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SHEBBEAR

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"SHEBBEAR, the village which gives name to this hundred is on the northern acclivity of the Torridge valley, 7½ miles W.N.W. of Hatherleigh, and has in its parish 1160 souls, and 5826 acres of land, including many scattered farms, and the hamlet of Cott. Lord Clinton is lord of the manor, but most of the soil belongs to the Rev. T.H. Kingdon, and the Hearn, Hayset, Reed, Walter, Stevens, Coham, and other families. The Church (St Lawrence,) is a small structure, with a tower and five bells, and was appropriated to Tor Abbey. ... The Baptists, Wesleyans, and Bible Christians have chapels here, and there is a National School in the parish." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]
A parish in Shebbear Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

General information:

Biography

Bourne, Frederick William. The centenary life of James Thorne of Shebbear. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. (1895) 179p: ill, ports.
Dymond, G.P. Thomas Ruddle of Shebbear: a North Devon Arnold. London: Henry Hooks (1913)
Ruddle, Thomas. Samuel Thomas Thorne minister of the gospel...and missionary to Yun-Nan in Southwestern China. London: Bible Christian Mission. (1893) [12], 131p: ill.
Shorney, David. James Thorne and the Bible Christians, Devon Family Historian, no. 100, (Nov 2001) pp.12-16.
Thorne, J. James Thorne of Shebbear: a memoir compiled...by his son. London: Bible Christians Book (1873) 312p: ill.
Thorne, J. James Thorne of Shebbear: a memoir compiled...by his son. Appledore: Michael Wickes [1989] 7p.: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - px920/THO]
James Thorne, 21 Septemer 1795 - 28 January 1872, Devon Family Historian, vol. 99, (2001) pp.21-23. [A detailed chronology of the life of the prominent Bible Christian preacher]
Wickes, Michael. Man of Shebbear. Typescript (1988) 125p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx920/THO] [James Thorne]

Cemeteries

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

Listing of surnames on gravestones in St. Michael and All Angel's churchyard.

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

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]
Transcription of the 1871 Census entries for Shebbear Christian School, by Betsy Rubel.

Church History

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

The Bible Christian Project is collecting information on the founders of this movement and their descendants.

The Bible Christians of Shebbear in North Devonshire by John Ritchings. (Includes a detailed listing of Bible Christian Chapels in Devon, and a Burial Register Lake Chapel, Shebbear, for 1821-1890.)

Church Records

Note: The details given in White's 1850 Dictionary about the Parish Church, quoted above, would seem to be incorrect - the church is quite large and, according to Hoskins' Devon (David and Charles, 1954) is dedicated to St. Michael.

Parish Registers going back to 1576 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 1576, and of the Bishop's Transcripts going back to 1597, 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):

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1576-1837 and Marriages 1576-1837 (entries in part from Bishops' Transcripts); Bible Christian Chapel Christenings 1818-1837.

Transcription of Shebbear Bible Christian Baptisms 1818-37 by Elizabeth Howard.

Wickes, Michael J.L. (transcr.). Shebbear Bible Christian Circuit: baptisms register 1818-1845, Appledore, M.J.L. Wickes (1991) 66 pp. [Barnstaple Library 929.32875/BT/WIC]
Register Book of the Baptisms in Shebbear Circuit, The Arminian Bible Christians. [RG/4/339] [Covers 29 March 1818 to 10 Sep 1837]
The Deanery of Torrington - An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Ashreigny, Beaford, Buckland Filleigh, Dolton, Dowland, Great Torrington, Huish, Iddesleigh, Langtree, Little Torrington, Meeth, Merton, Newton St. Petrock, Peters Marland, Petrockstowe, Roborough, Shebbear, Sheepwash, St. Giles in the Wood and Winkleigh. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850. CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2010) . [Ashreigny Bapt: 1813-1838, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Beaford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Buckland Filleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Dolton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1838, Bur: 1813-1837; Dowland Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1840, Bur: 1742-1837; Great Torrington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Huish Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Iddesleigh Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Langtree Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Little Torrington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Meeth Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Merton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Newton St. Petrock Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Peters Marland Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Petrockstowe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Roborough Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Shebbear Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Sheepwash Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1838, Bur: 1813-1837; St Giles in the Wood Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Winkleigh Bapt: 1813-1853, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837.]

Court Records

Register of Freeholders - Shebbear, Sherwill And Southmolton c1816, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D133). [Foreword]

Description and Travel

Shebbear and Buckland Filleigh community website.

Photographs and various information items are provided in Dick Bolt's Devon England Supplement page (archived copy).

Directories

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

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 Shirley Rumbles, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: Quance transcriptions BMB.)

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. extracts from PRs.]
Pedigree of Harington, Co. Cornwall, and of Worden in Shebbear, Co. Devon, Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica. N.S, 3, 1880, pp. 333-6. [17-18th c.]
The Haringtons of North Devon, descending from those of Somerset, Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica (New Series), 3, 1880, 333 & 346-8. [Raymond: 16-17th c., includes pedigree, entries from the parish register of Shebbear, monumental inscriptions and parish register extracts relating to the Rous family of Landrake, Cornwall.]

History

Ackland, Ron. Shebbear 2000: A Millenium Celebration, (2000). [DFHS 942.3 5/SHE]
Oliver, B.W. Some Notes on Shebbear and Durpley Castle. Trans. Dev. Assoc. 80 (1948) pp. 159-166, 3p. of plates, ill, map.
Williams, H. Fulford. Notes on the Parish of Shebbear, Devon. Typescript (1964) 8 leaves. [Westcountry Studies Library]

Land and Property

Reichel, Oswald J. The hundred of Shebbear in early times. Trans. Devonshire Association (1938) pp.533-584.

Names, Personal

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

Probate Records

Transcription of the will of Amos Parsons (1850), provided by Sheila Howard.

Will of James Paige (1813), transcribed by Roy Drew.

Schools

Shebbear College (founded in 1841) - web-site.
Brown, David R. Shebbear Village School 1877-1977: The first one hundred years. Bideford: Poly Press (1977). [Raymond: Includes full lists of staff, pupils and managers, etc.]
Fairchild, Tony (ed.). A School apart: a history of Shebbear College. Shebbear, Devon: Old Shebbearians Association,1987, xv, 219 pp. ill., ports. ; 26 cm. ISBN: 0951193406. [Raymond: Includes various lists of names.]
Hutchinson, Victor W. A Village School Chronicle 1879-1979. Sticklepath: Sticklepath School Fund (1979). [Raymond: Many names, including some biographical notes.]
Pyke, Richard. The story of Shebbear College. Exeter: W.Chudley & Son (1953) 100p, plates: ill, ports.
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Last updated: 29 Aug 2012 - Brian Randell

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