Moreleigh, Devon
Historical Description
Moreleigh or Morley, a village and a parish in Devonshire. The village stands 2½ miles E of the river Avon, and 5½ SSW of Totnes station on the G.W.R.; was once a market-town; and gives the title of Earl to the family of Parker. Post town, Totnes. Acreage of the civil parish, 1186; population, 102; of the ecclesiastical, 113. Stanborough Fort, an ancient strength which gave name to the hundred of Stanborough, stood here. The parish is a resort of sportsmen. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; gross value, £145 with residence. The church is Early English, has a partially developed fresco on S wall, is of the time of Edward I., and was restored in 1877.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Devon | |
| Ecclesiastical parish | Moreleigh All Saints | |
| Hundred | Stanborough | |
| Poor Law union | Totnes |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1695.
Findmypast, in association with the South West Heritage Trust, Parochial Church Council, and Devon Family History Society have the Baptisms, Banns, Marriages, and Burials online for Moreleigh
Churches
Church of England
All Saints (parish church)
The church of All Saints is a building of stone in the Gothic style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 3 bells, with legends in Old English characters, the last two being invocations to S. Peter and S. Thomas: there is a fine old Norman font, and portions of a mural painting still exist: the church was restored in 1877, and is said to have been built by Sir Peter Fitzacre, who having killed the parson of Woodleigh, in a quarrel, was ordered by the Pope to build the present church as a penance: there are 70 sittings.
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Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Moreleigh from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Moreleigh, or Morley (All Saints))
Maps
Online maps of Moreleigh are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers covering Devon online:
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of the County of Devon in the year 1564, with additions from the earlier visitation of 1531, is online.
The Visitations of the County of Devon, comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564, & 1620, with additions by Lieutant-Colonel J.L. Vivian, published for the author by Henry S. Eland, Exeter 1895 is online.