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WEST DOWN

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"DOWN, (WEST) a pleasant village, on a bold acclivity, near a rivulet, 6 miles N.N.W. of Barnstaple, has in its parish 637 souls, and 4059 acres of land, including the small hamlets of Willincott, Dean, and Trimstone. Anthony Loveland, Esq., is lord of the manor of Bradwell; and Dr. Yeo is lord of that of Stowford, which was the seat of Bishop Stowford, who built Pilton bridge. The Langdon, Parminter, Griffiths, Coats, and other families have estates here. The Church (Holy Trinity,) is an ancient fabric, and the living is a vicarage, valued in K.B. at £8. 14s. 9d., and in 1831 at £211, in the patronage of the Bishop of Exeter, and the incumbency of the Rev. H.J. Drury. . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]
A parish in Braunton Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

General information:

Cemeteries

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

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]

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1582 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 1583 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.

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1583-1812 and Marriages 1584-1812.

Brock, Bob and Ann. From Cradle to Grave 1900-1919, 20 years of Birth, Marriage and Death Notices Taken from the 'North Devon Journal' for the parishes of Ashford, Bittadon, Heanton Punchardon, Georgeham, Marwood, Morthoe and West Down Braunton Museum, The Bakehouse Centre, Caen Street, Braunton, N. Devon EX33 1AA (2002?) 60p.

Description and Travel

West Down Community Website.

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 Maureen Carroll, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: Baptisms 1746-1812, marriages 1747-1837, burials 1746-1849.)

Dennys, R. Cheglinch, in the parish of West Down, Devon, Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 23 (1), 1947, pp. 24-6.
Pyne, Frederick Wallace. The John Pyne family in America being the comprehensive genealogical record of the descendants of John Pyne (1766-1813) of Charleston. Baltimore: Gateway Press (1992) xx, 204p: ill. ISBN 0963253905.

History

Thomas, Margaret. West Down: a history and memories of the past. Twitchen, Twitchen Farm, West Down: Margaret Thomas,1995, 271 pp. ill., 1 facsim., 1 map, ports. ISBN: 0952633701 (pbk).

Names, Personal

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

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Last updated: 12 Dec 2011 - Brian Randell

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