GENUKI: Exeter: St Thomas the Apostle, Devon

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"ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE'S is an extensive parish on the western side of the river Exe, connected with Exeter by Exe Bridge, and containing about 3700 acres of land, 4301 inhabitants; the populous suburbs of Cowick street, Okehampton street, Alphington street, &c.; the hamlets of Exwick and Oldridge, about a mile N.N.W. of the city; many scattered houses; and several mills. It is crossed by the South Devon Railway, which has a small station near Cowick street. . . . S.W. Buller, Esq., is lord of the manors of Cowick and Hayes, and also of Exwick and Barley; Sir J.S.G. Sawle, Bart., owns the manor of Bowhill; and Thomas Northmore, Esq., owns Cleave, which has a pleasant mansion commanding a fine view over Exeter. Franklands belongs to the Jones family, and Oldridge to the Yardley and other families. Floyer Hayes, was the seat of the ancient family of Floyer from the time of the Conquest till last century. . . . The populous parts of the parish of St. Thomas are included in the Parliamentary limits of the city of Exeter. The parish CHURCH, in Cowick street, is a large ancient structure, which was enlarged in 1828, and has a tower and six bells. . . . J.W. Buller, Esq., is impropriator of the rectorial tithes, and also patron of the vicarage, valued in K.B. at £11. 2s. 8½d., and in 1831 at £237, and now enjoyed by the Rev. Wm. Hy. Howard, M.A., who has a good parsonage house, and is also incumbent of Exwick and Oldridge Chapels. . . . Exwick is a considerable village on the banks of the Exe, 1 mile N.N.W. of Exeter, and has a woollen manufactory, a large corn mill, and a paper mill." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

Sometimes known as St Thomas (the Apostle) by Exeter, this parish was not part of the City and County of Exeter prior to 1900; it is often (incorrectly) referred to as Exeter St Thomas. Exwick (1872) and Emmanuel (1910) are modern parishes here.

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Biography

Adams, Maxwell (Ed.) Major George Frederick Gratwicke [Obituary]. Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 45, (1913). pp. 42-43. [Transcript]

Adams, Maxwell (Ed.) John Northmore [Obituary]. Trans. Devon. Assoc., 47, (1915), pp. 53-54. [Transcript]

Mills, S.I. Does the Humour Carry On?, Devon Family Historian, vol. 122, (2007) pp.9. [Anecdote about Dorothy Ena Pentecost (b. 21 Jul 1907)]

Mills, Sheila. Romantic Rendezvous, Devon Family Historian, vol. 130, (2011) pp.10-11. [Herbert Pentecost (b. 1803, St Thomas Exeter) and Winifred Alice White]

Pengelly, W. Budgell: The Date and Place of Birth of Mr Eustace. In Notes on Slips Connected to Devonshire, Part VII, Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1884, Vol XVI, pp. 605-608. [Transcript]

Cemeteries

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

Exeter City Council's Bereavement Services Alphabetical Index Cards - relating to over 100,000 burials at Exwick, Higher and Topsham cemeteries.

A record of the the memorials and graves in the churchyard and inside the church is held by the Parish Office, which is happy to perform lookups, or to arrange a visit for anyone who would like to see the inside of the church.

Census

Snowden, L.J. 1891 Census Surname Index to St Thomas, Exeter and Topsham, RG12/1679 (1998). [Devon FHS Library p929.34235]

Churches

**Anglican**
Emmanuel, Exeter, Church of England
St Andrew, Exeter, Church of England
St Andrew, Exwick, Church of England
St Thomas the Apostle, Exeter, Church of England

Church History

Oldridge Chapel - on Historic England website.

Bond, Sue. A Hidden Gem, Devon Family Historian, vol. 173, (2020) pp.20-21. [Oldridge Chapel]

Swabey, Maurice. Annals of St. Thomas. Typescript [1930] 25p. [Westcountry Studies Library - sxB/EXE/0001/SWA]

Tubbs, B.R. The Story of St Thomas', Exeter. (1970) [Westcountry Studies Library, Exeter Cathedral Library]

Winsley, T. The Parish Church of St Thomas', Exeter. (1936) [Westcountry Studies Library]

Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1541 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Indexed transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1541 are held in a special collection in the Westcountry Studies Library.

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

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1541-1837 and Marriages 1576-1812.

The LDS has a microfilm Parish Register transcripts, 1554-1837, of original records held at the Exeter Public Library - FHL BRITISH Film 916843 and 916844.

