Hide

Merton

hide
Hide

"MERTON, a neat village near Lord Clinton's park, 7 miles N. by W. of Hatherleigh, has in its parish 763 souls, and 3738 acres of land, including the hamlets of Smithacott and Little Potheridge, and many scattered houses. Lord Clinton is lord of the manor of Merton, and owner of a great part of the parish. The Trustees of the late Lord Rolle hold the manor of Potheridge, where the Monks were long seated, and where the mansion was rebuilt by Gen. Monk, (Duke of Abemarle,) about 1670, but was mostly pulled down after the death of the Duchess in 1734, though the magnificent stables are still standing. Archdeacon Stevens, and a few smaller owners, have estates in the parish. The Church (All Saints,) is a handsome structure, which was restored and beautified about four years ago. One of the windows is richly emblazoned with stained glass, and a new organ has been erected." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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

Hide
topup

Biography

Corbett, Sir Julian Stafford. Monk. London: Macmillan & Co, (1889), portrait, vi, 221 pp. [Index]

Jamison, Ted R. George Monck and the Restoration: victor without bloodshed. Fort Worth: Texas Christian U. (1975) xiii, 168p: ill,map. [ISBN 0912646047]

Skinner, MD, Thomas. The Life of General Monk, Late Duke of Albemarle. London, W Bowyer, in Whitefryers (1723) xcviii, 435 pp. [Index]

Troup, Frances B.. Nicholas Monk, the King's Messenger and the Honest Clergyman. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. 31, (1899) pp. 305-325. [Index]

Ward, Estelle Frances. Christopher Monk, Duke of Albemarle. (1915), London: John Murray, illus, plates; ports, xii, 385 pp. [Index Section 1: pp. vii-190, Index Section 2: pp. 190-385]

topup

Cemeteries

MIs for this parish are included in the Incledon 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 Records

Parish Registers going back to 1687 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1687, 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): Baptisms 1813-1840, Marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1597-1812 and Marriages 1598-1644, 1668-1812. (These entries are in part from Bishops' Transcripts.)

Transcriptions of Merton marriages 1688-1812, burials 1687-1812 and baptisms 1687-1812 are provided in the Merton History website.

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

Merton Parish Council website - community information.

You can see pictures of Merton 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

The Online Parish Clerk scheme's representative for this parish is Nelly Reedhead, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs on fiche.)

Alexander, J.J. The Early Owners of Merton, Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol. XX, no. 6, (1939) pp.256-260.

topup

History

Philip Collins' Merton History website - historical and genealogical information, photographs, etc.

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS525120 (Lat/Lon: 50.888603, -4.098437), Merton which are provided by:

topup

Names, Personal

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

topup

Occupations

Merton Apprentice Register 1805-1843. [Devon]: Devon Family History Society (2013). [Foreword]

topup

Probate Records

Summary of the will of John Mallet (1800) provided by Mike Mallett.

Transcripts of the wills of Mary Nott (1831), and of Robert Nott (Canada, 1895), provided by Nelly Reedhead.

topup

Taxation

 Land Tax Assessments for 1780 and 1827, transcribed by Elizabeth Kipp.