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Exminster

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"EXMINSTER is a large straggling village, pleasantly situated, 4 miles S.E. by S. of Exeter, on the western side of the vale of the river Exe, opposite Topsham, and near the South Devon Railway, and the Exeter Canal, which here falls into the estuary at Turf lock. The parish contains 1177 inhabitants, and 4670 acres of land, including a fine tract of rich marshes, the hamlets of Lower Shillingford and Matford; and several scattered farm-houses and neat mansions . . . . The Earl of Devon is lord of the manor of Exminster, . . . Sir L.V. Palk is lord of the manor of Shillingford, and owner of the estates called Little Bowhay, Breynton, and Lower and North Shillingford, or Shillingford Abbots. . . . The Church (St. Martin,) is a large structure, with a fine tower, containing a clock, chimes, and six bells. . . . The Rev. J.P. Hugo, M.A., is the incumbent, and has 15 acres of glebe, and a pleasant residence, commanding a fine view of Topsham, and the estuary of the Exe. . . . DEVON COUNTY PAUPER LUNATIC ASYLUM is an extensive and handsome building in this parish . . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Exminster Hundred, the Archdeaconry and the Diocese of Exeter. It includes Shillingford Abbot.

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Cemeteries

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

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Church History

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

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1562 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Indexed transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1562 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.

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Parish Church Christenings 1562-1812, and Marriages 1562-1836.

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.]

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Court Records

Register of Freeholders - Ermington, Exminster, Fremington & Halberton c1816, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D128). [Foreword]

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Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Exminster which are provided by:

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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

This parish is one of the growing number of places for which the Devon Heritage website provides census or parish register transcriptions, articles, and/or illustrations, etc.

Bond, Sue. An Exminster Gem, Devon Family Historian, vol. 161, (2017) pp.12-13. [Concerning the family of George and Mary Brailey]

Parr, John Frank. Parr family of Exminster, near Exeter, Western Antiquary 2, 1882, pp. 77-78. [Raymond: Includes parish register extracts, 17-19th c.]

Parr, John Frank. Parr family of Chudleigh and Exminster, Western Antiquary 3, 1884, pp. 19-20.

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History

Devon County Mental Hospital - a website providing a history based on case notes, records and interviews that "tells the stories of real patients".

Barber, Chips. Exminster of Yesteryear. Obelisk Publications (2004) 16 p. [ISBN-13:978-1903585344]

Beer, Ken. Exminster in peace and war. [Exminster]: [J.Jones], [2001?] 49p. [DFHS Library p287/CAN]

G.P. Exminster Castle & Exminster Monastery, in W. Pengelly (Ed.) Memoranda. Transactions of the Devonshire Association, 1875, Vol VII, pp. 198-199. [Transcript]

Jones, J.A. Exminster: Some aspects of the social history of the village (typescript) (1969) [Westcountry Studies Library]

Jones, Joyce and Lewes, Fred. Victorian Exminster (1996) 46p. [Devon FHS Library 942.35/EXM] [SoG Library Devon tracts box] [Index]

Rawlinson, Kathleen. Nurses' Memories of Exminster Hospital. [DFHS Library p362.11/EXM]

Reichel, O J. Hundred of Exminster in early times. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 47 (1915) pp. 193-209. [Index]

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Land & Property

Names mentioned in the Assessment for the Land Tax of 1802 for Exminster, by Michael Holman.

Elliot, John. Homes and gardens - Coombe cottage, Exminster. Devon Life vol. 8 no. 63 (1971) pp.14-16; ill.

Watts, Christopher T. and Michael J. Tithe Apportionment for Crediton and Exminster. Devon Historian 21 (1980) pp.7-9.

Passmore, Dick. Kenbury: a vanished Devon house, Little Silver Publications (2003). [ISBN 0954447204] [DFHS Library p942.35/KEN]

Westcott, Margaret. Surveying the Estates of Henry Courtenay, Earl of Devon, Marquis of Exeter and Traitor, 1543-4. In Devon Documents (ed. T. Gray). Tiverton: Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, Special Issue (1996) [ISBN 0925836203] pp.199-203. [Okehampton, Chulmleigh, Tiverton, Broadclyst, Colyton, Exminster]

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Manors

Reichel, Oswald J. The early history of the principal manors in Exminster Hundred. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 47, (1915) pp.210-248. [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 SX945877 (Lat/Lon: 50.679365, -3.494585), Exminster which are provided by:

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Medical Records

Devon County Lunatic Asylum, Exminster - Indexes to Admissions 1845-1916 and Burials 1845-1982, compiled by Jeff Ellis.

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Military History

Madge, Derek. Exminster Home Guard Dispatch Riders, Devon Family Historian, vol. 175, no. (2020) p.34.

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Names, Personal

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

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Occupations

Exminster Apprenticeship Indentures for County Devon, 1790-1819. Temple University Libraries, SCOLL., Philadelphia,Pa. 19122. [\(SPC)\MSS\010\] [21 apprentice indenturess - each describes a "poor child of said parish" being apprenticed to either husbandry or house work.]

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Harrington, D.W. Some Parochial Records from Exminster. Family History 7 (40/42) New Series 16/18 (1973) pp.14-68. [Raymond: Includes settlement examinations, apprenticeship indentures.]

Lunatic Paupers in Exminster Asylum - 1st July 1868, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D110). [Foreword]

Lunatic Paupers in Exminster Asylum - 1st January 1881, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D069). [Foreword]

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Probate Records

Will of James Vinicombe (1829), provided by Elsie Person.