Sampford Peverell, Devon
Historical Description
Sampford Peverell, a village and a parish in Devonshire. The village stands 3 miles N by W of Tiverton Junction station on the G.W.R., and 5 ENE of Tiverton. It was anciently a borough, carried on for some time a considerable woollen trade, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Tiverton, and a cattle fair on the Monday before the last Wednesday of April. The parish comprises 2221 acres; population of the civil parish, 635; of the ecclesiastical, 619. There is a parish council consisting of nine members. The manor belonged to the Peverells for many generations, passed by marriage into the hands of Sir Elias Cuttle, and thence went to the Denhams and Aisthorpes. On the death of Sir William Aisthorpe without issue, King Henry IV. granted it to John, earl of Somerset, from whom it descended to Margaret, countess of Richmond and Derby (mother of Henry VII.) When residing here she built the old rectory and added an aisle to the original Early English church. Sir Anrus Paulet purchased the estate from King Henry VIL; and his grandson, one of the confidential servants of Elizabeth, was keeper of Mary Queen of Scots at the time of her execution. The Paulets are said to have lost the manor, which is now divided into several small estates, in a gambling debt. The last remains of the castle, supposed to have been built by Oliver Denlam about 1337, were taken down about 1755. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; gross value, £290 with residence. The church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, is mainly Early English, and has been beautifully restored. There is a Wesleyan chapel.
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 | Sampford-Peverell St. John the Baptist | |
| Hundred | Halberton | |
| Poor Law union | Tiverton |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
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 Sampford Peverell
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 Sampford Peverell from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Sampford-Peverell (St. John the Baptist))
Maps
Online maps of Sampford Peverell 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.