General history: Civil and ecclesiastical division of the county

Civil Division of the County.

In the Exeter survey of Domesday, we find mention of at least 38 hundreds into which Devonshire was then divided. At p. 59. of the printed survey occurs a list of the hundreds, with the number of hides in each, but in this list some hundreds are omitted, which are mentioned in p. 56. and 57. The list from p. 59. to p. 65. contains 30 hundreds, with the number of hides in each as follows:

In pages 56. and 57. we find mention of Budeleie, Clawetone, Hermetone, Hertesbie, Mollande, Otrie, Rueberge, Tainebruge, Tulvertone, and Wetrigge: supposing the two last to have been the same, as it is probable they were, as Twertone (Tiverton), and Witric (Witheridge), it will make the number, as before mentioned, 38.

In the Hundred Roll, temp. Edw. I., 32 hundreds are recorded, besides the hundred of Lovetot, incidentally mentioned in p. 70. as appertaining to the manor of Fremington, and co-extensive with that manor.

The others are

As the hundreds, in which the several manors are situated, are not specified either in the Exchequer or in the Exeter Domesday, it would be impossible to ascertain the respective situations or contents of the ancient hundreds, whose names are not now retained. Carswelle, Dippeforde, and Mertone, probably occupied nearly the same situation as Haytorr, Stanborough, and Shebbeare, which are not in the Domesday list; Axminster and Axmouth have been united in one, sometime called the hundred of Axminster and Axmouth, but now generally Axminster only.

The names of the modern hundreds, 33 in number (fn. n3), with their respective lords, are given in the following table: —

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Division of the County.

Upon the ecclesiastical division of the kingdom, which took place in 708 (fn. n4), Devonshire formed part of the diocese of Sherbourne. About the year 910 this diocese was subdivided, and Devonshire constituted a diocese of itself, the bishop having his see at Crediton. About the year 1040 the bishopric of Cornwall was united to it, at the solicitation of Livingus, the bishop of Devonshire. His successor, Bishop Leofric, in 1050, removed the see from Crediton to Exeter, where it has ever since continued. The diocese is divided into four archdeaconries, of which Cornwall is one. Devonshire is divided into the archdeaconries of Exeter, Barnstaple, and Totnes, and subdivided into 23 deaneries, which are thus distributed:—

Camden, from Wolsey's list, makes the number of parishes in this county to be 394. (fn. n5) Including subordinate or daughter churches, the chapelries belonging to which are now esteemed and called separate parishes, the present number is 471; and I cannot understand how it should ever have been so small as 394, since that of the chapelries, just spoken of, does not exceed 41. Two ancient parishes, Wolverchurch or Wolford church, and Sticklepath, formerly rectories, are now wholly annihilated as parishes, nor are they even deemed chapelries, although there is a chapel at Sticklepath, at which Divine service is occasionally performed. Rousedown has only a dilapidated church; Blackborough Bolhay, not even the ruins of a church.

Not taking into the account the 41 subordinate or daughter churches, the number of benefices in the county is 430; of which 258 (a much greater proportion than in some counties) are rectories; 130 vicarages; and 42 donatives or curacies. Of the two latter, 108 were appropriated to monasteries, and the tithes are now, for the most part, in lay hands.

Above 40 benefices have been appropriated, from early times, to ecclesiastical bodies, in which they are still vested; as the bishop, the dean individually, the dean and chapter, the chancellor, precentor, and vicars choral of Exeter cathedral, the churches of Windsor and Sarum, and Eton college.

Six churches are in the peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop; 22 (including eight daughter churches) in that of the dean and chapter; one (Braunton) in that of the dean; one other (Woodbury) in that of the vicars choral; and one other (Uffculme) in that of the dean and chapter of Sarum.

The office of dean rural is, in this diocese, an efficient office, the deans rural being elected annually at the visitations.

The chapels of ease in this county are,

There is an intention of building chapels at Exmouth and Torquay. The dilapidated chapels, and those destroyed, which have been very numerous, are spoken of in the parishes in which they were respectively situated.