J. Tatem, of Appledore, later Lord Glanely (1868-1942), Cardiff ship-owner]
Stanton, Muriel. Looking back, Bideford, Muriel Stanton (1991) 41 pp. [ISBN: 0905991735] [Westcountry Studies Library: p920/STA] [Author lived in Appledore and Plymouth]
Northam Memorial Inscriptions, with name index and listing of full inscriptions, by David Gale.
Carter, B & C. Appledore Memorial Inscriptions. Swindon (1986). [SoG Library DE/M17]
Transcription of the 1871 Census entries for Northam College, by Betsy Rubel. Northam Census Returns for 1871:Name Index, Transcription - part 1, Transcription - part 2, and Transcription - part 3, by David Gale.
Transcriptions by David Carter, of the Appledore census for 1841 (300 kbytes), 1851 (400 kbytes), 1861 (396 kbytes), 1871 (420 kbytes), 1881 (384 kbytes) 1891 (440 kbytes) and 1901 (440 kbytes).
Ships in port at the 1881 Census, in Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and Northam, by Bob Sanders.
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, the 1861 and 1871 records for Northam Ridge, and the 1991 records for Appledore]
Gale, David W. Northam Parish Church, Northam, The Church (1989) 48 pp. [Text]
Gibbs, N.M. Holy Trinity Church, Westward Ho!, (n.d.) 5p. [Westcountry Studies Library 726.5/WES/GIB]
Hart, Rev. Maurice. Celebrating a Century: The Interesting Story of the People called Methodists in a Place called Northam, Church Council, Northam Methodist Church (1978) 40 p.
Yeo, Fr. Lester. St Mary's Church, Appledore: 150 years of Anglican worship and witness 1838 to 1988, [Appledore], St Mary's Church (1988) 20 pp. [Barnstaple Library 726.5/APP/YEO]
Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1542 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):
Christenings (1538-1836) and marriages (1606-1836) have been entered into the IGI.
Index to Northam Marriages (1748-1812), by David Gale.
Detailed Extracts of Northam Marriages (1748-1812), covering marriages where the husband was apparently from elswehere originally, by David Gale.
Northam Baptisms (1748-1788) - Names A-K and Names L-Y, by David Gale.
Northam Baptisms 1789-1806, Northam Baptisms 1807-1820 Northam Baptisms 1821-1831 and Northam Baptisms 1832-1841 transcribed by Elizabeth Howard.
Northam Marriages 1813-1821, Northam Marriages 1822-1829, and Northam Marriages 1830-1837, transcribed by Elizabeth Howard.
Northam Burials 1748-1764, Northam Burials 1765-1784, Northam Burials 1785-1817, and Northam Burials 1818-1841, transcribed by Elizabeth Howard.
Appledore Baptisms, Marriages and Burials (276 kbytes), transcribed by David Carter.
Transcription of an Obligation Bond, relating to the marriage of William Nicholls to Margaret Ellis (4 Sep 1746), by David Carter.
Wickes, M.J.L. Appledore Independent Church (now United Reformed): baptisms 1755- 1860. Appledore: Michael Wickes (1994) 25p.
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.]
The Northam web-site provides general and historical information about the villages of Northam, Appledore and Westward Ho!
The Instow website - comprehensive guide to Instow and its history.
Extract from Murray's "Handbook for Travellers in Devonshire" (1879), describing Westward Ho! and Appledore.
Bowen, David. A Devonshire village - Appledore. Devon Life vol. 5 no. 40, (1969) pp.42-44; ill.
Emneth, Elmand. Round about the Kingsley country: Bideford, Northam, Westward Ho! and Appledore, London, (1927?) 24, xxxvp: ill, map. [Westcountry Studies Library: pB/BID/1927/EMN]
Lauder, Rosemary Anne. Westward Ho! to Welcombe, Bideford, North Devon, North Devon Books (1994) 70 pp.
Lauder, Rosemary Anne. Bideford, Appledore, Instow & Westward Hol!: a guide, Bideford, North Devon Books (1996) 48p: ill. [ISBN: 0952864509]
Melville, Nigel. Tidal range: ebb and flow in Appledore, Appledore, Odun Books (1990) 79p: ill, maps [ISBN 1873129009] [Westcountry Studies Library pB/APP/1991/MEL]
Pearson, Cyril Arthur. Pearson's Gossipy Guide to Ilfracombe, Clovelly, Lynton, and Lynmouth, Combmartin, Barnstaple, Westward Ho!, Bideford and the North Devon coast, London, C.A. Pearson & Co. Ltd (c1901) 159 pp. [BM 10358.cc.59]
Transcription of an extract from an 1857 Directory with a description of the parish and village of Northam, with East and West Appledore, and a list of clergy, gentry, professions, trades, etc.
Transcription of complete entry in White's Devonshire Directory of 1850.
Transcriptions provided by Val Henderson of the Northam, Westward Ho! and the Appledore entries (descriptions and names) in Morris and Co's Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire 1870.
Wilson's Almanack & Directory of Bideford, Northam & Westward Ho, Bideford, Wilson Bros (1900) 106 pp. [Available on CD from JiGrah Resources, 85 Heythrop Drive, Acklam, Middlesborough, TS5 8QX]
The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.
The Online Parish Clerk scheme's representative for this parish is Paul Evans, who invites queries and lookup requests.
Northam Persons - an extensive listing by David Gale of details from: Newspapers, Voters List, Deeds, Wills, Charities; etc.
Appledore 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.
Kelly, Mary. The Langdon family of Georgeham, Braunton, Northam and Heanton Punchardon, North Devon, England, Moggill, Queensland, M. Kelly (1994?) 1 vol: ill, maps. [Westcountry Studies Library px929.2/LAN]
Slawson, Daphne. Kelly Family, Devon Family Historian, vol. 134, (2010) p.13.
