Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for KINGSBRIDGE

KINGSBRIDGE, a small town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district, in Devon. The town stands on a declivity at the head of Salcombe haven or estuary, 6 miles N of that haven's mouth at Bolthead, 10 S of Kingsbridge-Road r. station, and 10½ SW by W of Totness; had a branch railway in progress, in 1866, to the South Devon railway; was a place of some consequence in 1460, but had a later origin than its suburb Dodbrooke; is said to have derived its name from a bridge connecting it with that place; comprises a principal street of considerable length, running south-eastward to a quay at Dodbrooke; presents a very clean and respectable appearance; is a seat of county courts and petty sessions, and a polling place; publishes a weekly newspaper; and has a head post office, ‡ two banking offices, two hotels, a town hall, a church, four dissenting chapels, a grammar school, national schools, a literary and scientific institution, a workhouse, and charities £449. The town hall was built in 1850, at a cost of £1, 500; is in the Italian style; and contains a news room. The church is ancient and cruciform, with tower and spire; and has undergone extensive restoration. The grammar school has £32 ayear from endowment, and three exhibitions at the universities. The literary and scientific institution was established in 1848; and has a good library and an interesting museum. The workhouse stands on the W side of the town, within Churchstow parish; was built in 1837, at a cost of £6, 000; and has accommodation for 350 inmates. Pindar Lodge, on the quay, was the birthplace of Dr. Wolcott, better known as Peter Pindar; and a house in Fore street is said to have been the occasional residence of the abbot of Buckfastleigh, and contains some finely carved wainscoting. A weekly market is held on Saturday; a cattle market is held on the 3d Wednesday of every month; fairs are held on the Wednesday before Palm Sunday, and on the Thursday after 19 July; industry is carried on in corn mills, tanyards, and agricultural implement manufactories; and considerable business is done in corn, timber, and coal-The parish comprises 150 acres. Real property, with Dodbrooke, Churchstow, Diptford, and North Huish, £12, 586. Rated property of K. alone, £3, 636. Pop. in 1851, 1, 679; in 1861, 1, 585. Houses, 311. The manor was given by Queen Mary to John and Barnard Drake; and went by sale, in 1793, to Sir John Petre, and afterwards to the Scobells. The living is a vicarage, annexed to the vicarage of Churchstow, in the diocese of Exeter. David Tolley, a distinguished scholar of the time of Henry VIII., was a native.—The sub-district contains also the parishes of Dodbrooke, Buckland-tout-Saints, East Allington, Woodleigh, and Loddiswell. Acres, 10, 147. Pop., 4, 432. Houses, 895.—The district comprehends also the subdistrict of Modbury, containing the parishes of Modbury, Kingston, Ringmore, Bigbury, and Aveton-Gifford; the sub-district of Blackawton, containing the parishes of Blackawton, Stoke-Fleming, and Slapton; the sub-district of Stokenham, containing the parishes of Stokenham, Sherford, Charleton, South Pool, Chivelston, and. East Portlemouth; and the sub-district of West Alvington, containing the parishes of West Alvington, Churchstow, Thurlestone, South Milton, South Huish, and Malborough. Acres, 72, 918. Poor rates in 1863, £8, 853. Pop. in 1851, 21, 377; in 1861, 19, 394. Houses, 4, 034. The decrease of pop. arose from migration, and from the entrance of young men into the army and navy in the Kingsbridge, Blackawton, and West Alvington sub-districts. Marriages, in 1863, 103; births, 582, -of which 37 were illegitimate; deaths, 375, -of which 116 were at ages under 5 years, and 16 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 1, 095; births, 6, 005; deaths, 3, 649. The places of worship, in 1851, were 29 of the Church of England, with 10, 653 sittings; 8 of Independents, with 1, 506 s.; 6 of Baptists, with 1, 190 s.; 2 of Quakers, with 290 s.; 17 of Wesleyans, with 2, 289 s.: 8 of Bible Christians, with 1, 258 s.; 5 of Brethren, with 460 s.; and 2 undefined, with 140 s. The schools were 15 public day schools, with 1, 020 scholars; 68 private day schools, with 1, 459 s.; 43 Sunday schools, with 2, 461 s.; and 2 evening schools for adults, with 55 s.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, a sub-district, and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Kingsbridge CP/AP       Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke CP       Kingsbridge SubD       Kingsbridge RegD/PLU       Devon AncC
Place: Kingsbridge

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