Meavy, Devon
Historical Description
Meavy, a village and a parish in Devonshire. The village stands on the river Meavy, half a mile from Yelverton station and 1 mile from Dousland station on the G.W.R., and Pennies SE by S of Tavistock. It is surrounded by romantic scenery, and has a postal receiving office under Yelverton; money order and telegraph office, Yelverton. The parish contains also the village of Loveton and the manors of Meavy, Calisham, Goodameavy, Gratton, and Lake Meavy. Acreage of parish, 3422; population, 266. Remains exist of an old mansion, which was the residence of Sir Francis Drake. Sheepstor, a great mass of granite, figures conspicuously in the landscape, and contrasts strikingly to neighbouring woods and verdure. An oak of very great antiquity stands on the village green, measures 27 feet in girth, and is so decayed and worn in the trunk as to form an archway nearly 6 feet high, through which a man could ride en horseback. A bridge spans the Meavy near the village, and others are at Marchant Green, Hoo Meavy, and Goodameavy; and a well-preserved ancient granite cross, about 14 feet high, is opposite the church gate. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; value, £150. Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is partly Saxon, with three Early English windows, the remainder being Early Perpendicular. It was restored and enlarged in 1874, and was so badly done that it had to be again restored in 1879. It consists of nave, S aisle, transept, and chancel, with porch and tower and six bells. There is a Baptist chapel at Hoo Meavy.
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 | Meavy St. Peter | |
Hundred | Roborough | |
Poor Law union | Tavistock |
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 Meavy
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 Meavy from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Meavy (St. Peter))
Maps
Online maps of Meavy 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:
Villages, Hamlets, &c
LovetonVisitations 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.