Hide

Meshaw

hide
Hide

"MESHAW is a small village, at the foot of a declivity, nearly 6 mile S. by S.E. of South Molton, and 14 miles N.W. by W. of Tiverton. Its parish increased its population from 166 in 1831, to 305 in 1841, and comprises 1770A. 3R. 30P. of land, part of which (about 700A.) was an open moor 20 years ago, but is now enclosed and cultivated. It is a hilly district, over which a new road was cut about ten years ago. The manor was held by the Avenells, in the 13th and 14th centuries, and was afterwards in moieties. The greater share now belongs to Richard Preston, Esq., and the rest belongs to John Brown, Wm. Adams, Robert Eastmond, and a few smaller freeholders. The Church (St. John Baptist,) was mostly rebuilt in 1838, except the tower, which has four bells. It is a small structure, and contains a handsome monument to James Courtenay, who died in 1683, at Meshaw House, now occupied by a farmer. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in K.B. at £7. 4s., and in 1831 at £206, in the patronage of the Rev. W. Karslake, and incumbency of the Rev. W.H. Karslake, B.A., who has a good residence, and 83A. 3R. 39P. of glebe. . . . " [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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

Hide
topup

Cemeteries

MIs for this parish are included in the Devon FHS and NDA North Devon indexes - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.

A transcription of the Memorial Inscriptions for the Church of St John the Baptist is held in the Society of Genealogist's Library, in Vol. 8 of Devon Memorial inscriptions (DE/M23).

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 1580 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1580 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library.

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

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1580-1797 and Marriages 1581-1645, 1660-1752, 1807.

The Deanery of South Molton: An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Bishop's Nympton, Cheldon, Creacombe, Cruwys Morchard, East Anstey, East Woolfardisworthy, East Worlington, George Nympton, King's Nympton, Knowstone, Mariansleigh, Meshaw, Molland, North Molton, Oakford, Puddington, Rackenford, Romansleigh, Rose Ash, Satterleigh, South Molton, Stoodleigh, Templeton, Thelbridge, Twitchen, Warkleigh, Washford Pyne, West Anstey, West Worlington and Witheridge. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Directory (1850) and Kelly's Directory of Devonshire (1902). CD-ROM 062, Exeter, Devon FHS (2015). [Bishop's Nympton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Cheldon Bapt: 1813-1843, Mar: 1755-1835, Bur: 1813-1841; Creacombe Bapt: 1814-1902, Mar: 1759-1835, Bur: 1813-1850; Cruwys Morchard Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; East Anstey Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1688-1839; East Woolfardisworthy Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1840, Bur: 1813-1837; East Worlington Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; George Nympton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1790-1837; King's Nympton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Knowstone Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1740-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Mariansleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1757-1837, Bur: 1813-1838; Meshaw Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1756-1836, Bur: 1813-1838; Molland Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1838; North Molton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Oakford Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1840; Puddington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1759-1836, Bur: 1740-1837; Rackenford Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; Romansleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1730-1837; Rose Ash Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1850; Satterleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; South Molton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Stoodleigh Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Templeton Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Thelbridge Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1853; Twitchen Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1813-1837; Warkleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1851; Washford Pyne Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1756-1836, Bur: 1813-1840; West Anstey Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1836, Bur: 1745-1838; West Worlington Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1846, Bur: 1813-1851; Witheridge Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1835]

topup

Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Meshaw which are provided by:

topup

Directories

Transcription 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

History

Smith, Pat; John Headon and Hilary Headon. Meshaw: a north Devon parish. Meshaw: Pat Smith (1991) [20]p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - pB/MES/0001/SMI]

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS758197 (Lat/Lon: 50.963295, -3.769981), Meshaw which are provided by:

topup

Names, Personal

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

Ryall, David. Lest We Forget, War memorials around South Molton. South Molton Archive, 68pp. [ISBN 0 951236 1 4] [Provides an indexed list of names]

topup

Societies

South Molton and District Archive Local History Society web-site (archived copy) - provides details of archive holdings for the twenty-eight parishes in what used to be the South Molton Rural District, lists of publications, etc.

topup

Taxation

Window Tax records for 1754 are held by the Devon Record Office.