Widworthy Genealogical Records
Widworthy Birth & Baptism Records
An index to births registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of birth certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of baptism registers, searchable by a name index. They list parents' names - their occupations, residence and sometimes other details.
A searchable database of 2,225,292 records, linked to original images of baptism registers. The records provide proof of parentage, occupations, residence and other details.
Transcriptions of over 360,000 baptisms from most parishes in the county. Records include parents name and abode.
Over 60,000 transcripts of personal entries in various types of records, including vaccination registers, apprenticeship records, occupational records, poor law records, marriage notice books, returns of deaths, infirmary registers, debtor lists, workhouse birth registers, bastardy records and more.
Widworthy Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to marriages registered throughout England & Wales. This is the only national marriage index that allows you to search by both spouse's names. Provides a reference to order copies of marriage certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Banns registers list the names of people who intended to marry by the system of calling banns, in which the bride and groom's name were called for three weeks at church. At these callings objections could be made to a marriage. They record the bride and groom's parish of residence.
Digital images of marriage registers, searchable by a name index. They typically the record marital status and residence of the bride and groom and may contain other details.
A searchable database of 1,871,561 records, linked to original images of marriage registers. The records may include fathers' names, age, residence, occupations and more.
Transcriptions of over 270,000 marriages from most parishes in the county.
Widworthy Death & Burial Records
An index to deaths registered throughout England & Wales. Provides a reference to order copies of death certificates from the national registrar of births, marriages and deaths – the General Register Office.
Digital images of burial registers, searchable by a name index. They may include the deceased's name, residence and age. Some records may contain the names of relations, cause of death and more.
A searchable database of 1,666,144 records, linked to original images of burial registers. The records may include date of burial and/or death, residence, age and other details.
Transcriptions of over 225,000 burials from most parishes in the county. Induces the deceased's age.
Over 60,000 transcripts of personal entries in various types of records, including vaccination registers, apprenticeship records, occupational records, poor law records, marriage notice books, returns of deaths, infirmary registers, debtor lists, workhouse birth registers, bastardy records and more.
Widworthy Census & Population Lists
An index to and digital images of records that detail 40 million civilians in England and Wales. Records list name, date of birth, address, marital status, occupation and details of trade or profession.
The 1911 census provides details on an individual's age, residence, place of birth, relations and occupation. FindMyPast's index allows searches on for multiple metrics including occupation and residence.
A list of those eligible to vote, including their address and qualification to vote.
A list of Devon property-owners who were required to contribute towards sustaining the militia.
A transcription of the Lady Day hearth tax for 1674 for the county of Devon.
Newspapers Covering Widworthy
Fully text-searchable articles from a local newspaper covering the Taunton district. It includes family announcements, obituaries, court proceedings, business notices and more.
A politically independent newspaper, covering the affairs of Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. It includes family notices.
A short regional paper covering local occurrences, business news, family notices and more.
A liberal newspaper covering the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It includes family notices.
Original images of a regional newspaper, searchable via a full text index. Includes news from the Devon area, business notices, obituaries, family announcements and more.
Widworthy Wills & Probate Records
Searchable index and original images of over 12.5 million probates and administrations granted by civil registries. Entries usually include the testator's name, date of death, date of probate and registry. Names of relations may be given.
An index to 295,609 wills of people who lived in or were connected to Devon. The wills they reference can contain a great deal of genealogical information.
An index to estate administrations performed by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The index covers the southern two thirds of England & Wales, but may also contain entries for northerners.
An index to thousands of probates and administrations granted by the Diocese and Archdeaconry of Exeter, covering parts of Devon & Cornwall.
An index to over 300,000 Devon wills, admons and inventories from 550 sources. Index contains name, abode, occupation, type of document, year of probate, court, notes and document reference.
Widworthy Immigration & Travel Records
A detailed investigation into motivations for Devonians choosing to stay or migrate from the county, with particular attention to labour, religion and family ties.
A lengthy article detailing the practice of moving the needy poor between parishes. Contains examples of settlements, removals and examinations.
The story of a ship heading to Quebec from Plymouth that sank off the coast of Cornwall, killing 194 passengers. Includes information on the crew, passengers and others connected with the event.
An overview of emigration from north Devon to the Americas, with particulars of some who made the journey.
A calendar of prisoners brought before the quarter sessions, with details of their crime and punishment. Contains entries for individuals who were transported.
Widworthy Military Records
Various military lists published in the Exeter Flying Post, particularly lists of deserters, which may list age and physical description.
