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Drewsteignton

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"DREWSTEIGNTON, a large village on the northern acclivity of Teign valley, 13 miles W. of Exeter, and 9 miles E. by S. of Okehampton, has in its parish 1315 souls, including 181 in the hamlet of TEIGNEHOLT, which has several scattered farms, houses, &c. The parish also includes part of the village of Crockernwell ... and contains 6938A. 1R. 22 ½P. of land, extending westward to the borders of Dartmoor. About 6506 acres are rateable, and the rest are roads, wastes, and river. The rateable annual value is £5406, and the gross rental £7285. The parish abounds in fine scenery of rocks and woods. Drewsteignton Lime Rock Quarries are worked extensively by Messrs. Ponsford and Co. and Jas. Pitts, Esq. ... In the reigns of Henry II. and Richard I., the manor was held by Drogo, or Drewe de Teignton. For many generations, it was held by the Carews, who sold it in lots in 1791. G. Ponsford, Esq., J. Pitts, Esq., and the Rev. W. Ponsford, are now lords of the manor, but a great part of the soil belongs to W. Lambert, Esq., John Ponsford, Esq., Wm. Bragg, Esq., and several smaller freeholders. These gentlemen have neat and pleasant seats in different parts of the parish. The late Rev. S. Pidsley owned Drascombe farm, on which a valuable tin lode was discovered and worked some years ago. This mine has recently been taken by a company of gentlemen at Bristol, and sunk to the depth of 34 fathoms, where excellent copper ore is found, as well as tin, with a mixture of silver. Mr. J. Luke, of Exeter, owns the barton or farm of Shilston. ... The Church (St. Peter,) is a large Gothic structure, with an embattled tower and six bells." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

Drewsteignton parish is in Wonford Hundred, and the Archdeaconry and Diocese of Exeter. Regarded as part of the Dartmoor area.

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Cemeteries

Brown, Mike. Drewsteignton (Mini Survey). In Dartmoor Region Monumental Inscriptions Indexes, Vol. 23. Dartmoor Press, PO Box 132, Plymouth PL4 7YL.

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Church History

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

Holy Trinity Drewsteignton Church Guide. [SoG Library: Devon Tracts Box]

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1557 are held in the Devon Record Office.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Baptisms 1813-1839, Marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

Nothing entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993).

Brown, Mike. Pre-1754 Marriage Index for Drewsteignton.. Dartmoor Press, P.O. Box 132, Plymouth PL4 7YL (1999?)

The Deanery of Dunsford: An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Ashton, Bridford, Chagford, Cheriton Bishop, Christow, Doddiscombsleigh, Drewsteignton, Dunsford, Gidleigh, Hittisleigh, Holcombe Burnell, South Tawton, Spreyton, Tedburn St. Mary, Throwleigh and Whitestone. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850. CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2009). [Ashton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1740-1837; Bridford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; Chagford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Cheriton Bishop Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1841, Bur: 1813-1837; Christow Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1757-1844, Bur: 1813-1837; Doddiscombsleigh Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1780-1837; Drewsteignton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Dunsford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Gidleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1748-1812 (BT's), Mar: 1814-1837, Bur: 1813-1884; Hittisleigh Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Holcombe Burnell Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1753-1837; South Tawton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Spreyton Bapt: 1803-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; Tedburn St. Mary Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Throwleigh Bapt: 1813-1841, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Whitestone Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837.]

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Description & Travel

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

Information from the Historic England website about Castle Drogo, built by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Price, Jack. Visitors' guide to Fingle Bridge and Drewsteignton. Fingle Bridge: The Author [1979] 32p: ill, map. [Westcountry Studies Library - pB/DRE/1979/PRI]

You can see pictures of Drewsteignton which are provided by:

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Directories

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

Copy provided by Val Henderson of the entry (description and names) in Morris and Co's Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire 1870.

Brown, Mike. Trade Directory for Belstone, Drewsteignton, South Tawton, Throwleigh 1850, 1870, 1878, Dartmoor Press (2001).

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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 for this parish is Daniel Morgan, who invites queries and lookup requests.

