Hide

Challacombe

hide
Hide

"Among the hills, near the source of the river Bray, 10 miles NE of Barnstaple, it has in its parish 305 souls & 5430 acres of land including a portion of high moorland waste extending Eastwards to the borders of Somersetshire. Earl Fortescue is Lord of the manor, owner of most of the soil & patron of the "Rectory" valued in KB at £11-9s-2d and in 1831 at £164. The Rev. J.C. Carwithen M. A. is the incumbent, & has a good cottage residence in a romantic dell & about 40 acres of glebe. The tithes have been commuted for £180 per annum. The Church [Holy Trinity] is a small dilapidated structure, about to be rebuilt, except for the tower which contains 4 bells." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Shirlwell Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and Diocese of Exeter, 10 miles N.E. of Barnstaple, which had 240 inhabitants in 1831.

Hide
topup

Biography

Tucker, Ron. John 200 Years 1812-2012. John Tucker, 41 Rosary Drive, Bridgewater, Somerset, TA6 7JS (2012). [John Barrow, Parish Clerk 1854-1896]

topup

Cemeteries

MIs for this parish are included in the Incledon index - see under Cemeteries on the main Devon page.

topup

Census

Snetzler, M.F. North Devon Surname Index to the Census. Microfiche: M.F. Snetzler. [Covers 1841, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census records for this parish]

topup

Church History

The Challacombe Church Bell, 1866, provided by Michael Steer.

topup

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1673 are held in the Devon Record Office.

The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering (as of June 2004): Baptisms 1813-1840, Marriages 1754-1837 - for details see their Devon Parish List.

The members' area of the Devon FHS website makes available online images, not at present (Jan 2016) available elsewhere, of the Parish Registers covering Challacombe Baptisms, marriages and burials: 1673-1799, Baptisms: 1813-1915, Marriages: 1754-1837, Marriages: 1837-1915, Banns: 1754-1813, Burials: 1813-1914.

Memorandum Relative to the Parish of Challacombe (1673), from the Parish Register, transcribed by John Fisher.

Nothing entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993).

The Miscellaneous Series of IHGS Parish Registers, The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, 79-82 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1BA.: CD-ROM (n.d.). [The Devon section of contains: Marriages: Berrynarber 1540-1783, Bridgerule 1702-1753, Chardstock 1597-1837, Challacombe 1599-1621 and 1673-1837, Farringdon 1620-1788, Lynton 1591-1837, Pinhoe 1687-1837, Plymouth 1653-1674, Plymstock 1591-1812, Rewe 1686-1836, Witheridge 1646-1837.] [Also LDS Film 90711]

Burials from Bishops Transcripts: Challacombe 1822-1848. [Devon]: Devon Family History Society (2013).

An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Arlington, Ashford, Berrynarbor, Bittadon, Bratton Fleming, Braunton, Brendon, Challacombe, Charles, Combe Martin, Countisbury, East Buckland, East Down, Georgeham, Goodleigh, Heanton Punchardon, High Bray, Ilfracombe, Kentisbury, Loxhore, Lynton, Martinhoe, Marwood, Mortehoe, Parracombe, Shirwell, Stoke Rivers, Trentishoe, West Buckland and West Down. With photographs of the churches and extracts from White's Directory (1850) and Kelly's Directory of Devonshire (1902), CD-ROM, Exeter, Devon FHS (2015). [Arlington Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1814-1837; Ashford Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1747-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Berrynarbor Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Bittadon Bapt: 1813-1843, Mar: 1754-1835, Bur: 1815-1843; Bratton Fleming Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; Braunton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Brendon Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Challacombe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1822-1848; Charles Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Combe Martin Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Countisbury Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1755-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; East Buckland Bapt: 1813-1838, Mar: 1755-1836, Bur: 1813-1839; East Down Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1839, Bur: 1813-1852; Georgeham Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Goodleigh Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Heanton Punchardon Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1800-1837; High Bray Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1756-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Ilfracombe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Kentisbury Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1841, Bur: 1813-1837; Loxhore Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Lynton Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1838; Martinhoe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Marwood Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Mortehoe Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1750-1837; Parracombe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1598-1838, Bur: 1813-1838; Shirwell Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; Stoke Rivers Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1839; Trentishoe Bapt: 1813-1839, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1837; West Buckland Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1851; West Down Bapt: 1813-1840, Mar: 1754-1837, Bur: 1813-1840.]

topup

Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Challacombe which are provided by:

topup

Directories

Transcription of entry in White's Devonshire Directory of 1850.

Transcription of entry in Kelly's Directory, Devonshire of 1935, by Deborah Carmichael.

topup

Gazetteers

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

topup

Genealogy

The Online Parish Clerk scheme's representative for this parish is John Fisher, who invites queries and lookup requests. (Resources: PRs on fiche.)

Bethune, Lizzie. A Short Life of Richard Ridd, Devon Family Historian, vol. 178, (2021) pp.27-28.Richard Ridd, b.1796)

Huxtable, John Francis. The Huxtables of Swincombe [198-?] 16, [10]p. [Barnstaple Library - 929.2/HUX]

topup

History

Tull, Christopher. Challacombe, The Old Smithy, Challacombe, nr. Barnstaple EX31 4TU (2006?) 84 pp.

topup

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS692408 (Lat/Lon: 51.151467, -3.871546), Challacombe which are provided by:

topup

Names, Personal

Challacombe contributors to a 1678 brief for the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral.