Widecombe in the Moor, Devon
Historical Description
Widecombe-in-the-Moor, a parish in Devonshire, in a rich valley between Dartmoor Hills, 5 miles from Ashburton station, and 7 from Bovey station on the G.W.R. It has a post office under Ashburton; money order and telegraph office, Ashburton. It is divided into the two ecclesiastical parishes of Widecombe and Leusden. Acreage, 10,786; population of the civil parish, 744; of the ecclesiastical, 366. There is a parish council consisting of nine members. A cattle fair is held on the second Tuesday in September. The surface exhibits the characteristic features of Dartmoor, and has many bold and lofty rocks. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter; net value, £220 with residence. Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The church is ancient but handsome, and from its size and beauty is termed the Cathedral of the Moors. The tower, which resembles that of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford, is said to have been built by successful tin miners in the 16th century. There are Wesleyan and Calvinistic chapels. South of the parish are the remains of a British village, and northwards are two logan or rocking stones.
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 | Widecombe-in-the-Moor St. Pancras | |
Hundred | Haytor | |
Poor Law union | Newton-Abbott |
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 Widecombe In The Moor
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 Widecombe in the Moor from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Widecombe-in-the-Moor (St. Pancras))
Maps
Online maps of Widecombe in the Moor 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
BlacksladeCator
Dunstone
Fernhill
Linchford
Poundsgate
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.