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BRANSCOMBE PARISH, COLYTON HUNDRED, DEVON, 1850

from White's Gazetteer

Colyton Hundred is an irregularly formed district, averaging about six miles in breadth, and eight in length, and bounded on the south by the English Channel, on the west by East Budleigh Hundred, Ottery St. Mary and the borough of Honiton, and on the north and east by Axminster Hundred. It is in the Southern Division of Devon, in Honiton Polling District, and in Axminster and Honiton Unions, County Court Districts, and Petty Sessional Divisions. It is in the Archdeaconry of Exeter, and all in Honiton Deanery, except Branscombe, which is in Aylesbeare Deanery. The following numeration of lts eleven parishes shews their population in 1841, and their territorial extent.

Parishes        Acres       Pop.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Branscombe ......   3422 ..       956
* Colyton ........  8000 .       2451
Cotleigh ........   1218 .        269
Farway.........     2578 ..       376
Leigh (North)....    994 ...      252
Leigh (South) ...   2579 ..       357
Monkton ........    2090 ..       141
Offwell .........   2206          438 
* Seaton &                765
* Beer...       4120         1231
*Shute          2738          683
Widwortby .......   1437 ..       257
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total....       31,382      8,176

Those marked * are in Axminster Union, and all the
other 8 parishes are in Honiton Union. These Unions are County Court Districts.

BRANSCOMBE, a pleasant village, on the coast of the English channel, at the mouth of a rivulet, 5 miles E. by N. of Sidmouth and S. W. of Colyton, has in its parish 956 souls, and 3422 acres 3 rods 18 perches of land, including Dean and Weston hamlets, and many scattered houses. The Dean and Chapter of Exeter are lords of the manor, owners of most of the soil, appropriators of the great tithes, and patrons of the vicarage, valued in K.B. at £18. 15s. 10d., and in 1831 at £190, and now enjoyed by the Rev. S. H. Peppin, B.A., has 10 acres of glebe, and an ancient residence, mantled with ivy and vines. The great tithes were commuted in 1843, for £242, and the vicarial for £225 per annum. The Church (St. Winifred) is a cruciform Gothic structure, with a tower and five bells. The Stuckey and Bartlett families were long seated at Weston Barton, as lessees of the manor; and Edge Barton was anciently the seat of the Branscombes, one of whom was sheriff of the county for five years, in the reign of Edward III. Many women and girls in this neighbourhood are employed in making lace, and here are quarries of excellent freestone. The Wesleyans have a small chapel in the village.

Bartlett Joel, builder
Croom John, butcher
Dean Edward, blacksmith
Ferrar Lieut. Wm. Augustus, R.N.
Gill John, carpenter
Peppin Rev Sydenham Hy., B.A. vicar
Prescott Wm. baker and vict. Mason's Arms
Tucker John, Lace manutacturer
Williams John, butcher
Williams Wm. tailor

FARMERS

Bastyan Thos., Lower Weston
Basleigh Chas.
Brown John, Mill
Burrough Wm. Higher Weston.
Butter John, Weston
Cross James
Croom Thomas
Dawe James
Dean Ellis B.
Ford John
Ford Nicholas
Harding Wm.
Newberry Wm.
Page James
Pyle Thomas Power Robert, Elverway
Richards John
Spiller Abraham
Spiller Robert
Spiller Robert, jun
Studley Henry
Tucker John

Copyright © 1997-2000 Ronald Branscombe

Brian Randell, 19 Dec 2001