Lifton, Devon
Historical Description
Lifton, a village and a parish in Devonshire. The village stands in the valley of the river Lid, about a mile from its influx to the Tamar, at the boundary with Cornwall, 4 miles E by N of Launceston, and has a station on the G.W.R., 265 from London; was known before the Conquest as Lysiston; is a seat of petty sessions, and has a good inn, and fairs on 13 Feb. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office. The parish contains also the hamlets of Lifton Down, Cross-town, Beara, Lower Cookworthy, Higher Cookworthy, Tinney, and West Week. Acreage, 5376; population of the civil parish, 1195; of the ecclesiastical, 1264. The manor was— held by Earl Godwin, passed to subsequent Earls of Kent and Westmorland, went afterwards to the Harrises and the Arundells, and with Lifton Park belongs now to the Brad-shaw family. Limestone, lead ore, and manganese are among the minerals. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; gross value, £550 with residence. The church is ancient, in good condition; consists of nave, S aisle, and chancel, with a lofty tower; and contains monuments of the Harrises and others. There are Baptist, Wesleyan, and Bible Christian chapels, and also a literary institute and reading-room. Lifton Park is a chief 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 | Lifton St. Mary | |
Hundred | Lifton | |
Poor Law union | Tavistock |
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 Lifton
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 Lifton from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Lifton (St. Mary))
Maps
Online maps of Lifton 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.