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Shirwell

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"The pleasant village which gives its name to the Hundred is four miles N.E. by N. of Barnstaple, and has in its parish 686 souls, and 4762 acres of land. Sir Arthur Chichester, Bart, whose Baronetcy was created in 1641, is lord of the manor, and owner of most of the soil, and has a handsome seat here called Youlston Park, which one of his ancestors obtained by marrying the heiress of the Beaumonts, in the reign of Henry VII. He is patron of the rectory, valued in K.B. at £30. 3s. 11½d., and in 1831 at £472. The Rev. R.J. Beadon, M.A., is the incumbent, and has 85A. of glebe, and a good residence, recently erected. The Church (St Peter,) is a neat structure, and contains several memorials of the Chichesters. The poor have the interest of £56. 10s., given by various donors." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

A parish in Shirwell Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple, and the Diocese of Exeter.

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Cemeteries

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

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Census

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

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Church Records

Parish Registers going back to 1538 are held in the Devon Record Office.

Transcripts of the Parish Registers going back to 1538 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.

The members' area of the Devon FHS website makes available online images, not at present (Jan 2016) available elsewhere, of the Parish Registers covering Shirwell Baptisms and Burials: 1773-1812, Baptisms: 1813-1853, Baptisms: 1852-1914, Marriages and banns: 1754-1828 (1852), Marriages: 1813-1836, Burials: 1813-1910.

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

  • Wesleyan Chapel: Registers for c1807-27 - see Barnstaple Circuit, Bideford (PRO RG 4/954,955)

Entered into the IGI (as of Jan 1993): Christenings 1538-1772 and Marriages 1539-1754.

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.]

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Court Records

Register of Freeholders - Shebbear, Sherwill And Southmolton c1816, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D133). [Foreword]

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Description & Travel

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

Victoria Clare has created a well-illustrated Shirwell Village website (archived copy), which also contains information on the early history of the area.

You can see pictures of Shirwell which are provided by:

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Directories

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

Transcription, by Jonathan Frayne of the Shirwell section of Kelly's Directory of Barnstaple and Neighbourhood (1941).

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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

Chichester, Alex Palmer Bruce, Sir. History of the family of Chichester, from A.D 1086 to 1874 including the descents of the various branches settled at Raleigh, Youlston, Arlington, Widworthy, Calverleigh Hall, and elsewhere in Devonshire; also of the Chichesters, Marquesses of Donegal, and Barons Templemore. John Camden Hotten, 1871.

Mayne, Brian. Search for a Saint - A link to a Devon Martyr?, Devon Family Historian, no. 188, (2023) p.40. [St Cuthbert Mayne b. 1544]

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History

Reichel, O.J. The Hundreds of Braunton, Shirwell and Fremington in Early Times, Trans. Devonshire Association, Extra volume, (1935) 136pp.

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Land & Property

Complete transcription of Shirwell Land Tax records, by Roy Conibear.

Larter, C.E. Some Cryptogams of the Botanical Districts of Braunton and Sherwill, North Devon. Trans. Devon Assoc., Vol. XXXVIII, (1906), illus., pp. 270-293. [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 SS597374 (Lat/Lon: 51.118661, -4.005965), Shirwell which are provided by:

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Names, Personal

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

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Probate Records

Transcription of the will of Frances Symons (1652), provided by Sheila Howard.