Hide

Little Torrington

hide
Hide

"TORRINGTON, (LITTLE) a pleasant village, nearly 2 miles S. of Great Torrington, has in its parish 588 souls, and 2880 acres of land, including the village of Taddiport, on the south-west side of the river Torridge opposite Great Torrington. The manor of Little Torrington belongs to the Stevens family, and that of Potheridge to the Trustees of the late Lord Rolle; but several smaller freeholders have estates here. Cross House, which was long the residence of the Stevens family, is now the pleasant seat of Sir Trevor Wheler, Bart., whose baronetcy was created in 1660." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Shebbear Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

Hide
topup

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]

topup

Church History

History of Little Torrington Church, and The Chapel of St Mary Magdalen, Taddiport.

Cresswell, Beatrix F. Little Torrington: The Church and Manor Lands and the Magdalen Hospital of Taddiport - With an introduction and additional notes by W.R. Hooper, Exeter, Southwood (Isca) Ltd (1937) 36 pp.

topup

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1672 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1672, and of the Bishops' Transcripts going back to 1597, are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library.

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

Bideford Methodist Circuit baptisms (1819 -1870) transcribed by David Carter. (Contains entries from the following parishes: Abbotsham, Allington, Alverdiscott, Alwington, Appledore, Arlington, Barnstaple, Bideford, Buckland Brewer, Bucks Mills, Burrington, Chulmleigh, Clovelly, Fremington, Frithelstock, Great Torrington, Hatherleigh, Huntshaw, Ilfracombe, Instow, Landcross, Little Torrington, Littleham, Loxhore, Marystowe, Monkleigh, Newton Tracey, Northam, Parkham, South Molton, St Giles in the Wood, Wear Giffard, Westleigh, Woolfardisworthy.)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1597-1812, 1668-1838 and Marriages 1598-1812. (These entries are in part from Bishops' Transcripts.)

The Deanery of Torrington - An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Ashreigny, Beaford, Buckland Filleigh, Dolton, Dowland, Great Torrington, Huish, Iddesleigh, Langtree, Little Torrington, Meeth, Merton, Newton St. Petrock, Peters Marland, Petrockstowe, Roborough, Shebbear, Sheepwash, St. Giles in the Wood and Winkleigh. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850. CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2010) . [Ashreigny Bapt: 1813-1838, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Beaford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Buckland Filleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Dolton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1838, Bur: 1813-1837; Dowland Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1840, Bur: 1742-1837; Great Torrington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Huish Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Iddesleigh Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Langtree Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Little Torrington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Meeth Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Merton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Newton St. Petrock Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Peters Marland Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Petrockstowe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Roborough Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Shebbear Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Sheepwash Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1838, Bur: 1813-1837; St Giles in the Wood Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Winkleigh Bapt: 1813-1853, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1813-1837.]

topup

Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Little Torrington which are provided by:

topup

Directories

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

topup

Gazetteers

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

topup

Genealogy

McNeile, John. Bypassing the Parish Registers, Devon Family Historian, no. 153, (2015) pp.9-10. [Thomas Fisher, Rector from 1745-1772]

topup

History

Cresswell, Beatrix F. Notes on the history of the parish and church of Little Torrington, with the Magdalen Hospital at Taddiport. Exeter: Southwoods (Isca) (1937) 36p, plates: ill, port.

Doe, George M. Some Notes on the Leper Hospital which formerly existed at Taddiport, Little Torrington. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. XXXII, (1900), pp. 289-295. [Index]

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS490168 (Lat/Lon: 50.930831, -4.150148), Little Torrington which are provided by:

topup

Names, Personal

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

topup

Probate Records

Colby, F.T. Will of Richard Coplestone of Woodland in the parish of Little Torrington. Miscellanea Genealogia et Heraldica N.S. 1 (1874) pp.202-203.