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providing historical information about Charleton and other parishes
within the South Hams. We hope you find them interesting. Look out for the rather damning description of some of the customs of the
inhabitants of Charleton in the late 18th Century!
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"The parish of Charleton is divided, into, what is called by the
parishioners, the north and south side, separated from each other by the
space of about a mile and half. The extreme length of the north part is
about two miles and half; the breadth about a mile and half. The
situation is rather high, (for the South Hams). The soil is slate or
shelf, and clay. The south side is in the shape or form of a triangle,
each side one mile and half, bounded on the north-west and south-east by
branches of the river which flows from Salcombe to Kingsbridge. This
part of the parish, which is commonly called the Manor, belongs to Lord
Boringdon. It is a very low situation. The soil chiefly slate, and when
well manured grows very excellent barley; and is famous for producing
great quantities of good cyder. It is an inclosed parish; the fields,
indeed, are remarkably small; the fences are earth banks, planted with
thorns. Here are but few trees, a trifling number of elms, scattered in
the hedges, make up the whole. The roads are in general dry, but very
narrow. The materials are of the worst kind, a soft slate. Villages
belonging to the parish of Charleton are five. Goveton and Lidstone,
situated in the north part of the parish, the distance between them one
mile. In the south division is West and East Charleton, with part of the
village of Frogmore. The houses in these villages are chiefly built with
mud, and thatched. The principal farm on the manor is the barton of
Court, belonging to Lord B. a very compact estate; but the house is very
Gothic, and very unwieldy. The other principal farms are Cutland,
Burrow, Tor, and Croft, all in the north part of the parish. I
understand Cutland derived its name from an ancient family, the
Courtlands. There was a Sir Hugh Courtland who possessed this estate.
The remaining part of the parish is divided into small tenements. There
is no sort of manufacture carried on by the inhabitants, who consist of
farmers and day-labourers. The latter are a robust hardy set of men,
whose employment, during the summer months, if that of procuring sand
for manuring the land. The method is – two men in a barge (which will
carry about 100 horse load) go to the entrance of the harbour of
Salcombe, and moor their barge in about 18 feet of water, and draw up
the sand with a dredge, which is just the form of an oyster dredge. The
farmers are rackholders and leaseholders, nearly equal in number. The
farmers of this parish oftentimes, during the summer months, catch large
quantities of fish, called the grey mullet, which proves excellent and
cheap food for the lower class of people. The number of inhabitants are
about 400. Here are some strong instances of health and longevity, such
as ninety and ninety-six, with all the senses perfect. Among their
customs, they have one very bad one, which is absenting themselves,
Sunday mornings, from public worship, and which (bye the bye) is an
eternal disgrace to the South Hams in general. They believe firmly in
witchcraft and conjuration. Their sports are skittle playing and
wrestling. The church, which is a very neat one, with a beautiful
screen, is situated at the southern extremity of the manor, on the point
of the triangle; built with stone, and covered with slate. The tower is
low, with four bells. Patron of the living, which is a rectory, Lord
Boringdon; incumbent, William Tickell, L.B. List of patrons: the present
Lord Boringdon; ----- Spechard, esq. Incumbents: the present William
Tickell, Thos. Whingates, Henry Oldham, ----- Langworthy, ----- Garland.
The parsonage-house is neither an ancient nor modern building, but an
uncouth structure, situated about a quarter of a mile from the
church." From the rector in 1791.
Transcribed by Ray Osborn from The History of Devonshire by Richard
Polwhele 1793 -1806