A list of Devon property-owners who were required to contribute towards sustaining the militia.
A list of names found on World War One monuments in Devon, with some service details.
A list of names found on World War Two monuments in Devon, with some service details.
Names from a presumably predominately Devonian war memorial in the former Bible Christian church at Swansea.
Widworthy Court & Legal Records
A list of those eligible to vote, including their address and qualification to vote.
An index of around 300,000 names in local tax records. The index is connected to digital images of the rate books, which record, land owner and occupier, description of property, address and details of the tax.
Transcriptions of documents listing those who swore loyalty to King George I after the Jacobite Atterbury Plot.
A calendar of cases to be heard before the quarter session that are indictable by nature,.
Two calendars, one of those licensed to carry out trade and the other those brought before the session for cursing.
Widworthy Taxation Records
An index of around 300,000 names in local tax records. The index is connected to digital images of the rate books, which record, land owner and occupier, description of property, address and details of the tax.
Transcriptions of documents listing land, their owner or occupier acreage and name or description.
A list of Devon property-owners who were required to contribute towards sustaining the militia.
A transcription of the Lady Day hearth tax for 1674 for the county of Devon.
An index to 11,000,000 parcels of land and property, connected to digital images of registers that record their owner, occupier, description, agricultural use, size and rateable value.
Widworthy Land & Property Records
A list of those eligible to vote, including their address and qualification to vote.
Maps delineating fields in Devon, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.
An index of around 300,000 names in local tax records. The index is connected to digital images of the rate books, which record, land owner and occupier, description of property, address and details of the tax.
Transcriptions of documents listing land, their owner or occupier acreage and name or description.
A list of Devon property-owners who were required to contribute towards sustaining the militia.
Widworthy Directories & Gazetteers
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key contemporary and historical facts. Each place has a list of residents and businesses. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A comprehensive place-by-place gazetteer, listing key historical and contemporary facts. Contains details on local schools, churches, government and other institutions. Also contains a list of residents and businesses for each place.
A directory of residents and businesses; with a description of each settlement, containing details on its history, public institutions, churches, postal services, governance and more.
Widworthy Cemeteries
Photographs and descriptions of Devon's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Memorials of a select number of headstones in Devon.
Images of millions of pages from cemetery and crematoria registers, photographs of memorials, cemetery plans and more. Records can be search by a name index.
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
Profiles of several hundred mausolea found in the British Isles.
Widworthy Obituaries
The UKs largest repository of obituaries, containing millions of searchable notices.
A growing collection currently containing over 425,000 abstracts of obituaries with reference to the location of the full obituary.
A collection of 364 obituaries of Quakers from the British Isles. The volume was published in 1849 and includes obituaries of those who died in late 1847 through 1848.
This transcribed and searchable work by Sir William Musgrave contains 10,000s of brief obituaries. The work is a reference point for other works containing information on an individual.
A text index and digital images of all editions of a journal containing medical articles and obituaries of medical practitioners.
Widworthy Histories & Books
A detailed investigation into motivations for Devonians choosing to stay or migrate from the county, with particular attention to labour, religion and family ties.
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
A general and parochial history of the county, with sections for each parish.
Numerous articles covering the history of the country, its principle settlements, notable persons, castles and more.
A detailed overview of Devon in 1850, extracted from a directory of that year.
Widworthy School & Education Records
A name index connected to digital images of registers recording millions of children educated in schools operated by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education. Records contain a variety of information including genealogical details, education history, illnesses, exam result, fathers occupation and more.
A name index linked to original images of registers recording the education and careers of teachers in England & Wales.
A name index linked to original images of short biographies for over 120,000 Oxford University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A transcript of a vast scholarly work briefly chronicling the heritage, education and careers of over 150,000 Cambridge University students. This is a particularly useful source for tracing the ancestry of the landed gentry.
A searchable database containing over 90,000 note-form biographies for students of Cambridge University.
Widworthy Occupation & Business Records
Background information on women employed by the mining industry in Devon & Cornwall. Includes a database of over 25,000 women and oral histories.
Lists of gamekeepers from the North Devon Journal.
Lists of gamekeepers from the The Western Times.
A series of newspaper articles listing gamekeepers in Devon.
Transcripts of newspaper articles listing the particulars of apprentices who absconded from their master.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering Widworthy
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Widworthy Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
Three works compiled from 16th and 17th century sources that record Devon families who had the right to bear a coat of arms.
A list of men found by William Camden to have unsubstantiated claims to coats of arms.
