Ashton is located within Teignbridge local authority area. Historically it formed part of Exminster Hundred. It falls within Kenn 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 176 in 1801 150 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website.In 1641/2 79 adult males signed the Protestation returns.

A parish history file is held in Chudleigh 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 Ashton 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 91/11,15 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 91SE
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SX857847. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SX88SE, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 031, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 191. Geological sheet 339 also covers the area.

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

ASHTON lies in singularly beautiful country on the W. slopes of Haldon, falling to the Teign valley. The scattered village is also most attractive. The parish church (now St. John the Baptist: original dedication unknown) is one of the most "atmospheric" village churches in Devon. It was begun before 1400 and completed with all its fittings by about 1485; and as it was restored at a late date (1900-5) it has conserved intact most of its ancient beauty. The striking rood-screen and parclose screens have some of the best panel-paintings in Devon, those at the back being even better than those at the front. The panel paintings in the Lady Chapel are particularly notable. Besides the screens, the church contains many carved medieval benches, medieval glass, a medieval wall-painting more intelligible than most, an Elizabethan pulpit with sounding-board and hour-glass, and a large wooden monument to Sir George Chudleigh (1582-1657). The original vaulting and loft of the rood-screen were destroyed soon after Rickman saw them in 1825; the present groined canopy was added in 1908. The roof-bosses are all restorations, except one. Such a bare catalogue cannot do justice to this really notable church, which ranks with Torbryan and Molland as one of the most beautiful village churches in the county.

Below the church is Place (now called Lower Barton) where the Chudleighs lived from the early 14th century until 1745) when Sir George, the 4th Bart., began to build the great mansion of Haldon (see KENN).

George Teign Barton is a large rambling farmstead of 16th and 17th century date for the most part, so called from the medieval chapel of St. George which formerly stood here.