An index of baptisms, marriages and burials in the parishes of Alphington, Ashcombe, Bishopsteignton, Chudleigh, Combeinteignhead, Dawlish, Dunchideock, East Ogwell, East Teignmouth, Exminster, Haccombe, Ide, Kenn, Kenton, Mamhead, Powderham, Shaldon, Shillingford St. George, Starcross, Stokeinteignhead, St. Thomas the Apostle (by Exeter), Trusham, West Ogwell and West Teignmouth. Includes Chudleigh United Reformed Church and East Teignmouth Zion Independent Chapel Burials. 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). [Alphington Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1812-1837; Ashcombe Bapt: 1813-1841 Mar: 1754-1836 Bur: 1783-1837; Bishopsteignton Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Chudleigh Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Chudleigh United Reformed Chapel Bur: 1834-1836; Combeinteignhead Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1800-1837; Dawlish Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Dunchideock Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1756-1836 Bur: 1813-1851; East Ogwell Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1755-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; East Teignmouth Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1755-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; East Teignmouth Zion Independent Chapel Bur: 1809-1836; Exminster Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1836 Bur: 1813-1837; Haccombe Bapt: 1821-1842 Mar: 1773-1801 Bur: 1829-1839; Ide Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Kenn Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1836 Bur: 1813-1837; Kenton Bapt: 1813-1844 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Mamhead Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Powderham Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1835 Bur: 1785-1837; Shaldon Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Shillingford St. George Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1765-1837 Bur: 1680-1842; Starcross Bapt: 1815-1840 Mar: 1828-1837 Bur: 1828-1837; Stokeinteignhead Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1754-1836 Bur: 1800-1837; St.Thomas the Apostle (by Exeter) Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837; Trusham Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1743-1837 Bur: 1750-1837; West Ogwell Bapt: 1813-1839 Mar: 1755-1843 Bur: 1813-1839; West Teignmouth Bapt: 1813-1840 Mar: 1754-1837 Bur: 1813-1837.]

Description & Travel

Section on St Thomas the Apostle (and Cowick) from Samuel Lewis: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1831), provided by Mel Lockie.

Around the River Exe: The official guide of the St. Thomas (Exeter) Rural District Council (2nd ed.), London, Century Press (1955?) 36p: ill, map. [Westcountry Studies Library DEV/1955/St.T]

You can see pictures of Exeter: St Thomas the Apostle which are provided by:

Directories

The parish of St Thomas is included in the Exeter Directory section of White's Devonshire Directory of 1850.

Gazetteers

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

Ask for a calculation of the distance from Exeter: St Thomas the Apostle to another place.

Genealogy

Aldam, Angela. The Baker Family of Whitestone and Exeter St Thomas, Devon and their Descendants, (1997). [Devon FHS Library 929.2/BAK]

Crawford, Bill. Secrets Within a Marriage, Devon Family Historian, vol. 178, (2021) pp.46-47. [Partridge]

Endicott, Don. Endicott Family, Devon Family Historian, vol. 143, (2012) pp.11-12.

Skinner, A.J. Budgell of St. Thomas, Exeter Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 10, 1918-19, pp. 206-7. [17-18th c.]

History

Calland, G. A History of the Devon County Prison for Debtors in St Thomas, (1999). [DFHS Library 365.094235] [ISBN 0953501507]

Enright, Jean and Enright, Philip. Dreadful Fire and Loss of Life, Devon Family Historian, vol. 129, (2009) pp.28-30. [In Exeter St Thomas - from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post, 21 Oct 1858]

Enright, Jean and Enright, Philip. Suicide of a Prisoner, Devon Family Historian, vol. 129, (2009) pp.30-31. [Frederick Jones Joslin, father of the family who perished by fire in 1858 - from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post, 22 Sep 1880]

Piller, Mavis. St Thomas of Yesteryear (three parts), Obelisk Publications (2001-2003).

Rice, Pat. Alarming Indundation, Devon Family Historian, vol. 71, (1994) pp.28. [Transcription of an article from the Exeter Flying Post for 26 Jan 1809 about the River Exe flooding]

Maps

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

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SX911917 (Lat/Lon: 50.714696, -3.54387), Exeter: St Thomas the Apostle which are provided by:

OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
Bing (was Multimap)
Old Maps Online
National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Names, Personal

Harris, Jean. Devon Inventories of the Seventeenth Century, Devon Family Historian, vol. 96, (Nov 2000) pp.35-36. [Listing of 50 debtors of George Cook of Stoke Canon, living at St Thomas, Exeter - taken from the D & CRS publication]

Exeter St Thomas Vaccination Register - 1905, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D082). [Foreword]

Exeter St Thomas Vaccination Register - 1906, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D118). [Foreword]

Poor Houses, Poor Law

King, G.R. Aspects of poor law administration in St. Thomas Union, Devon, 1834 to 1846, Worcester (1987) 77, [30] leaves. [Westcountry Studies Library sxB/EXE/362.5/KIN]

Probate Records

Will of Richard Every (1851), transcribed by Ros Dunning.