Goodleigh, Devon

Historical Description

Goodleigh, a parish in Devonshire, on the river Yeo, 2½ miles ENE of Barnstaple town and station on the L. & S.W.R. It includes the hamlet of Nortbleigh, and its post town is Barnstaple. Acreage, 1167; population, 239. The land is very fertile, and has long been noted for the production of cherries. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; value, £190 with residence. The church was built in 1882 on the site of one which had fallen into decay. The square pinnacled tower was built in the time of Charles IL There are Congregational and Bible Christian chapels.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Church Records

The parish register dates from the year 1538.

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 Goodleigh

Churches

Church of England

St. Gregory (parish church)

The church of St. Gregory is an edifice of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, south aisle, south porch and an embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing 6 bells, dating from 1743 to 1828: there are two monuments to the Acland family, d. 1633-55: the east window is stained: the church was rebuilt in 1881-2, at a cost of about £2,500, and will seat 181 persons.

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 Goodleigh from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Goodleigh (St. Gregory))

Maps

Online maps of Goodleigh 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:

• Western Times
• Exeter and Plymouth Gazette
• Western Morning News
• North Devon Journal
• Exeter Flying Post

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.