Dartmoor Press Online Magazine's page for this parish (archived copy), with articles, transcriptions, publication details, etc. - highly recommended.

Lucas, J. The Saga of a Gidley Family of Drewsteignton, Author (n.d.). [DFHS Library p929.2/GID]

Neary, Ian. Ledger Family from Devon, Devon Family Historian, vol. 162, (2017) p.36. [George Ledger, b. 1771 in Drewsteignton.]

Newcombe, M.O.L. Newcombes of Chard, Drewsteignton, Exeter and Starcross, ed. Jud Burgoyne-Newcombe. [Newport, Gwent]: the author, 1996. [Raymond: Medieval-19th c.; includes pedigrees.]

Uglow, Steve. Ernest Samuel Vigers 1876-1957, Hussar of the Line - part one, Devon Family Historian, vol. 178, (2021) pp.43-45.

Uglow, Steve. Ernest Samuel Vigers 1876-1957, Hussar of the Line - part two, Devon Family Historian, vol. 179, (2021) pp.36-41.

Uglow, Steve. Ernest Samuel Vigers 1876-1957, Hussar of the Line - part three, Devon Family Historian, vol. 180, (2021) pp.43-45.

Wilson, Mary. A Wartime Tragedy, Family Tree Magazine, vol. 20, no. 4, (2004) pp.16-17. [Concerns William Smith, b. Drewsteignton, 1862, and his family]

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Heraldry

Brown, Mike. Guide to the Heraldry in Holy Trinity Church, Drewsteignton, Drewsteignton, Holy Trinity Church (2000).

Hillman, E. Haviland. Carew and Pole Letters. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VI, (January 1910 to October 1911), pp. 173-4. [Transcript]

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History

Sue Davey's Drewsteignton pages provide historical information, and parish register extracts.

The Early History of Some Farms in Drewsteignton, by Sophia Lambert.

Some notes about Drewsteignton during the Eighteenth Century, by Paul Greener, provided by the Friends of Devon Archives.

Costello, Lynette M. The Bradford Pool Case, Trans. Dev. Assoc., vol. 113, (1981) pp.59-77.

Curno, John. Drewsteignton: Portrait of a Dartmoor parish and its people through photographs, Halsgrove Press (2001). [ISBN 1841141356] [DFHS Library 942.35/DRE]

Greener, Paul. The Drewsteignton Millennium Picture Book, Drewsteignton Parish Council, Drewsteignton (July 2000) 64 pp. [Index]

Greener, Paul. Each in their Estate: A Study of Seventeenth Century Drewsteignton Drewsteignton: The Author (n.d.) 28 pp. [Index]

Greener, Paul. The Birth of a Parish: The early history of Drewsteignton, The Author (2006) 28 pp. [Prehistory. The Saxons. The Normans and their legacy.]

Greener, Paul. Five views of Drewsteignton in the 19th and early 20th centuries, The Author (2007) 28 pp. [The quarries at Blackaller. Nineteenth century farming. Nineteenth century church music (Singers and barrel organ). The first parish magazine. The Cottage Garden Society Shows.]

Ormerod, G. Wareing. Notice of Pre-Historic Remains Formerly Existing Near the Drewsteignton Cromlech. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. V. (1872), illus. pp. 73-74. [Transcript]

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Land & Property

Brown, Mike. Drewsteignton. In "Dartmoor Tithe Apportionments, Vol. 7". The Dartmoor Press (c1997) 16p.

Castle Drogo, National Trust (1984). [Devon FHS Library p942.35/DRE]

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Manors

Transcription, by Fay Sampson Priestley, of a Rent Book for the Fulford Estate, includinging the Manor of Coombhall. (The original document is in private hands.)

Chief Rents And Properties in the Manors of Spreyton, Lamford (Cheriton Bishop) and Fursham (Drewsteignton), 1800 and 1859, transcribed by Sophia Lambert.

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Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX736908 (Lat/Lon: 50.703061, -3.791318), Drewsteignton which are provided by:

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Names, Personal

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

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Probate Records

Will of James Lang (1828), transcribed by Teresa Lang.

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Schools

Drewsteignton School - Admission Register - 1866-1910, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF S004).