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West Anstey

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"ANSTEY, (WEST) is a small scattered village, on the acclivities of a lofty eminence, near the source of the river Yeo, and the borders of Somersetshire, 5 miles west of Dulverton, and 9 miles E. by N. of South Molton. It has in its parish 279 souls, and 3008 acres of land, including more than 1000 acres of open moorland, rising abruptly from the Duns Brook, which divides the two counties. Yeo Mill and a number of adjacent dwellings are on the banks of the river, a mile S. of the church. Lord Clinton is lord of the manor, which was held successively by the Le Moigny, Pillond, Cornu, Speccot, and Rolle families. The Hon. Newton Fellowes, Jas. Hill, Esq., Mrs. and Misses Fisher, J. Partridge, A. Smith, Esq., and several smaller owners have estates in the parish. The Church (St. Petrock,) is an antique structure, in the perpendicular style, with a tower and three bells, two of which were damaged, and the tower much injured by lightning, about ten years ago. The interior has several neat mural monuments, and a small gallery, erected in 1839." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

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

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Cemeteries

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

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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]

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Church History

Best, B.M. St. Petrock's church, West Anstey: historical notes and guide. [West Anstey?]: [The Church?] (1983) 18p: ill, map. [Westcountry Studies - p726.5/WES/BES]

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1653 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1653, and of the Bishops' Transcripts going back to 1608, 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 1745-1837 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1608-1812 and Marriages 1608-1631, 1665-1809.

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]

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Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of West Anstey which are provided by:

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Directories

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

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Gazetteers

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

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History

Freeman, Edward Vere. Notes on the history of the parish of West Anstey, North Devon with a list of birds and flora. London: Vacher & Sons (1893) 52p. [Westcountry Studies - B/WES 05/0001/FRE]

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Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS852274 (Lat/Lon: 51.034459, -3.638623), West Anstey which are provided by:

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Names, Personal

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]

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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.