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Lynton

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"LYNTON, or Linton, 18 miles W. of Minehead, and N.E. by N. of Barnstaple, is one of the most fascinating villages on the north coast of Devon, picturesquely seated on a high hill immediately above the little seaport, fishing station, and delightful bathing place of LYNMOUTH, which lies on the shore of the Bristol Channel, at the feet of august rocky hills, . . . The parish of Lynton is subject to the port of Barnstaple and contains 1027 inhabitants and about 7000 acres of land including Lynmouth, Ilkerton, many scattered houses and a large tract of high moorland hills and wastes, . . . There are three good Inns at Lynton, and another at Lynmouth, where there are salt-water baths, a library, a fancy repository, a billiard room, and a small quay. Both villages have been much improved in the last twenty years, and they now contain many neat villas and commodious lodging houses for the numerous visitors who throng hither in summer, to enjoy the sea air and bathing, and the magnificant scenery of the neighbourhood. The rivers produce trout and salmon, and there is a herring fishery in the channel. The Rev. Thomas Roe is lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the parish. The Church (St. Mary), has a tower and three bells, and was enlarged by the addition of two aisles in 1817 and 1833. The perpetual curacy, valued at £120, is united with that of Countesbury, in the patronage of the Archdeacon of Barnstaple, and incumbency of the Rev. Matthew Mundy, M.A. . . The National School was established in 1818, and a new building was erected for it in 1844. A handsome Independent Chapel was built here in 1850, in the early English style, at the cost of about £400." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Shirlwell Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and Diocese of Exeter, 14 miles N.E. of Ilfracombe, which had 792 inhabitants in 1831. Acording to Peskett, Lynmouth chapel of ease was transferred to Countisbury in 1886.

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Archives & Libraries

Information about the Lyn and Exmoor Museum, Lynton, can be found at the Devon Museums web-site.

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Biography

Adams, Maxwell. Sir George Newnes, Bart. [Obituary]. Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol.  XLII, (1910), p.50. [Transcript]

Browning, Lynn. Legend of de Wichehalse of Ley in the Parish of Lynton, North Devon, Devon Family Historian, vol. 132, (2009) pp.5-8. [Concerning Sir Edward de Wichehalse, and the Monmouth Rebellion]

Harpley, W. William Halliday Halliday, M.A. (Oxon), D.L, J.P. [Obituary] Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. XXX, (1898), pp. 43-44. [Transcript]

Hurcomb, William Edward. Life and diary of W.E.Hurcomb. [London]: [Saunders] (1928) 2 vols, plates. [Westcountry Studies Library - 920/HUR]

Lane, Michael R. Baron Marks of Woolwich: international entrepreneur, engineer, patent agent and politician (1858-1938) London: Quiller Press (1986) 146p: ill. [ISBN 0907621775] (Lynmouth cliff railway)

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Cemeteries

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

Dwelly, E. (ed.). Devon M. I. vol. 1., being all the monumental inscriptions in the parishes of Countisbury, Brendon, Martinhoe, etc. pp. v. 226. E. Dwelly: Fleet, (1918). 8o. BL 9918.aaa.1. [SoG Library]

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Census

Snetzler, M.F. North Devon Surname Index to the Census. Microfiche: M.F. Snetzler. [Covers 1841, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census records for this parish]

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1568 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1569 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library - for details see Parish Registers in the Devon & Cornwall Record Society's Collection (archived copy).

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1813-1838 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

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

  • Wesleyan Chapel: Registers for c1807-37 - see Barnstaple Circuit (PRO RG 4/954)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1569-1845 and Marriages 1591-1850.

Chanter, J.F. Documents relating to the above parishes. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 38, (1906) pp.225-254.

The Miscellaneous Series of IHGS Parish Registers, The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, 79-82 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BA.: CD-ROM (n.d.). [The Devon section of contains: Marriages: Berrynarber 1540-1783, Bridgerule 1702-1753, Chardstock 1597-1837, Challacombe 1599-1621 and 1673-1837, Farringdon 1620-1788, Lynton 1591-1837, Pinhoe 1687-1837, Plymouth 1653-1674, Plymstock 1591-1812, Rewe 1686-1836, Witheridge 1646-1837.] [Also LDS Film 90711]

