Parish Registers - Introduction

Prepared by Jeff Ellis

This is a transcript of all the surviving parish registers of St Mary, Woodleigh 1635-1900,

deposited at the Devon Heritage Centre at Exeter. Also transcribed are the eight surviving Bishop's transcripts that pre-date the registers (1606-1639).Where inconsistencies have been found between the registers & the Bishop's transcripts these have been included. I have also included a series of incomplete lists identifying some of the parish officials, & six memoranda found in the first register.

The registers appear to be complete from 1663. However there are 35 baptisms entered from 1635 to 1662 followed by this note; "The old Register was burnt so the names before by were upon credit". These entries appear to focus on the higher level of parish society & to have been entered from memory.

In the composite register PR1/1, baptisms, marriages & burials are entered together in chorological order from 1663 to June 1696 & from 1707 to 1790; between & thereafter they are separated into headings of; baptisms; marriages & burials.

Caveat: The handwriting of  Walter Elford (1676-1727) presents a problem in certain surnames, with confusion over medial Ls & uncrossed Ts. I have recorded these as seen, but when using this transcript readers should consider that what appears to be an L may in fact be a T.

I have not "modernised" any dates, therefore prior to 1752 the calendar year runs from March 25th to March 24th. Dates seemingly out of sequence, or that over run the end of the year are as found in the registers or Bishop's Transcript's.

Images of the registers are available to members on the Devon Family History Society website. Transcripts made by the Devon Family History Society are available on the Find My Past website for the following; Baptisms 1813-1839; Marriages 1757-1836; Burials 1813-1837. The I.G.I. has no coverage for Woodleigh.

My thanks to the ever helpful staff of the Devon Heritage Centre at Exeter for allowing me access to the original registers & Bishop's Transcripts.

Jeff Ellis, Newton Abbot, 2016.