Burlescombe, Devon
Historical Description
Burlescombe, a parish in Devonshire, under Blackdown, on the Roman Port way from Somerset to Exeter, 170 miles from London on the G.W.R. It includes the tithing of Appledore and the hamlet of Westleigh, and has a post office under Wellington, which is the telegraph office; money order office, Halcombe Rogus. Acreage, 3645; population of the civil parish, 719; of the ecclesiastical, 735. An Augustinian priory was founded at Canonsleigh in the time of Henry II. by William de Clarville, conveyed in 1284 to Maud, Countess of Devon, and changed by her into a nunnery; passed after the dissolution through a number of hands, and belongs now to the family of Browne. Some small remains of it, including a massive Tudor gateway, still exist. Limestone of superior quality abounds, and great quantities of it are sent off by canal and railway. This parish has the privilege of appointing a governor to the Ayshford Grammar School for girls at Uffculme. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter; net value, £198 with residence. The church is chiefly of the time of Henry VII., was renovated in 1843, contains a beautiful ancient screen and fine monuments of the Ayshfords. An ancient chapel, which has been restored, stands on the Ayshford estate.
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 | Burlescombe St. Mary | |
| Hundred | Bampton | |
| Poor Law union | Wellington |
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 Burlescombe
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 Burlescombe from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Burlescombe (St. Mary))
Maps
Online maps of Burlescombe 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
Appledore (Burlescombe)West Leigh (Burlescombe)
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.