Hatherleigh, Devon
Historical Description
Hatherieigh, a small town and a parish in Devonshire. The town stands on the river Lew, near its confluence with the Torridge, 7½ miles from Okehampton station on the L. & S.W.R., and 16 SE of Bideford. There is a post, money order, and telegraph office. It is a seat of petty sessions, and has five inns, a market-house, public rooms, a police station, a church, three dissenting chapels, and charities. The market-house was built in 1840 to serve for a revived market which had been defunct for more than 50 years. The public rooms were built in 1820, and serve for benefit societies, for reading-rooms, and for lectures. The church is Perpendicular and good, and consists of nave, chancel, and aisles, with tower and spire; much has been done in the way of restoration. A weekly market is held on Tuesday, and fairs are held on 22 May, 22 June, 4 September, and 8 November. A woollen manufacture was formerly carried on, but is extinct, and the chief industry now is in brick and tile making, stone-quarrying, and farm labour. Jasper Mayne the preacher and dramatic writer was a native. The parish comprises 7168 acres; population, 1437. The manor belonged formerly to Tavistock Abbey, and belongs now to the Oldham family. There are several good residences. A moor in the parish commands a magnificent panoramic view, and has a monument to Col. Morris, who figured in the memorable charge at Balaclava. A monument was also erected by public subscription in the churchyard in 1891 to Lieuti-Colonel Pearse, the celebrated rifle shot and Queen's Prizeman in 1875. A tract of about 430 acres of the moor was given to the town by the abbots of Tavistock. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter; value, £210 with residence.
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 | Hatherleigh St. John the Baptist | |
Hundred | Black Torrington | |
Poor Law union | Oakhampton |
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 Hatherleigh
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Hatherleigh from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Hatherleigh (St. John the Baptist))
- History, Gazetteer and Directory of Devon, by William White, 2nd edition, 1878-9
Maps
Online maps of Hatherleigh 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:
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.