An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Arlington, Ashford, Berrynarbor, Bittadon, Bratton Fleming, Braunton, Brendon, Challacombe, Charles, Combe Martin, Countisbury, East Buckland, East Down, Georgeham, Goodleigh, Heanton Punchardon, High Bray, Ilfracombe, Kentisbury, Loxhore, Lynton, Martinhoe, Marwood, Mortehoe, Parracombe, Shirwell, Stoke Rivers, Trentishoe, West Buckland and West Down. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Directory (1850) and Kelly's Directory of Devonshire (1902), CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2015). [Arlington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1814-1837; Ashford Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1747-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Berrynarbor Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Bittadon Bapt: 1813-1843, Mar: 1754-1835, Bur: 1815-1843; Bratton Fleming Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; Braunton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Brendon Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Challacombe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1822-1848; Charles Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Combe Martin Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Countisbury Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; East Buckland Bapt: 1813-1838, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1813-1839; East Down Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1839, Bur: 1813-1852; Georgeham Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Goodleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Heanton Punchardon Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; High Bray Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1756-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Ilfracombe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Kentisbury Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1841, Bur: 1813-1837; Loxhore Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Lynton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1838; Martinhoe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Marwood Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Mortehoe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1750-1837; Parracombe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1598-1838, Bur: 1813-1838; Shirwell Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Stoke Rivers Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Trentishoe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; West Buckland Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1851; West Down Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1840.]

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Description & Travel

Visit Lynton and Lynmouth - a web site providing historical as well as tourist information.

Section on Lynton from Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831), provided by Mel Lockie.

Banfield, J., of Ilfracombe, Eng., pub. A guide to Ilfracombe, Lynton, Clovelly, and the neighbouring towns, comprehending a general sketch of the history & objects most worthy of remark in that part of the north of Devon. (A new ed. illustrated with a map of the north of Devon and a plan of the town.) Ilfracombe, Printed by J. Banfield, 1840, xvi, 106 pp. incl. tab. front. (fold. map) plan. 17 cm.

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]

Riddell, William. Twiss and Son's guide to Lynton and Lynmouth. Ilfracombe: Twiss & Son [1864] 38p , map. [Westcountry Studies Library - sDEV/1864/RID]

Presland, John. Lynton and Lynmouth: a pageant of cliff & moorland, London: Chatto & Windus (1917) vii,200p,plates: col.ill.

Riddell, William. Lynton, Lynmouth And The Lorna Doone Country. Homeland Handbooks [c1900] 71p , map.

A pictorial and descriptive guide to Lynton, Lynmouth, Minehead, Exmoor and the land of "Lorna Doone". - 6th ed. London: Ward, Lock and Co. [1908] 1 vol: ill, maps. [Westcountry Studies Library - sB/LYN 7/1906/PIC]

Journey to Lynton in A.D. 1628. Westcountry Life. Vol. 1 (1953) 24p: ill.

Guide to Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth, with Maps, London: Thomas Nelson & Sons (1908), illus, maps, 81 pp. [Index]

Lynton and Lynmouth: Illustrated Guide Book (8th. ed.) (1914). [Devon FHS Library 942.35/LYN]

Lynton and Lynmouth and district, forty six views. Ilfracombe: Twiss & Sons [1935] 34p. of pls.

You can see pictures of Lynton which are provided by:

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Directories

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

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

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Genealogy

The Online Parish Clerk scheme's representative for this parish is Marlene Ball, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PR fiche, 1841 index, 1861 index (to be completed).)

This parish 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.

Gardner, Helen Richards. Noall and Squire family research : proving the pedigree of Simon Noall, 1822, of St. Ives, Cornwall, England, and Rebecca Squire, 1825 of Lynton, Devon, England, Logan, Utah: H.R. Gardner, (1988) 138 pp. [LDS FHL BRITISH Film 1441072 Item 15]

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History

Bartlett, Tom. Postcard Views of North Devon, Volume I, Berrynarbor, Tower Books (1990) 96p. [ISBN 0946 290 16 4] [Coastline in old pictures from Saunton to Lynton & Lynmouth, including Ilfracombe]

Brown, G.A., Prideaux, J.D.C. and Radcliffe, H.G. The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, (1980) 134 p.

Chanter, J.F. On Certain Documents Relating to the History of Lynton and Countisbury. Trans. Devon Assoc. 38 (1906) pp.225-254.

Chanter, John F. The parishes of Lynton and Countisbury. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 38, (1906), plates: illus, maps, pp. 114-168, 169-224. [Index to Part 1, Index to Part 2]

Chanter, John F. The History of the Parishes of Lynton and Countisbury, their antiquities, manors, churches and families, and some account of the natural history and botany of the neighbourhood. J. G. Commin: Exeter, (1907). 192p, plates: ill, maps. BL 010358.k.19. [LDS film 1426109 Item 8] [Contains genealogies of Barbor; Wichehalse; Welsh; Dart; Salisbury; Venner; Lovering; Rolle; Acland; Popham; Berry and Knight families]

Chanter, The Rev. J.F. A Romano-British Inscribed Stone Between Parracombe and Lynton. Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 45, (1913), pp. 270-275. [Index]

Chaundy, Bob. The 'Unknown Girl' of Lynmouth. Family Tree Magazine, Vol. 26, No. 10 (Aug 2010) pp. 60-62 [An identified victim of the 1952 Lynmouth Flood - possibly a Gladys Lloyd.]

