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Dunsford

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"DUNSFORD, which gives name to a deanery, is a scattered village and parish, on the northern acclivities of the picturesque valley of the river Teign, from 7 to 8 miles W. by S. of Exeter. It contains 925 souls, and about 6000 acres of land, including 72A. of waste and water, and 350A. of woodland. There are two corn-mills on the river, and a cattle fair is held in the village, on the Monday after Sept. 8th. . . . Baldwin Fulford, Esq., is lord of the manor of Dunsford, and Sir L.V. Palk is lord of Little Dunsford or Sowton manor; but part of the soil belongs J.S. Pitman, Esq., and several smaller owners. A copper mine was opened here in 1848, by B. Fulford, Esq., of FULFORD HOUSE, a large square mansion, of the Elizabethan age, in a finely wooded park of about 400 acres, stocked with deer, and having a small lake. This seat is about 8 miles W. of Exeter, between Dunsford and Tedburn St. Mary, and the estate, called Great Fulford, is partly in the latter parish. The Fulfords have possessed this estate since the reign of Richard I. . . . The small manor of Halstow, in this parish, belongs to the priest-vicars of Exeter; and that of Cetley (mostly woods) to King's College, Cambridge. The barton of Clifford belongs to the Clifford family. The CHURCH (St. Mary) is a fine old structure, and contains some handsome monuments of the Fulfords." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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

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Biography

Brooking-Rowe, J. (Ed.). Francis Drummond Fulford [Obituary] Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol.  XXXIX, (1907), p. 40. [Transcript]

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Cemeteries

Brown, Mike. Guide Notes to Monuments in Devon Churches & Graveyards: Dunsford, Moretonhampstead. The Dartmoor Press. 16pp. [Fulford, Whiddon, Fynes (Clinton)]

Cresswell, B.F. Notes on the Churches of the Deanery of Kenn, Devon, (1912). [Extracts]

Oldfield, Anne. Memorials in Dunsford Churchyard and inside the Church, (2002). [Devon FHS Library 929.5/DUN]

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Census

Transcription of the 1821 Census of Dunsford, by Fay Sampson Priestley. (The original document is in private hands.)

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Church History

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

Adams, Maxwell. Sir Thomas Fulford’s Monument in Dunsford Church. Devon Notes & Queries Vol. 1, January 1900 to October 1901), pp.5-6. [Transcript]

Fulford, C.H. Notes on the history of Dunsford church. Exeter: James Townsend & Sons (1934?) 9p.

St. Mary's Church, Dunsford. [Dunsford]: [The Church] (1992) 8p. [Westcountry Studies Library - p726.5/DUN/ST.M]

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1594 are held in the Devon Record Office.

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

Transcripts of Dunsford's Baptisms 1783-1812, Baptisms 1813-1843 and Marriages 1666-1755, provided by Daniel Morgan.

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

  • Wesleyan Chapel, Halstow: Registers for c1820-36 - see Ashburton Circuit (PRO RG 4/840)

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

Henwood, J. A Royal Visit, Devon Family Historian, vol. 93, (2000) pp.40-41. [Extract from Dunsford Parish register describing visit of George III to Exeter in 1789]

Ofield, Anne. Dunsford Burials, 1867-2002, The Author (2003). [Devon FHS Library 929.3/BUR Dun]

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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Court Records

Hill, Ronald Ames. The Tumultuous Achym/Fulford Relationship with Abstracts of Chancery Court Proceedings and Transcripts of Chancery Decrees and Orders. Chagford Press (2003) 208pp. ["Thomas Achym of Pelynt, Cornwall was born in about 1570. His parents were William Achym and Eme Blight. He married Mary Fulford, daughter of Thomas Fulford and Ursula Bamfield, 5 January 1608/9 in Dunsford, Devon, England. They had four children. Thomas died 17 December 1618. Includes Arundell, Hill, Tozer, Toser, Trelawny and related families."] [Full text]

Pitfield, Michael. A Century in Chancery - the legal battle between two Devon families, Devon Family Historian, vol. 178, (2021) pp.17-18˚ [Fulford and Achym families].

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Description & Travel

Dunsford website (archived copy) - general and historical information.

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

Conservation Area Appraisal for Dunsford - an interesting account of the area, with numerous photographs and maps.

You can see pictures of Dunsford 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.

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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.

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.

Jean, P. Dingle Family of Doddiscombsleigh and Dunsford, (2002). [Devon FHS Library p929.2/DIN]

Pitfield, Michael. A Mystery Solved?, Devon Family Historian, vol. 185, (2023) pp.26-27. [Seeking the husband of Anne Fulford (bap. 1635.) - possibly Andrew Jewell.]

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Heraldry

Adams, Maxwell. The shield of arms over the gateway of Great Fulford House. Devon Notes & Queries Vol. 1, Part 1, (1900), illus., pp.4-6. [Index]

Fulford, Francis. The Arms of Fulford. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 9:2, (1916) pp. 62-63. [Index]

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History

Martin, J.M. The Camelford of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Where was it? Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1897, Vol XXIX, pp. 275-285.[Index]

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Land & Property

Amery, P.F.S. Notes on Great Fulford. Devon Notes & Queries Vol. 1, Part 1, (1900) pp.1-4, plates: ill. [Index]

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Manors

Transcriptions, by Fay Sampson Priestley, of a Rent Book (from 1776?) and a Rent Book dated 1800 for the Fulford Estate, including the Manors of Dunsford and Fulford. (The original documents are in private hands.)

Alexander, J.J. Early owners of Fulford Manor. Dev. Assoc. Trans. (1938) 6p.

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Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX812891 (Lat/Lon: 50.689384, -3.683198), Dunsford which are provided by:

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Military History

Dunsford St Mary's Church War Memorial 1914-1918 and War Memorial 1939-1945, transcribed by John Williams.

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Names, Personal

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

Transcript of the Dunsford Protestation Return of 1641/2, by Devon Heritage.

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Probate Records

Transcript of the will of Richard Mortimer (1833) provided by Ros Dunning.

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Societies