Brannan, James. Sad Boating Fatality at Appledore, Devon Family Historian, vol. 142, (2012) pp.4-5. [Drowning of Thomas Sharland Brannan and William Tyler in 1882]
Beara, John. Appledore: handmaid of the sea. Appledore: John Beara (1976) 52p: ill, map. (North Devon Museum Trust. Handbook 3)
Bradford, David Charles. The development of Westward Ho!, a small popular resort in North Devon, between the years 1860 and 1916. Southampton: Univ of Southampton (1977) 74p: maps, plans. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx305/WES/BRA]
Carter, David. Illustrated history of Appledore: including an account of one of its families [Slade], 'Docton Court', 2 Myrtle Street, Appledore, Bideford, Devon, EX39 1PH, D. Carter (2000) 200 pp. [Index]
Carter, David. Illustrated history of Appledore 2: its life and people, 'Docton Court', 2 Myrtle Street, Appledore, Bideford, Devon, EX39 1PH, D. Carter (2009) 240 pp. [Index]
Chanter, J.F. Borough, or Borrough, in Northam and its inhabitants. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 58, (1926) pp.193-208. [Borough, Leigh, Berry, Downe and Barton families]
Davis, Corinna, M. A Short History of Northam. Ilfracombe: A.H. Stockwell (1967) [Westcountry Studies Library - B/NOR 1/0001/DAV]
Grant, Alison. The history of Instow to mark the millennium, Honeytone Promotions (1999) 196 pp.
Howlett, Neil M. Family and household in a nineteenth century Devon village, Local population studies, vol. 30, (Spring 1983) pp.42-48. [Westcountry Studies Library px301.32/APP/HOW]
Mayo, Ronald. The story of Westward Ho! - from fashionable watering-place to self-service resort. (2nd. ed.) Barnstaple: R.Mayo (1981) 43p: ill, map. [Westcountry Studies Library - pB/WES 7/0001/MAY]
Dickinson, Michael. An Early Crew List From the Newfoundland Trade; The Prosperous of Appledore in 1739. In Devon Documents (ed. T. Gray). Tiverton: Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, Special Issue (1996) [ISBN 0925836203] pp.49-52.
Greenhill, Basil. A quayside camera 1845-1917, Newton Abbot, David & Charles (1975) 112 pp. [ISBN 0715368850] [Barnstaple Library 387.22/APP/GRE]
Greenhill, B. and Giffard, Ann. Women Under Sail (Contains: Two Sailors's wives of Appledore; sea-log written on a passage from Newport to Quebec in 1860 by Thomazene Williams; and My Mother - the story of Ann Slade, 1865-1964, told by W.J. Slade.) (1970) [Plymouth Library]
Harris, Len. A two hundred year history of Appledore shipyards. (Hargill Partners, Rotapress-Printers, 1992, vi, 117 p., 8 plates: ill. ISBN: 0950991732 (pbk).
Heaton, P.M. Reardon Smith line: the history of a South Wales shipping venture, Risca, Starling Press (1984) 133 p. [ISBN 0950771430] [Westcountry Studies Library s920/SMI]
Lowry, C.C. The story of R.N.L.I. Appledore 1825-1975: Braunton Burrows 1848-1919. Northam Burrows 1852-1897, Hartland, Jamaica Press (1975) 40 pp. [Barnstaple Library 363.12381/BT: APP/LOW]
Nix, M. A Maritime History of the Ports of Bideford and Barnstaple. Ph.D. Thesis, Univesity of Leicester (1991), 527p. [WCSL 387/BID/NIX] [Chap. 12 is mainly on Appledore.]
W.J. Slade. Out of Appledore: the autobiography of a coasting shipmaster and shipowner in the last days of the wooden coasting ships (Ed. and with a Preface by Basil Greenhill), London, Percival Marshall, 1959, 127 pp. [Index]"The book is the life story of a British coasting seaman, shipmaster, and shipowner, in the last years of small wooden merchant sailing ships, written by himself. It is a unique record, a first-hand account of a very old way of life which has now completely vanished, and which is very much part of the history of Britain." (From the Preface)
Action at Appledore. Devon Life vol. 1 no. 1, (1965) pp.16-23; ill. [Lifeboat Service]
Listing of names from various 19th Century Northam directories, compiled by David Gale.
Boyle, Vernon C. Arts and crafts of an old seaport. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 80, (1948) pp.137-145, 12p of plates.
Newcombe, John. A memorable landmark. Devon Life vol. 7 no. 56 (1971) pp.38-41; ill. [Shipbuilding]
Index to some eighty Northam Estate Duty Office wills, provided by David Gale.
Will of William Whithear (1811), transcribed by Janet Few.
Wills of Thomas Docton (1619), Peter Docton (1715), William Docton (1736), Nicholas Docton of Whitleigh, St Budeaux (1737), Dorothy Docton (1748), Mary Hooper (1806), and Benjamin Rooke (1808), transcribed by David Carter.
Grant, Alison. A is for Appledore: education in a Devon maritime community. North Devon Museum Trust (1993) 66 pp. ill., facsims., maps. [ISBN: 0950401854 (pbk)] [Appledore County Primary School].
Beresford, George Charles. Schooldays with Kipling; with a preface by General Dunsterville (Stalky), London, Gollancz (1936) 319p, plates: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library 920/KIP]
Tapp, H.A. United Services College 1874-1911: A Short Account of Rudyard Kipling's School at Westward Ho!, [Devon FHS Library p942.35/WES] (1933).
Appledore Historical Society website.
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Last updated: 14 Dec 2012 - Brian Randell
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