MALBOROUGH

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)]

"MALBOROUGH, (or Marlborough), a parish in the hundred of Stanborough, county Devon, 3 miles S.W. of Kingsbridge, its post town. It is an agricultural village situated on one of the loftiest points in the county, overlooking the British Channel. The parish is bounded on the S. by the open sea, between Bolt Head and Sail. Part of Malborough parish is included for ecclesiastical purposes in that of West Alvington. The other part is united with the seaport of Salcombe and seven hamlets. There are ruins of Ilton Castle, erected in 1336 for the defence of the coast; also remains of Fort Charles, repaired by Charles I. at an expense of £3,000, but taken by the parliamentarian forces in 1645. An estuary extends from Bolt Head to Kingsbridge Quay, a distance of 6 miles. The surface is hilly, and the land is divided between arable and pasture, with about 500 acres of waste. The soil is a red marl, alternating with a white loam and sand in some parts. At Woodville, in this parish, the temperature is so mild that oranges, citrons, myrtles, and olives flourish in the open air; requiring only temporary protection in very severe weather. The Duke of Devon, as vice-admiral, holds an admiralty court here, the jurisdiction of which embraces an extensive line of coast. The living is a curacy annexed to the vicarage of West Alvington, in the diocese of Exeter. The church is an ancient edifice with a lofty tower surmounted by a spire, and containing six bells. It stands on a commanding eminence near Bolt Head. The interior of the church contains a monument to the late Lord Kinsale; besides which there are several relics of ancient date. The paroehial charities produce about £30 per annum, the bequests of Mrs. Alice Bayning and Richard Dyer for* church repairs and for the poor. There are National, industrial, and infant schools; also a small chapel for the Baptists.

"BATSON, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, and hundred of Stanborough, in the county of Devon, 4 miles to the S. of Kingsbridge. It is pleasantly seated on the coast of the Channel."

"BOLTBURY, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, and hundred of Stanborough, in the county of Devon, 4 miles to the S. of Kingsbridge. It is pleasantly situated near the coast, not far from Bolt Tail."

"COLLATON, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, in the county of Devon, 3 miles S.W. of Kingsbridge."

"COOMBE, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, in the county of Devon, 3 miles W. of Kingsbridge."

"REW, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, county Devon, 4 miles S.W. of Kingsbridge."

"SALCOMBE, a chapelry in the parish of Malborough, hundred of Stanborough, county Devon, 4 miles S. of Kingsbridge, its post town. It is situated on an arm of the sea, at the western side of the entrance to Kingsbridge Harbour, and is a sub-port to Dartmouth. The village has more than trebled itself during the last half century, and has water sufficient for the anchorage of vessels of from 60 to 70 tons burthen. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the coasting trade and in shipbuilding. From the mildness of its climate and the salubrity of the air it has been termed the Montpelier of England, and is much resorted to by consumptive patients. In the vicinity are many villas and marine residences. It is celebrated for the manufacture of white ale. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Exeter, value £200. The church was erected in the 14th century, but rebuilt in 1801. There are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyans. A fair is held on Whit-Monday. There are traces of an ancient castle."

"SHADYCOMBE, a hamlet in the parish of Malborough, county Devon, 3 miles S.W. of Kingsbridge."