Parkham 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 584 in 1801 786 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website. In 1641/2 170 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 Parkham 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 28/3,4 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 28NE
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SS389215. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SS32SE, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 126, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 190. Geological sheet 307 also covers the area.

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

PARKHAM contains a number of former "mansions." Halsbury was the home of the Halsbury family in Henry II's time, but passed to the Giffards by marriage temp. Edward I. In 1885 Mr. H. S. Giffard, Q.C., was raised to the peerage as Lord Chancellor and took the title of Baron Halsbury of Halsbury. The present house, a large stone-built barton, is of 16th and 17th century date. A record of 1560 speaks of it as a "new dwelling house,"s which fixes the date of the older parts as mid 16th century.There are some good panelled rooms. Bableigh was a home of the Risdons from the 1st century until 1760, but the rebuilt farmhouse is uninteresting. West Goldworthywasa "mansion" and retains some evidence of its former status. Stone was a house of some consequence in the 18th century.

Parkham church (St. James) is mainly a 15th century structure, with early 16th century aisles. It has a fine late Norman S. doorway (c. 1160-70), and a Norman font surrounded by some excellent medieval tiles. The N. aisle was erected by the Risdons. The S. aisle is of the same date, and may have been erected by the Giffards of Halsbury. There are inscriptions to the Giffards of Halsbury from 1595 to 1712.