Merton, Devon

Historical Description

Merton, a village and a parish in Devonshire. The village stands on the river Meer, an affluent of the Torridge, 5 miles NNW of Hatherleigh, and 7 from Great Torrington station on the L. & S.W.R., is a pleasant place with picturesque environs, and has a post and money order office under Bea-ford; telegraph office, Hatherleigh. The parish contains also the hamlets of Potheridge and Smithacott. Acreage, 4089; population, 568. The manor of Merton belonged to a family of its own name from the time of Henry II. till that of Edward III., and belongs now to Lord Clinton. The manor of Potheridge belongs to the Rolle family. Potheridge House was long the seat of the Le Moignes, became the birthplace and the property of General Monk, was rebuilt by him after he became Duke of Albemarle, was taken down in the 18th century, and is now represented chiefly by its stables. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; value, £300 with residence. Patron, Lord Clinton. The church is a handsome building, with a tower, and has been restored. There are a Bible Christian chapel and an industrial home for girls.

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

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 Merton

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 Merton from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Merton (All Saints))

Maps

Online maps of Merton 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

Villages, Hamlets, &c

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.