Cooper, T.H. Guide Containing a Short Historical Sketch of Lynton, Lynmouth, Ilfracombe, etc. (1853) [Westcountry Studies Library] [Index]

Dobbie, C.H. The Lynmouth flood of August 1952, Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng., vol. 2, no. 3, (1953) [Barnstaple Library 551.48/BN: LYN 7/DOB]

Delderfield, Eric R. The Lynmouth flood disaster. Exmouth: E.R.D. Publications (1974) 172p, pl: ill, maps.

Delderfield, Eric R. The book of Lynton & Lynmouth: a brief history of the romantic villages with illustrations and maps. Exmouth: ERD (1981) 59 pp. ill., 3 maps. ISBN: 0900345349 (pbk).

Harris, William Brown. Lynmouth flood 40 years on. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 124, (1992) pp.15-40 ill, maps, tables.

Loveless, John. Reflections: Lynton and Lynmouth old and new, Lynton: John Loveless (1989) [32]p: chiefly ill.

Mold, Ernest. Lynton and its coast: a brief history. Barnstaple: Green Apple (1992) 47 pp. ill., maps ; 22 cm. ISBN: 0951962205 (pbk).

Pearce, Brian. Lynton and Lynmouth: The Golden Years, Exmoor Books, Halsgrove House, Tiverton (2003). [ISBN: 086183402X]

Peck, Jacqueline. Not Just Lynmouth, Exmoor Magazine, vol. 11, (Summer 2000) pp.20-22. [On the 1952 flood and its effect on the villages on Exmoor above Lynmouth]

Travis, John. An illustrated history of Lynton and Lynmouth 1770-1914. Derby: Breedon Books (1995) 190p: ill, maps, ports. [ISBN 1859830234]

Travis, John. Lynton and Lynmouth: glimpses of the past. Derby: Breedon Books (1997) 192p: ill, maps, ports. [ISBN 1859830862]

Walker, George. Lynmouth flood. Devon Life vol. 5 no. 39, (1969) pp.22-23; ill.

Noved Revol. Our parish. London: J.M.Ouseley (n.d.) 120p.

The Illustrated London News. (August 23rd 1952) pp.273-312: ill. [Illustrations of the Lynmouth floods, 15 August 1952]

The Lyn Journal: a chronological record of the events which occurred in the parishes of Lynton, Lynmouth and Countisbury. Photocopy (1956) 2 vols. [Westcountry Studies Library - xB/LYN 3/0001/LYN]

Lynton and Lynmouth, H. C. Sheppard (c. 1905) 20 photographs

Lynton in the 19th Century: an isolated & exclusive resort, Local History Archives Unit, Hull College (1990). [SoG Library YK/PER]

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Land & Property

Hoar Oak cottage - blog by The Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage

Baldwin, Betty. The Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage, Devon Family Historian, vol. 147, (2013) pp.9-11.

Southey, John. Cherrybridge Lane, Devon Family Historian, vol. 133, (2010) p.21. [Cherrybridge Cottage, home of Richard and Charity Charley.]

Travis, John F. An Enclosure Dispute at Lynton in 1754. In Devon Documents (ed. T. Gray). Tiverton: Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, Special Issue (1996) [ISBN 0925836203] pp.190-196.

The Friends of Hoar Oak Cottage. Hoar Oak Cottage Archive, Devon Family Historian, vol. 151, (2013) p.15.

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Maps

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS720494 (Lat/Lon: 51.229392, -3.834602), Lynton which are provided by:

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Merchant Marine

The story of the 'Louisa' Lifeboat at Lynmouth (1899 - re-enacted 1999), provided by John Lerwill (archived copy).

Baker, William T. They took the lifeboat up the mountainside: the Lynmouth flood, 15th August 1952. Barnstaple: The author (1978) 16[4]p of pls. [Westcountry Studies Library - p551.48/LYN/BAK]

Hodges, C.Walter. The Overland launch. Exeter: Exmoor Books (1990) 111p: ill, map. [ISBN 0861831810] (Lifeboat services. 1899)

Loveless, John. The Lynmouth lifeboat: including the overland launch, Lynton, Lyndale Photographic (1994) [2], 30p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library p614.864/LYN/LOV]

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Names, Personal

Protestation Return of 1641/42 from Devon Heritage.

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

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Probate Records

Will of David Hill, Yeoman of Lynton (1802), provided by Mary Miller Brenzel.

Will of Charlotte Wickey of Lynmouth (1839), provided by Mary Miller Brenzel.