Chawleigh
Chawleigh is located within Mid Devon local authority area. Historically it formed part of Winkleigh Hundred. It falls within Chulmleigh Deanery for ecclesiastical purposes. The Deaneries are used to arrange the typescript Church Notes of B.F.Cresswell which are held in the Westcountry Studies Library. The population was 755 in 1801 649 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website. The lay subsidy of 1524 valued the community at £06/10/00. In 1641/2 195 adult males signed the Protestation returns. It is recorded as a borough from 1340.
A parish history file is held in Crediton Library. You can look for other material on the community by using the place search on the main local studies database. Further historical information is also available on the Genuki website.
Maps: The image below is of the Chawleigh area on Donn's one inch to the mile survey of 1765.
On the County Series Ordnance Survey mapping the area is to be found on 1:2,500 sheet 43/5 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 43NW
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SS712126. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SS71SW, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 127, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 180. Geological sheet 309 also covers the area.
Illustrations: The image below is of Chawleigh as included in the Library's illustrations collection. Other images can be searched for on the local studies catalogue.
A fair is known from: 1792 1822. Extract from The glove is up! Devon's historic fairs, by Tricia Gerrish, by kind permission of the author.
CHAWLEIGH (also known as CHOWLEY) LOCATION:B3096, off A377 near Eggesford
ORIGINAL CHARTER:Date unknown, but ‘disused’ charter existed for late October in 19th century.
Cattle fairs took place on 6th May and 11th December in 1824. By 1888 only 6th May remained. A disused charter existed for one on Tuesday before the last Thursday in October.
Extract from Devon by W.G.Hoskins (1954), included by kind permission of the copyright holder:
CHAWLEIGH on the upland between the valleys of Taw and Little Dart, was one of the many "village boroughs" of Devon in the 15th century The church (St. James) is entirely 15th- cent., with large windows filled with clear glass. It has a fine rood-screen with tracery of the Bradninch type and good vaulting. A parclose screen, also of 15th century date, separates the chancel from the Chenson chapel. The chancel roof is notable for its great number of bosses, and some fine cresting similar to that on the screen.
Near the church is a late medieval building, possibly the old rectory. Chenson, on a slope above the Taw, was a medieval mansion with a chapel in 1400. Duckworthy was a Domesday estate.
