Aylesbeare is located within East Devon local authority area. Historically it formed part of East Budleigh Hundred. It falls within Aylesbeare 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 687 in 1801 225 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website.The lay subsidy of 1524 valued the community at £08/16/03.

A parish history file is held in Exmouth 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 Aylesbeare 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 81/7,11 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 81NE,SE
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SY039920. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SY09SW, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 030, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 192. Geological sheet 325 also covers the area.

Illustrations: The image below is of Aylesbeare 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:

AYLESBEARE has an unexciting 15th century church (St.Mary). On the E. the parish rises to a heathy ridge (the Budleigh Pebble ridge), rather over 500 ft. above sea-level, from which there are fine views in all directions. Barrows on this heath have been excavated, revealing curious pebbled pavements, the date and purpose of which are not clear.