STAVERTON

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

"STAVERTON, a parish in the hundred of Haytor, county Devon, 3½ miles N.W. of Totness, its post town, and 5 from Ashburton. The village, which is considerable, is situated on the river Dart. The parish contains the hamlets of Sparkwell, Strechford, and Woolstone Green. The substratum abounds in blue and grey slate, which are extensively worked at the Penn Recca Slate Quarries. This slate is of a fine and durable quality, and many of the houses in Exeter have been roofed with it from James I.'s time. There are also quarries of freestone, limestone, and blue and grey marble. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agriculture and in the quarries: A singular limestone cavern exists at Pridhamsleigh. This place is celebrated for its cider. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Exeter, value £366, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to St. George, is an ancient structure, with a tower containing sir bells. In the interior are several stained windows, a carved screen, and a monument to the Worth family. There is also a district church at Landscove, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, value £75. The church, dedicated to St. Matthew, was erected in 1851, at an outlay of £3,000, defrayed by Miss Champernowne. The parochial charities produce about £66 per annum. There are National schools for both sexes. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. The Dean and Chapter of Exeter are lords of the manor and principal landowners."