Bovey Tracey is located within Teignbridge local authority area. Historically it formed part of Teignbridge Hundred. It falls within Moretonhampstead 1 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 1431 in 1801 2658 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website.In the valuation of 1334 it was assessed at £02/00/00. The lay subsidy of 1524 valued the community at £24/09/02. In 1641/2 353 adult males signed the Protestation returns. It is recorded as a borough from 13 cent.. The community had a grammar school from 1713. A market is recorded from 14c.-1600.

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 Bovey Tracey 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 101/10 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 101SW
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SX815783. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SX87NW, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 031, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 191. Geological sheet 339 also covers the area.

Illustrations: The image below is of Bovey Tracey 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:

BOVEY TRACEY is a small and ancient market-town. Henry de Tracey created a borough here in the early 13th century and in 1259 obtained a grant (probably a confirmation) of a weekly market and a three-day fair at the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas. During the Civil War, Bovey Heath was occupied by part of Lord Wentworth's brigade. They were attacked on the evening of 9 January 1646, and completely surprised, by Lieut.-General Cromwell with a part of the parliamentary army under the command of Fairfax.

The church (St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Thomas of Canterbury) is mainly 15th century, with a tall and slender 14th century tower. The nave arcades of Beer stone have delicately carved capitals of unusual design. It is possible that we have here an early 14th century cruciform church (cf. the piscina of that date in the S. aisle), which was enlarged and reconstructed in the second half of the 15th century by the extension of the original transepts into aisles. The outer N. aisle was added in 1858. The fittings of this fine church are notable, above all the excellent rood-screen of eleven bays. This was restored in 1887-8, when the missing vaulting was reconstructed, and the ancient colour and gilding renewed. The stone pulpit (with some excellent canopy work), the eagle-lectern, miserere seats in the chancel, and the font, are all of 15th century date. In the tower arch is a finely carved achievement of the arms of Charles II, and an inscription by James Forbes, vicar 1628-65, about the execution of Laud " by the bloody Parliament " and the imprisonment of Bishop Joseph Hall in 1642. In the chancel are two Jacobean monuments, that on the N. being to Nicholas Eveleigh, on the S. to Elize Hele.

Near by are the Church House, built c. 1500, and the House of Mercy (by Woodyer, 1867). St. John's Church near the station (1853) has a richly decorated chancel with mosaics by Salviati.

Bovey Heathfield is a level expanse, of great interest to geologists. It is the bed of an ancient lake, and contains beds of lignite which have been mined sporadically since the early 16th century. There are large potteries and brickworks here.

Elsford, Hawkmoor (now a large sanatorium), Pullabrook, and Woolley are all recorded as manors in Domesday Book.