In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Kingswear like this:
KINGSWEAR, a village and a parish in Totnes district, Devon. The village stands on the estuary of the Dart, opposite Dartmouth, at the terminus of the Dartmonth railway, 4 miles SW of Brixham; is supposed to be older than Dartmouth; has a post office under Dartmouth and a railway station; and occupies the skirts of a steep hill, which affords fine shelter from northerly and easterly winds, and renders it a good residence for invalids. ...
The parish comprises 107 acres of land and 45 of water. Real property, £862. Pop., 274. Houses, 69. Remains exist, on the hill's summit, of embankments or bastions which were formed during the siege of Dartmonth, and taken by General Fairfax; which were known at the time as Kingsworth Fort, but are now called Mount Ridley; and which command a fine view. The Beacon, the seat of A. H. Holdsworth, Esq., stands on an eminence, with extensive views; and a terrace, about 100 yards above it, bears the name of the Butts, and is believed to have been used, in old times, for the practice of archery. Kingswear Castle stood at the month of the Dart, for the defence of Dartmouth harbour; and is now a ruinous, shattered, and picturesque tower. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £87. Patron, the Crown. The church, excepting the tower, was rebuilt in 1847; and it contains a piscina, and a very ancient font. Charities, £23.
Kingswear through time
Kingswear is now part of South Hams district. Click here for graphs and data of how South Hams has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Kingswear itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Kingswear, in South Hams and Devon | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/4199
Date accessed: 16th April 2024
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