Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for SEATON

SEATON, a village and a parish in Axminster district, Devon. The village stands on a small bay at the mouth of the river Axe, at the terminus of a branch railway of4¼ miles, completed in 1868 from the Colyton station of the Southwestern, and 6½ S W by S of Axminster; contests with two other places the claim of occupying the site of the Roman station Moridunum; was the landing-place of the Danes, with Scottish and Irish auxiliaries, in 937, prior to the battle of Brunenburg; is now a sea-bathing resort and a sub-port to Exeter; consists chiefly of two streets, at right angles to the shore; and has a post-office ‡ under Axminster, three good inns, and a fair on Whit-Tuesday. The parish contains also the tything of Beer; and comprises 2, 766 acres of land, and 55 of water. Real property, £7, 173; of which £25 are in quarries. Pop., 1, 966. Houses, 425. The manor belongs to Sir W.Trevelyan, Bart. An ancient camp of 3 acres, either Roman or Danish, and called Honey Ditches, ison Hanna hill, adjacent to the village. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £260.* Patrons, the Heirs of Lord Rolle. The church is ancient and peculiar; includes decorated English, later English, and debased portions; and was repaired in 1866. There are a chapel of ease at Beer, and Independent chapels at Beer and Seaton.


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

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a village and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Seaton CP       Seaton and Beer CP/AP       Axminster RegD/PLU       Devon AncC
Place: Seaton

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