Powderham, Devon
Historical Description
Powderham, a parish in Devonshire, on the estuary of the river Exe, 2 miles N by W of Starcross station on the G.W.R., and 6½ SSE of Exeter. Post town, Kenton, under Exeter; money order and telegraph office, Starcross. Acreage, 1485; population, 203. The manor was held at the Norman Conquest by William de Ou; passed to John of Powderham, the Bohuns, and the Courtenays, and belongs now to the Earl of Devon. Powderham Castle stands on an acclivity rising from the Exe, is said to have been founded before the Norman Conquest; formed in the time of Leland a strong fort, with a barbican, for the protection of the Exe haven; was garrisoned and taken and retaken by both contending parties in the Civil Wars of Charles I.; is now a seat of the Earl of Devon, and has been restored and improved. The park around it is beautifully wooded and well stocked with deer. A triangular tower, called the Belvidere, crowns the highest ground, and commands magnificent and extensive views. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter; gross value, £470 with residence. Patron, the Earl of Devon. The church is Later English; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, in triple form or equal projection, with a W tower, and contains a fine carved oak screen and two monuments of the Earl of Devon's family.
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 | Powderham St. Clement | |
| Hundred | Exminster | |
| Poor Law union | St. Thomas |
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 Powderham
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Powderham from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Powderham (St. Clement))
Maps
Online maps of Powderham 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.