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WOOLFARDISWORTHY, WEST

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"WOOLFARDISWORTHY, a parish, in the union of BIDEFORD, hundred of HARTLAND, Great Torrington and N. divisions of DEVON, 9½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Bideford; containing 988 inhabitants. This parish, which reaches to the sea-coast, comprises about 6000 acres: stone of good quality for building is extensively quarried, and shipped from Bideford to various places. The village, which extends into the adjoining parish, is chiefly inhabited by fishermen, who are also employed in carrying sand from the shore for the use of farmers in dressing the lands; there is also a fishing-hamlet in the parish, situated on the same bay as Clovelly and where a commodious quay might easily be formed. Two fairs for cattle are annually held. . . The church has an enriched Norman doorway and font, and contains a monument to the Cole family. There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans." [From Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of England (1844)]
A parish in the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

General information:

Cemeteries

MIs for the parish church (All Hallows) and for St Anne, Bucks Mills, are included in the NDA North Devon index - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.

Census

Transcriptions by Kathy Miller of the 1841 census (Enumeration District 12 and Enumeration District 13) and the 1871 census (Enumeration District 5, and Enumeration District 6) for Woolfardisworthy.
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 History

Harding, T.J. Woolsery church. [Woolfardisworthy]: [Church?] (1978) 13p: ill, plan. [Westcountry Studies Library - p726.5/WOO/HAR]
Harding, T.J. Woolsery Church: The Parish Church of All Hallows, Woolfardisworthy West. Hartland, Devon, Jamaica Press (printer) (1995) 12 pp.

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1723 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 1723, and of the Bishops' Transcripts going back to 1608, 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 1607-1812, Marriages 1607-1632, 1670-1699 and 1710-1812. (These entries are in part from Bishops' Transcripts.)
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.]

Description and Travel

Woolsery Community Website.

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 Ida Birch, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs; Land Tax returns; School register, etc.)

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

Braund, Len W. A race apart: the Braunds of Bucks and elsewhere. [Bideford?]: L.W.Braund (1994) [2], 78p: ill, geneal tables. [Westcountry Studies Library - p929.2/BRA]
Ching, Dale. A history of Chings: descendents of William and Mary Ching of Woolfardisworthy, Devonshire. Canada: D.Ching & E.Jonescue (1993) vi, 431p: ill, maps. [ISBN 155056188x]
Devonia Cornwall. Yeo, of Woolfardisworthy. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 11:5, (1921) pp.145-146. [See also vol.11, pp.156-158, 208-209.]

History

Downes, John T. Woolfardisworthy and district and the Domesday Book. Bideford: Community College (1982) 17p. [Westcountry Studies Library - p333.322/WOO/DOW]
Few, Rebecca and Few, Janet. Who lived in Cottages like these - the inhabitants of Bucks Mills, Braund Society (2003) 83pp.
Vanstone, R.E. Bucks Mills, (198-) 8 pp. [Barnstaple Library BT: BUC 9/0001/VAN]
Hubbard-Fielder, Duncan. The story of Bucks Mills and Bucks Cross. Barnstaple: Aycliffe Press (1980) 28p: ill, map.

Land and Property

Spreadsheet transcriptions of the Tithe Apportionments - Part 1 and Part 2.

Manors

Chope, R. Pearse. West Town, alias West Woolfardisworthy. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 6:3, 1910 pp.95. [Tenants, 1566-1779. See vol.6, p.51, par.39.]

Names, Personal

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

Newspapers

Hartland Chronicle newspaper articles - search facility.

Probate Records

Devonia Cornwall. Yeo of Woolfardisworthy. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 11 (1920-21) pp.145-146. [Raymond: Notes from the will of Thomas Yeo.]

Schools

Griffiths, C.B. If these walls could only speak [the story of Woolfardisworthy School in North Devon]. Woolfardisworthy: The School? [1970] 54p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - 372/WOO/GRI] [Raymond: Includes list of inhabitants, 1850 and 1857; list of teachers and vicars, and list of evacuees, 1939-45.]

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Last updated: 9 Apr 2012 - Brian Randell

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