Abbotsham is located within Torridge local authority area. Historically it formed part of Shebbear Hundred. It falls within Hartland 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 313 in 1801 451 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website.In 1641/2 179 adult males signed the Protestation returns.

A parish history file is held in Bideford 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 Abbotsham 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 19/5 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 19NW
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SS425265. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SS42NW, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 139, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 180. Geological sheet 292 also covers the area.

Illustrations: The image below is of Abbotsham as included in the Library's Etched on Devon's memory website. Other images can be searched for on the local studies catalogue.

Extract from Devon by W.G.Hoskins (1954), included by kind permission of the copyright holder:

ABBOTSHAM takes its name from the fact that it formed part of the original endowment of Tavistock in the late 10th century. The parish church (St. Helen) has a fine Norman font, but the fabric was rebuilt in the early 13th century and a tower added on the S. side c. 1300. A remarkably good set of carved bench ends (early 16th century) call for detailed study. Among the designs are the emblems of the Passion, two full length saints, the Bourchier knot, and several ornamental initials. There is a good monument to John Willett, 1736. Abbotsham Court has some 16th century work. Combe appears to be largely of early 17th century date. Cornborough is Georgian and earlier.