Hide

Marwood

hide
Hide

"MARWOOD, a village on the Ilfracombe road, 3 miles N.N.W. of Barnstaple, has in its parish 1012 souls, and 5596 acres of land, including the scattered hamlets of Mudford, Milltown, King's Heanton, Guineaford, and Prixford. Part of the parish is in the Earl of Devon's manor of Braunton, and the rest belongs to Chas. C. Drake, Henry Ley, Thomas R. Harding, Thos. Bridges, and John Crang, Esqrs., Dr. Yeo, the Rev. F. Mules, the Rev. J.H. Mules, and several smaller owners. Marwood was the seat and property of the Mervin family, and Whitfield was the seat of a branch of the Bastards. Church Marwood was long held by the Lords Martin and Lords Audley, and afterwards by the Bourchiers; and Westcote was originally the residence of the Westcote family. The Church (St. Michael,) is an ancient structure, with a tower and six bells, and a finely carved screen." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

MIs for the parish church are included in the Incledon index, and those for the Wesleyan Chapel, Prixford, in the DFHS Index - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.

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

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

Parish church website.

topup

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1602 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1602 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.

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

  • Wesleyan Chapel, Prixford: Registers for c1807-37 - see Barnstaple Circuit (PRO RG 4/954)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1602-1784 and Marriages 1602-1812.

Brock, Bob and Ann. From Cradle to Grave 1900-1919, 20 years of Birth, Marriage and Death Notices Taken from the 'North Devon Journal' for the parishes of Ashford, Bittadon, Heanton Punchardon, Georgeham, Marwood, Morthoe and West Down Braunton Museum, The Bakehouse Centre, Caen Street, Braunton, N. Devon EX33 1AA (2002?) 60p.

Dredge, J.Ingle. The Marwood list of briefs 1714-1774. Devonshire Assoc. Trans. (1893) 27p. [Index]

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.]

topup

Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Marwood which are provided by:

topup

Directories

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

Transcription, by Jonathan Frayne of the Marwood section of Kelly's Directory of Barnstaple and Neighbourhood (1941).

topup

Gazetteers

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

topup

Genealogy

Genealogical notes on the families of Whitfield and Garland who were successively owners of the manor of Whitfield, in the parish of Marwood, Co. Devon, from the reign of King John down to 1710, in: Drake, Sir William Richard, Devon notes and notelets . . . Privately printed, 188-, pp. 71-79. [Includes folded pedigree, 15-18th c.]

topup

Land & Property

Whiddon Common Enclosure Agreement (1850) between John Nicholetts, Frances Drake, Anne, Harriet and Emma Cutcliffe, Thomas Carder and John Gould, transcribed by Desmond Painter.

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS543375 (Lat/Lon: 51.118211, -4.083106), Marwood which are provided by:

topup

Names, Personal

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

topup

Occupations

Marwood Apprentice Register 1802-1844. [Devon]: Devon Family History Society (2013). [Foreword]

topup

Social Life & Customs

The Rev. Frederick Collison's description of the manners and customs prevailing in Marwood when he took charge of the parish in 1853. (Transcribed by John Lerwill.)