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"DOWN, (EAST) a small village, in a picturesque valley, 6½ miles N.N.E. of Barnstaple, has in its parish 473 souls, and 3643 acres of land, rising in bold hills on the north, and including the hamlets of Churchill, Brockham, and Shortacombe. The manor belonged to the ancient family of Downe, till the reign of Edward III., when it passed to an ancestor of the Coffin family. The late Rev. Chas. Pine Coffin, who died in January, 1850, was lord of the manor and rector of the parish, and his relict resides at the Manor House. C.J.S.P. Coffin, Esq., is lord of the manor of East Down, and Sir J.P.B. Chichester, Bart., is lord of the manor of Churchill, formerly held by the St. Aubin and Ley families. Mr. James Harris, John and Rd. Richards, and several smaller owners have estates in the parish. The Church (St. John,) is an ancient structure, in the perpendicular style, with a tower and four bells. It has undergone many repairs, and the windows are modern insertions." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]
A parish in Braunton Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.
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MIs for this parish are included in the Incledon index - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.
A local census of East Down, of 18881-88, listing all inhabitants, is held at the North Devon Record Office (NDRO 2006A/PR 5).
Snetzler, M.F. North Devon Surname Index to the Census. Microfiche: M.F. Snetzler. [Covers 1881 census records for this parish]
Parish Registers going back to 1538 are held in the Devon Record Office.
Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1538 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library.
The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Marriages 1754-1839, Burials 1813-1852 - for details see their Devon Parish List.
Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1538-1837 and Marriages 1539-1837.
Chanter, J. Frederick. The fyftie dole. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 3:3, (1904) pp.82-85. [See also vol.3, p.103.]
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.]
Section on East Down from Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831), provided by Mel Lockie.
Transcript of complete entry in White's Devonshire Directory of 1850.
The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.
- Ask for a calculation of the distance from East Down to another place.
Down, H.W.M. Family of Downe or Down. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913 ,p. 240. [Transcript]
Pyne, Frederick Wallace. The John Pyne family in America being the comprehensive genealogical record of the descendants of John Pyne (1766-1813) of Charleston. Baltimore: Gateway Press (1992) xx, 204p: ill. ISBN 0963253905.
View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS601418 (Lat/Lon: 51.1583, -4.001964), East Down which are provided by:
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- National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
- Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
- English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
- Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
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East Down contributors to a 1678 brief for the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral.