Lewtrenchard is located within West Devon local authority area. Historically it formed part of Lifton Hundred. It falls within Tavistock 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 154 in 1801 257 in 1901 . Figures for other years are available on the local studies website. In 1641/2 60 adult males signed the Protestation returns.

A parish history file is held in Tavistock 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 Lewtrenchard 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 87/11 Six inch (1:10560) sheet 87SE
The National Grid reference for the centre of the area is SX457861. On the post 1945 National Grid Ordnance Survey mapping the sheets are: 1:10,000 (six inch to a mile: sheet SX48NE, 1:25,000 mapping: sheet Explorer 112, Landranger (1:50,000) mapping: sheet 201. Geological sheet 337 also covers the area.

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

LEW TRENCHARD is chiefly notable as the parish of the Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), one of the best known of all Devonshire 'parsons, who was rector here for 43 years. He was one of the last of the "squarsons," a hymn-writer, theologian, antiquary, novelist, and musician, who published over a hundred volumes. Among his many achievements he collected the old folk songs of Devon and (with Cecil Sharp) published them. His two volumes of Reminiscences are very readable.

The church (St. Peter) is mainly an over-restored 15th century building. The woodwork is, however, notable. The medieval rood-screen was destroyed by Baring-Gould's grandfather in 1833, but Baring-Gould collected the fragments as a boy and had it reconstructed in 1899. It is a fine example of modern carving. The pulpit, modelled on the ancient pulpits of Kenton and Launceston, was added in 1900. The church contains some carved Tudor bench-ends, and many of good modern workmanship. There are several Gould memorials, mostly incised slate slabs from the early 17th century onwards. Lew House and estate were bought by the Goulds in 1625. The house is partly of that period, but was much restored by Baring-Gould out of the proceeds of his copious books. The Dower House by the river Lew is dated 1664.