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PARKHAM

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"PARKHAM (ST. JAMES), a parish, in the union of BIDEFORD, hundred of SHEBBEAR, Great Torrington and N. divisions of DEVON, 6 miles (S. W.) from Bideford; containing 995 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the shore of the Bristol Channel, by which it is bounded on the north, and comprises 5330 acres, whereof 1426 are waste; the surrounding scenery is strikingly diversified, and the views are interesting and extensive, embracing the Welsh coast, Lundy Island, Clovelly, Hartland Point, and Bideford Bar. Lime is extensively burned; and excellent sand for manure is obtained on the beach. . . The church has an enriched Norman door. Two schools are supported by subscription. Bableigh, in the parish, was long held by the family of Risdon, of which the county historian of that name was a member." [From Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England (1844)]
A parish in Shebbear Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

General information:

Biography

Reichel, Oswald J.; Rose-Troup, Frances. Walter de Clopton. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 11:1, (1920) pp.41-42. [See vol.10, p.321, par.315.] [Clergy, -1347]
Jacob, George. Looking back with George Jacob on Parkham and Bideford of years ago. Printed by the Bideford Gazette Ltd, 5 Grenville St, Bideford (undated) 49 pp. [Index]

Cemeteries

MIs for this parish are included in the NDA North Devon index - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.

Census

Transcriptions of the Parkham Census for 1841 and 1861, provided by Elizabeth Glover Howard.

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 Records

Parish Registers going back to 1537 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 1537 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library - for details see Parish Registers in the Devon & Cornwall Record Society's Collection.

Transcriptions of Parkham Baptisms 1813-1843, Marriages 1813-1882, and Burials 1813-1871, provided by Elizabeth Glover Howard, and made available here by kind permission of the incumbent, Rev. Phil Goodey.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Marriages 1537-1837, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their book list.

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.]

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

Genogold provides a search service for Parkham PRs. [This service is currently being redeveloped and so is non-operational.]

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1537-1812, Marriages 1813-1837.
Dredge, J.I. The Rectors of Parkham. Notes and Gleanings - Devon and Cornwall 1 (1888) pp.10-13 and 24-25.
Dredge, J.I. The Registers of Parkham, 1537-1812, Devon & Cornwall Record Soc. (Old Series) A2. (1906). [With list of contributors to Poor Rate in 1640.] [Full text]
Riley, Henry Thomas. The manuscripts of the parish of Parkham, North Devon. IN: Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. London (1874) 32 cm. Fourth report. Appendix, pp. 468-469

Parkham Church Rate for 1674 and 1675, transcribed by Arthur Dark.

Directories

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

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

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 Elizabeth Glover Howard, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs 1537-1812 1841, 61 census.)

Janet Few is conducting a One-Place Study of the village of Bucks Mill (which is partly also in the parish of West Woolfardisworthy), and invites anyone researching in this village to contact her.

Bates, I.M. Tardew, a history of the Tardew family around the world: Descendants of Philip and Prudence of Parkham, N. Devon (1997). [ISBN 09587021] [DFHS Library]
Dark, Arthur. A North Devon family: a family history of some of the descendants of the Darks of Parkham. [s.l.]: A. Dark (1986) 130p: ill, maps. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx929.2/DAR]
Dark, Arthur. Dark of Parkham. CD-ROM, Arthur Dark (2004). [Supersedes A North Devon Family (1986) - obtainable from the author.]
Jackson, Patricia. Two Devonians Meet and Marry in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Devon Family Historian, vol. 138, (2011) pp.26-27. [Henry James Kivell and Beatrice Mary Day Glover, both from Parkham families]

History

The Parkham Murder, by Elizabeth Glover Howard - based on newspaper acounts of the murder in 1871 of Anthony Clements.

Few, Rebecca and Few, Janet. Who lived in Cottages like these - the inhabitants of Bucks Mills, Braund Society (2003) 83pp. [Index]
Jacob, George. Looking back on Parkham and Bideford of years ago. Bideford: Bideford Gazette (1970) 46p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - B/PAR 3/1900/JAC]

Land and Property

Transcription of Parkham Land Tax for 1780, 1800 and 1830, provided by Elizabeth Glover Howard.

Transcription of Parkham-Related Deeds, from John Tingey's Index to aCalendar of Deeds Enrolled Within the County of Devon 1536 - 1673, provided by Elizabeth Glover Howard.

Names, Personal

Transcription of the Parkham Protestation Returns (1641), provided by Elizabeth Glover Howard.

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

Newspapers

Hartland Chronicle newspaper articles - search facility.

Probate Records

Will of William Braund (1811), transcribed by Janet Few.

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Last updated: 19 May 2012 - Brian Randell

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