Photographs and descriptions of Devon's most illustrious church monuments, often featuring effigies, medieval inscriptions and heraldic devices.
Extensive and impeccably sourced genealogies for British, Irish & Manx royalty and nobility. Scroll down to 'British Isles' for relevant sections.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
Widworthy Church Records
A history of Catholicism in South West England with biographies of noted Catholics. Contains details of the Dominican, Benedictine, and Franciscan orders.
Prior to civil registration in 1837, the parish registers of Devon are the most common place to turn for details on births, marriages and deaths.
A series of questionnaires detailing the ecclesiastical predicament of around 250 parishes in Devon.
A transcript of documents recording those who contributed to the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
A history of the Bible Christians, a denomination of Methodists, in Devon and Cornwall.
Biographical Directories Covering Widworthy
A series of folk tales and detailed biographies of Devonshire men and women.
Biographies of notable Devonians from the Norman period up to the end of the 17th century.
A searchable book, listing pedigrees of titled families and biographies of their members.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
A book containing genealogies and biographies of Britain's titled families.
Widworthy Maps
Maps delineating fields in Devon, which are referenced to documents recording field names, land owners, occupiers, land use and land size.
Maps delineating fields, forests and other land plots in east Devon. Apportionments not included.
Transcriptions of documents listing land, their owner or occupier acreage and name or description.
A collection of digitalised maps covering the county.
Detailed maps covering much of the UK. They depict forests, mountains, larger farms, roads, railroads, towns, and more.
Widworthy Reference Works
A series of articles on Devon surnames, including a dictionary of Devon surname definitions.
A guide to locating Devon wills in light of losses incurred during World War II.
A beginner’s guide to researching ancestry in England.
Compiled in 1831, this book details the coverage and condition of parish registers in England & Wales.
A comprehensive guide to researching the history of buildings in the British Isles.
Civil & Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Historical Description
WIDWORTHY is a parish, 3 ½ miles east-by-south from Honiton, 4 north-west from Seaton Junction station on the main line of the London and South Western railway and 6 north-west from Axminster, in the Eastern division of the county, Colyton hundred, Honiton petty sessional division, union and county court district, rural deanery of Dunkeswell and Honiton, and archdeaconry and diocese of Exeter. One side of the village is in the parish of Offwell, Widworthy proper being composed of the hamlet of Wilmington, on the high road between Honiton and Axminster. The church of St. Cuthbert is an ancient cruciform budding of stone in the Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, transepts and a western tower containing 5 bells: over the west doorway in the tower is a carving of figures within a panel, and three shields of arms, all too much defaced to be made out: in the north transept is a fine effigy of a knight in mixed armour, with bascinet and camail and hauberk of ringed mail, covered by a tunic, and bearing on the left arm a shield with the arms of the Prouz family, “crusily of cross-crosslets, 3 lions rampant;” the figure very probably represents Sir Hugh Prouz, of Widworthy, son of Sir William Prouz, of Gidleigh, and Alice (Widworthy), his wife, temp. Edward III.: in the south transept is a handsome monument to James Marwood esq. d. 1767, by Bacon, and there are various other monuments: the church has been reseated with open oak benches: all the windows are stained. The register is in good preservation and complete from 1540. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £151, including 30 acres of glebe, with residence, in the gift of the Rev. A. Marwood Ellon B.A., J.P. and held since 1897 by the Rev. Charles Gregson M.A. of University College, Durham. The poor have a yearly rent-charge of 20s. left by Robert Marwood in 1738; £3 3s. 4d. from Somasters' charity; £5 10s. from Tucker’s charity, left in 1830; £12 18s. from Elton’s charities, left in 1838; £6 from the Elton estates and £4 from Capt. H. Elton's charity. From this place the knightly family of Widworthy took their name; from one of these, Sir Hugh de Widworthy, the manor was conveyed, through his daughter Alice, to Sir William Prouz knt. and thence in 1344 to the Northcotes; subsequently it descended to the Wootton and Chichester families, from whom it passed to the Marwoods. Widworthy Court, the seat of the Rev. Alfred Marwood-Elton B.A., J.P. who is lord of the manor and practically sole landowner, is an elegant mansion, standing on an eminence; on the south and east fronts are terraces 160 feet long. The mansion was built, and the park and extensive woods formed and planted about 1830 by the late Sir Edward Marwood-Elton bart. who by de scent and purchase had acquired all the large estates in this and adjoining parishes, owned for many generations by the Marwood family, and to which his grandmother and her three sisters succeeded as co-heiresses on the death of their brother, James Thomas Benedictus Marwood. The soil is clay and marl; the subsoil is marl and gravel. The land is principally in pasture. The area is 1,463 acres; rateable value, £1,824; the population in 1901 was 148.
