Chudleigh, Devon
Historical Description
Chudleigh, a town and a parish in Devonshire, The town stands on an eminence at the left side of the river Teign, 10 miles SSW of Exeter, with a station on the G.W.R., 218 from London. It consists of one main street and three minor ones. It was devastated in 1807 by a fire which destroyed nearly 200 houses, and it now presents a modern appearance. It formerly had a palace of the bishops of Exeter, but the only remains of this are a portion of the walls and a dungeon. It was a busy, active place previous to the formation of railways, but it is now quiet and declining. The town has a post office (R.S.O.), a hotel, a town-hall, an ancient parish church with massive tower, three dissenting chapels, and a free grammar school. The parish comprises 6128 acres; population, 2003. The manor belongs to Lord Clifford, and gives him the title of Baron. The chief seats are Ugbrook Park, White way, Filliegh, Rock House, and Oaklands. The scenery is strikingly picturesque, and in many parts romantic. Numerous limestone rocks diversify it, cut by fissures and tangled with wood; and one of these, called par excellence Chudleigh Rock, towers into high prominence, commands charming prospects, embosoms a fairy glen, andis pierced by a deep cavern which the surrounding peasantry represent as haunted by the Pixies. A blue limestone, known as Chudleigh marble, is quarried, and good cider is largely produced. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter; net value, £420 with residence. The church is a stone building in the Perpendicular style of architecture. In 1887 a society of Bridgetine Nuns was established here, and a convent, with chapel, called St Bridget's Abbey of Syon, was erected for their residence. There is good salmon and trout fishing in the river Teign.
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 | Chudleigh St. Martin | |
| Hundred | Exminster | |
| 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 Chudleigh
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 Chudleigh from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Chudleigh (St. Martin))
Maps
Online maps of Chudleigh 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:
Parochial History
A complete transcript of the book The History of Chudleigh, Devon by Mary Jones, is 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.