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Honeychurch is located within West Devon local authority area. Historically it formed part of Black Torrington Hundred. It falls within Okehampton 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 66 in 1801 44 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website. In 1641/2 17 adult males signed the Protestation returns.

A parish history file is held in Okehampton 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 Honeychurch 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 53/14 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 53SW
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SS628028. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SS60SW, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 113, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 191. Geological sheet 324 also covers the area.

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

The ancient ecclesiastical parish of Honeychurch is now included in Sampford Courtenay .

Honeychurch church (St. Mary) is charming: very small, very remote, and completely unsophisticated. It is an almost untouched 12th century building, to which a W. tower and S. porch were added late in the 15th century. In the tower are the three medieval bells in their original cage. The chancel arch was also re-made at that date, the roof renewed, and Perpendicular windows inserted in the old walls. The fittings are in keeping with the building: an excellent Norman font beneath a rustic Jacobean cover, a rustic Elizabethan pulpit, a complete set of late medieval benches (some with carved ends, but most of plain unvarnished oak), a crude wall painting in the nave (possibly the Royal Arms of Elizabeth), altar rails of simple country carpentry: all as well kept as the mother-church at Sampford. Honeychurch has one of the simplest and most appealing interiors of all English country churches. It lives up to its delightful name in a way that so rarely happens, and just to see it on a fine morning puts one in a good humour for the rest of the day.

1902. Kelly's directory.
HONEYCHURCH is a parish, one mile north of the road from Exbourne to North Tawton, 2 miles north- west from 'North Tawton station on the main line of the London and South Western railway, 7 north from Okehampton and 7 east-by-south from Hatherleigh, in the Western division of the county, Black Torrington hundred, Hatherleigh petty sessional division, Okehampton union and county court district, rural deanery of Oke- hampton, archdeaconry of Totnes and diocese of Exeter. The church of St. James is a small edifice of stone in the Early English style, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 3 bells: there are 60 sittings. The register dates from the year 1728. The living is a rectory, net yearly value £59, with residence, including 75 acres of glebe, in the gift of Sir Roper Lethbridge K.C.I.E. of the Manor House, Exbourne, and held since 1894 by the Rev. William Bentley, who is also vicar of Brushford. The Earl of Portsmouth is lord of the manor, it having been purchased in 1797 of the Glynns. The principal landowners are Mrs. Arnold, of Nethercott, Iddesleigh, and Messrs. Simon Sloman, Thomas Sloman and Thomas Brook. The soil is dunland; the subsoil is clay. The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats. The area. is 787 acres; rateable value, £5,955; the population in 1901 was 36.
By Local Government Board Order, 16,404, which came into operation March 24, 1884, Venn Farm was transferred from Bondleigh to this parish.
Letters through Sampford Courtenay R.S.O. arrive at 7.30 a.m. North Tawton R.S.O. 2½ miles distant, is the nearest money order & Exbourne, 3 miles, the nearest telegraph office
Wall Letter Box cleared at 6.30 p.m The place is included in the School Board district of Sampford Courtenay & Honeychurch, formed July 31, 18'74
The children attend the Board School at Sampford Courtenay
Westacott
Bentley Rev. William, Rectory
Sloman Thomas J.P. Middletown
Brook Thomas. farmer & landowner, Slade
Hill, Edwin, farmer, Westacott
Parr Samuel, farmer, Bude
Reed John, farmer, Glebe
Sloman Simon, yeoman, East town
Sloman Thomas J.P. yeoman, Middle town