Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for HOLSWORTHY

HOLSWORTHY, a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district, in Devon. The town stands on an eminence, near the river Deer and the Bude canal, 5 miles E of the boundary with Cornwall, 14 W of Hatherleigh, and 14 N of Launceston r. station; was held for the King, during some period of the civil wars of Charles I.; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and a polling place; and has a head post office ‡ designated Holsworthy, North Devon, a banking office, two chief inns, a market house, a bridge, a church, four Methodist chapels, two Bible Christian chapels, a national school, a workhouse, and charities £41. The market house was built in 1858. The church is later English; and consists of nave, S aisle, and chancel. A weekly market is held on Wednesday; great cattle markets are held on the Wednesday after Candlemas, and the first Wednesday of Nov.; and fairs are held on 27 April, 9, 10, and 11 July, and 2 Oct. -The parish contains also the villages of Chilsworthy, Chasty, and Staddon; and comprises 8, 836 acres. Real property, £6, 764. Pop., 1, 724. Houses, 341. The manor, and much of the land, belong to Earl Stanhope. An interesting feature is the Labyrinth, designed by Earl Stanhope, and formed of beech trees. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £1, 000.8 Patron, the Rev. G. W. Thornton.—The sub-district contains also the parishes of Pancrasweek, Pyworthy, and Hollacombe. Acres, 18, 857. Pop., 2, 756. Houses, 563.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Milton-Damerel, containing the parishes of MiltonDamerel, Abbots-Bickington, Sutcombe, Bradworthy, and Thornbury; the sub-district of Black-Torrington, containing the parishes of Black-Torrington, Halwell, Cookbury, and Bradford; the sub-district of Broadwoodwidger, now conterminate with the parish of Ashwater, but formerly containing also the parishes of Broadwoodwidger, Virginstow, St. Giles-on-the-Heath, and part of Bapton; and the sub-district of Clawton, containing the parishes of Clawton, Tetcott, Luffincott, Bridgerule, and North Tamerton, -the last electorally in Cornwall. Acres, 82, 519. Poor rates in 1865, £3, 736. Pop. in 1851, 10, 921; in 1861, 9, 876. Houses, 1, 988. Marriages in 1862, 69; births, 326, -of which 22 were illegitimate; deaths, 175, -of which 50 were at ages under 5 years, and 12 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 778; births, 3, 084; deaths, 1, 748. The places of worship in 1851-also in 1865-were 21 of the church of England, with 4, 182 sittings; 3 of Baptists, with 250 s.; 11 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 1, 393 s.; 1 of the Wesleyan Association, with 70 s.; and 19 of Bible Christians, with 2, 383 s. The schools in 1851 were 7 public day schools, with 288 scholars; 14 private day schools, with 291 s.; and 32 Sunday schools, with 1, 387 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Holsworthy CP/AP       Holsworthy SubD       Holsworthy RegD/PLU       Devon AncC
Place: Holsworthy

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