Hide

Stoke Gabriel

hide
Hide

"STOKE-GABRIEL, 3½ miles S.E. of Totnes, is a neat village picturesquely scattered on the east bank of the estuary of the Dart, where a small creek projects about a mile eastward, and by being dammed up is made to turn the wheel of a tidal corn mill. Its parish contains 691 inhabitants, and 2595A. of land, fertile and well-wooded, and rising boldly from the Dart and the creek. It has several handsome mansions, and the small hamlets, &c., of Ash, Watton, and Portbridge. Henry Studdy, Esq., of Watton Court, a handsome mansion, is lord of the manor of Watton or Wadeton. Sandridge, a large and beautiful mansion, built by the late Lord Ashburton, is the property of Lord Cranstoun, but is now unoccupied. Sir R.L. Newman, Capt. Hodges, Mrs. Douglas, and several residents, have estates here, mostly freehold. The Dart and its creek abound in salmon. The Church (St. Gabriel,) is a fine antique structure, with a tower and five bells. . . . The vicarage, valued in K.B. at £16. 11s. 10½d., and in 1831 at £170, is in the alternate patronage of Sir S.H. Northcote, the Rev. F. Belfield, and the Executors of the late Rev. J. Templar; and in the incumbency of the Rev. Robt. Bowden, who has neither glebe nor parsonage. . . . " [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Haytor Hundred, and a Peculiar of Bishop of Exeter. Regarded as part of the South Hams area.

Hide
topup

Biography

Markham, Clements R. A life of John Davis, the navigator, 1550-1605. London: George Philip & Son (1889).

"The Narracotts - Sextons of Stoke Gabriel Since 1440?", by N.P. Bostow.

"Captain Richard Dawkins of Stoke Gabriel", by N.P. Bostow.

topup

Cemeteries

Whitmore, J.B. Devonshire Monumental Inscriptions, MS at Society of Genealogists (1951). [Extracts]

topup

Church History

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

Stoke Gabriel Parish Church - an extensive website on the history of the church and parish.

Reichel, Oswald. J. Waddeton Court Chapel, Stoke Gabriel. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913, p. 73. [Transcript]

W., F. Wadeton Court Chapel, Stoke Gabriel. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913, p. 111. [Transcript]

Windeatt, Edward. Waddeton Court Chapel, Stoke Gabriel. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VI, (January 1910 to October 1911), pp. 147-148. [Transcript]

A Guide to the Parish Chrch of St. Mary & St. Gabriel. [SoG Library: DE Tracts box]

Stoke Gabriel Sextons. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 9 (1917) pp.190, 214-215. [Raymond: Office possibly held by Narracott family since 1440.] [Index]

topup

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1539 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1539 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: Registers for c1811-37 - see Brixham, Plymouth Ebenezer (PRO RG 4/842, 1325)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1539-1855, Marriages 1540-1837.

Churchwardens' accounts [1611-22]. Manuscript (1900) 63p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sx352.17/STO/STO]

Deanery of Ipplepen: Photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850. CD - Devon FHS (2012). [An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of: Abbotskerswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1756-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Berry Pomeroy Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Brixham All Saints Baptisms (1826-1839), Marriages (1826-1837), Burials (1831-1832); Brixham St Mary Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Broadhempston Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1681-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Churston Ferrers Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1835), Burials (1800-1837); Cockington Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1780-1834); Coffinswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1857); Denbury Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1800-1837); Ipplepen Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1843), Burials (1813-1837); Kingskerswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Kingswear Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1755-1837), Burials (1780-1837); Littlehempston Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1731-1837), Burials (1813-1840); Marldon Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Paignton Baptisms (1813-1841), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Paignton Independent Burials (1826-1836); Staverton Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Stoke Gabriel Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Torbryan Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1838), Burials (1813-1854); Tormohun Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Torquay St Marychurch Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Wolborough Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1839), Burials (1813-1837); Woodland Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1755-1835), Burials (1813-1838).]

topup

Description & Travel

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

Conservation Area Appraisal for Stoke Gabriel - an interesting account of the area, with numerous photographs and maps [Downloadable PDF].

Seymour, Deryck. Dart country: featuring the area in and around Stoke Gabriel, Churston, Kingswear and Galmpton, Exeter, Obelisk Publications (1996) 40 pp. [ISBN 1899073329] [Westcountry Studies Library pB/DAR 1/1996/SEY]

You can see pictures of Stoke Gabriel which are provided by:

topup

Directories

Transcription of the entry in White's Devonshire Directory (1850) by Terry Partridge.

Copy provided by Val Henderson of the entry (description and names) in Morris and Co's Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire 1870.

topup

Gazetteers

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

topup

Genealogy

Cooke, G. Australia Bound: Narracotts from Stoke Gabriel, Devon [who sailed in the "Artemesia" July 1848], (1998) [DFHS 929.2/NAR].

Robinson, E.B. Names occurring in deeds and documents at Exeter City Library (SCS) re Gilbert family of Sandridge in Stoke Gabriel, Devon Family Historian 45, 1988, pp. 6-7.

Short, Al. Brinicombe Family of Stoke Gabriel, (2001). [Devon FHS Library p929.2/BRI]

Skinner, A.J.P. Yarde family. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 7:4, (1912) pp.130-131. [See vol.2, pp.229-232; vol.3, p.128. From Stoke Gabriel PRs.] [Transcript]

Skinner, A.J.P. Shepherd of Watton Court. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 7:4, (1912) pp.138-139. - From Stoke Gabriel PRs. [Transcript]

Skinner, A.J.P.  John Davis, the Navigator, and Fulford. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913. pp. 116-117. [Transcript]

Skinner, A.J.P. Stoke Gabriel Registers: Entries to Owners of Occupiers of Watton, and Shepherd of Watton Court, Honiton and Lawell. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries vol. 11 (1920-1) pp. 315-320. [Index]

Tapley-Soper, H. Collection of notes on the Row family, Narracott family, Waddeton Court mss, ... &c., all relating to Stokegabriel. Manuscript [1920?] [Westcountry Studies Library - msxB/STO 4/0001/TAP]

topup

History

A Brief History of Stoke Gabriel, from the Stoke Gabriel parish website.

Birch, Sally. Stoke Gabriel (new ed.). Stoke Gabriel: S.Birch (1991) 32p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - pB/STO 4/1991/BIR] [Well-illustrated with 'then and now' photographs, containing many names. References. Available from: Jacqueline Young, Stoke Gabriel Post Office, Stoke Gabriel, Nr. Totnes, Devon T09 6SE]

Your Devon? Stoke Gabriel, Devon Family Historian, No. 67 (Aug. 1993) pp. 22-23.

Watkin, Hugh R. Ancient Leaden Cistern from Waddeton Court. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 11, (1920-21), illus., pp. 241-246. [Index]

Windeatt, Edward. Tradition. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VI, (January 1910 to October 1911), p.103. [Tradition]

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX848572 (Lat/Lon: 50.40335, -3.622382), Stoke Gabriel which are provided by:

topup

Probate Records

Wills of Elianor Downing (1658), and Thomas Hockday (1786), transcribed by Ros Dunning.