School (mixed), erected 1893 by the Rev. Alfred Marwood-Elton B.A. for 120 children; average attendance, 38; & endowed with a share of land & a portion of So masters’ & Tucker's charities.
Most Common Surnames in Widworthy
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | Percent of Parent | Rank in Colyton Hundred |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Batten | 9 | 1:15 | 2.54% | 319 |
| 2 | Snell | 7 | 1:19 | 0.56% | 48 |
| 2 | Salway | 7 | 1:19 | 5.65% | 942 |
| 4 | French | 6 | 1:22 | 0.78% | 118 |
| 4 | Summers | 6 | 1:22 | 2.22% | 426 |
| 4 | Anning | 6 | 1:22 | 2.29% | 450 |
| 7 | Palmer | 5 | 1:26 | 0.32% | 31 |
| 7 | Davey | 5 | 1:26 | 0.25% | 15 |
| 7 | Gould | 5 | 1:26 | 0.67% | 123 |
| 7 | Blackmore | 5 | 1:26 | 0.43% | 56 |
| 7 | Bromfield | 5 | 1:26 | 5.05% | 1,141 |
| 12 | White | 4 | 1:33 | 0.15% | 7 |
| 12 | Bazley | 4 | 1:33 | 4.60% | 1,272 |
| 14 | Chapman | 3 | 1:44 | 0.54% | 187 |
| 14 | Tucker | 3 | 1:44 | 0.08% | 3 |
| 14 | Pavey | 3 | 1:44 | 1.89% | 753 |
| 14 | Loveridge | 3 | 1:44 | 1.85% | 739 |
| 14 | Wheaton | 3 | 1:44 | 1.07% | 416 |
| 14 | Raddon | 3 | 1:44 | 4.55% | 1,586 |
| 20 | Salter | 2 | 1:66 | 0.18% | 61 |
| 20 | Ware | 2 | 1:66 | 0.34% | 178 |
| 20 | Broom | 2 | 1:66 | 0.42% | 232 |
| 20 | Woodland | 2 | 1:66 | 2.44% | 1,345 |
| 20 | Bowditch | 2 | 1:66 | 5.13% | 2,300 |
| 20 | Durbin | 2 | 1:66 | 28.57% | 6,891 |
| 20 | Connett | 2 | 1:66 | 0.90% | 530 |
| 27 | Thomas | 1 | 1:131 | 0.06% | 22 |
| 27 | Edwards | 1 | 1:131 | 0.07% | 32 |
| 27 | Bennett | 1 | 1:131 | 0.06% | 26 |
| 27 | West | 1 | 1:131 | 0.13% | 124 |
| 27 | Bishop | 1 | 1:131 | 0.14% | 137 |
| 27 | Lane | 1 | 1:131 | 0.12% | 107 |
| 27 | Read | 1 | 1:131 | 1.18% | 1,298 |
| 27 | Potter | 1 | 1:131 | 0.14% | 134 |
| 27 | Bond | 1 | 1:131 | 0.10% | 74 |
| 27 | Jennings | 1 | 1:131 | 0.32% | 362 |
| 27 | Dyer | 1 | 1:131 | 0.11% | 97 |
| 27 | Clegg | 1 | 1:131 | 2.78% | 2,423 |
| 27 | Vincent | 1 | 1:131 | 0.27% | 300 |
| 27 | Small | 1 | 1:131 | 0.38% | 450 |
| 27 | Woodley | 1 | 1:131 | 0.27% | 302 |
| 27 | Brice | 1 | 1:131 | 0.74% | 874 |
| 27 | Mayne | 1 | 1:131 | 0.33% | 372 |
| 27 | Aplin | 1 | 1:131 | 0.71% | 837 |
| 27 | Staddon | 1 | 1:131 | 0.31% | 350 |
| 27 | Loosemore | 1 | 1:131 | 0.40% | 462 |
| 27 | Gollop | 1 | 1:131 | 1.35% | 1,466 |
| 27 | Tett | 1 | 1:131 | 6.67% | 4,095 |
| 27 | Pavely | 1 | 1:131 | 100.00% | 15,767 |
| 27 | Quincy | 1 | 1:131 | 100.00% | 15,767 |
| 27 | Purway | 1 | 1:131 | 100.00% | 15,767 |