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Berry Pomeroy

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"BERRY POMEROY is a small scattered village, two miles E. of Totnes, and has in its parish 4525A. 1R. 10P. of fertile land, several neat houses and scattered farms, and also BRIDGETOWN, which forms a handsome suburb of Totnes, with which it is connected by a good bridge over the Dart. . . . The Duke of Somerset is lord of the two manors and owner of most of the soil. William the Conqueror gave the manor of Bury or Berry to Ralph de Pomerai, who built BERRY POMEROY CASTLE, which for 500 years was the stately residence of the Pomeroys. . . . Berry Pomeroy Church (Virgin Mary,) is an ancient structure, with a tower, and four bells, and contains an elaborate alabaster monument to the memory of Lord Edward Seymour, and his son, and son's wife. . . . The Free Church, at BRIDGETOWN was built in 1835 by the Duke of Somerset, at the cost of £7000, and was intended to be a chapel of ease for that part of the parish which forms a suburb of Totnes, but owing to a dispute with the Bishop was never consecrated. It is now licensed as a nonconformist place of worship, under the ministry of Rev. James Shore, M.A. . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Haytor Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Totnes and the Diocese of Exeter. Regarded as part of the South Hams area.

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Biography

Adams, Maxwell (Ed.) Henry Michelmore [Obituary] Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 44, (1912). p. 41. [Transcript]

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Church History

Berry Pomeroy - from J. Stabb. Some Old Devon Churches (London: 1908-16).

Mugford, W.E. Longevity of clergy at Berry Pomeroy[1586-1834], Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, vol. 5, no. 3, (1908) pp.93.

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Church Records

(According to Peskett: Bridgetown was effectively a suburb of Totnes, so many Bridgetown inhabitants were registered there.)

Parish Registers going back to 1602 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1602, and of the Bishops' Transcripts going back to 1596, are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Baptisms 1813-1839, Marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1813-1837 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

Other churches and chapels (with pre-1840 records):

  • Wesleyan: Registers for c1820-36 - see Ashburton Circuit (PRO RG 4/840)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1596-1837, Marriages 1596-1837.

Granville, Roger & Mugford, W.E. (eds.) Berry Pomeroy, 1596-1602. Abstracts of the Existing Transcripts of the Lost Parish-Registers of Devon, 1596-1644, and short notes on the extant pre-reformation registers of all the parishes in the county, from particulars furnished by the several incumbents thereof. Vol. 1 A-Bra. Exeter: W. Pollard (1908). [Full text]

Deanery of Ipplepen: Photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Devonshire Directory 1850. CD - Devon FHS (2012). [An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of: Abbotskerswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1756-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Berry Pomeroy Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Brixham All Saints Baptisms (1826-1839), Marriages (1826-1837), Burials (1831-1832); Brixham St Mary Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Broadhempston Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1681-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Churston Ferrers Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1835), Burials (1800-1837); Cockington Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1780-1834); Coffinswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1857); Denbury Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1800-1837); Ipplepen Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1843), Burials (1813-1837); Kingskerswell Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Kingswear Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1755-1837), Burials (1780-1837); Littlehempston Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1731-1837), Burials (1813-1840); Marldon Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Paignton Baptisms (1813-1841), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Paignton Independent Burials (1826-1836); Staverton Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Stoke Gabriel Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Torbryan Baptisms (1813-1839), Marriages (1754-1838), Burials (1813-1854); Tormohun Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Torquay St Marychurch Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1837), Burials (1813-1837); Wolborough Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1754-1839), Burials (1813-1837); Woodland Baptisms (1813-1840), Marriages (1755-1835), Burials (1813-1838).]

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Description & Travel

Section on Berry Pomeroy  from Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831), provided by Mel Lockie.

Conservation Area Appraisal for Berry Pomeroy - an interesting account of the area, with numerous photographs and maps [Downloadable PDF].

You can see pictures of Berry Pomeroy which are provided by:

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Directories

Transcription of the entry in White's Devonshire Directory (1850) by Terry Partridge.

Transcription provided by Val Henderson of the entry (description and names) in Morris and Co's Commercial Directory and Gazetteer of Devonshire 1870.

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this parish from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

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Genealogy

The Online Parish Clerks for this parish are Mike and Jean Edwards, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PR's 1602-1837, plus St. John, Bridgetown PRs 1844->.)

Bond, Thomas. Pedigree of the Family of Pomeroy of Berry Pomeroy, in Devonshire, with its branches. Exeter: William Pollard (1891) 9p. [Reprinted from Visitations of Devon, 12-18th c.] [Westcountry Studies Library - sx929.2/POME]

Hopkins, John T. The Codners of Berry Pomeroy: a clerical dynasty [1600-1750], Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, vol. 34, no. 4, (1979) pp.133-139.

Powley, Edward B. The house of De La Pomerai: the annals of the family, which was, from the conquest to 1548, seated at Beri (Berry Pomeroy), in Devonshire, and, from c.1620 to 1729, resident at Sandridge in Stoke Gabriel, in that county: the status of the lords of Beri: their castle home, together with many notices of the scions of the house and of other bearers of the De La pomerai (Pomeroy) name. Liverpool: Liverpool Univ. Press (1945) xxiii, 135p, 4 of pls.

Randell, Mark and Phillips, Alan. Randell places: A guide to places of significance for William Beavis Randell and his family, Gumeracha, South Australia, Gould Books (1987) 47 pp. [0 9595446 5 8]

Scanes, J. The Pomeroys of Berry Pomeroy, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 64, (1932) pp.257-271.

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History

History of Berry Pomeroy Castle, from English Heritage.

Gawne, E.J. Looking Back at Berry Pomeroy. (1948) [Westcountry Studies Library, Torquay Central Library]

Reichel, Oswald J. The Devonshire "Domesday": III. Berry Pomeroy and Stockleigh Pomeroy, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 28, (1896) pp.362-390; ill. [Index]

Seymour, Deryck. Berry Pomeroy Castle. Torquay: D.Seymour (1982) 175p: ill, map. [ISBN 0950594911]

Whitley, H. Michell. Berry Pomeroy Castle, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 47, (1915) pp.285-293. [Index]

Windeatt, Edward. Notes on the parish of Berry Pomeroy, Devon. Totnes: Times & W.Guardian (1905) 8p: ill. [Westcountry Studies Library - p726.5/BER/WIN]

Worthy, Charles. Berry castle and its ancient lords. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 15, 1883, pp. 163-79. [Includes a pedigree to the 17th c.] [Index]

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Maps

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX828610 (Lat/Lon: 50.437114, -3.651701), Berry Pomeroy which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Freeman, Ray. The Paupers of Pomeroy. Devon Historian 10 (1975) pp.22-28. [Raymond: Discussion of overseers accounts, 1801-27.]

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Probate Records

Transcriptions of the wills of John Windeatt (1826), Elizabeth Windeatt (1836), Mary Windeatt (1852) and John Windeatt (1856) by Pam Jackson, provided by Sandra Windeatt.

Transcription of the will of Samuel Milford Windeatt (1828) by Sandra Windeatt.

Transcription of the will of John Yolland (1826) by Ros Dunning.