In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Holsworthy like this:
HOLSWORTHY, a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a district, in Devon. The town stands on an eminence, near the river Deer and the Bude canal, 5 miles E of the boundary with Cornwall, 14 W of Hatherleigh, and 14 N of Launceston r. station; was held for the King, during some period of the civil wars of Charles I.; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and a polling place; and has a head post office ‡ designated Holsworthy, North Devon, a banking office, two chief inns, a market house, a bridge, a church, four Methodist chapels, two Bible Christian chapels, a national school, a workhouse, and charities £41. ...
The market house was built in 1858. The church is later English; and consists of nave, S aisle, and chancel. A weekly market is held on Wednesday; great cattle markets are held on the Wednesday after Candlemas, and the first Wednesday of Nov.; and fairs are held on 27 April, 9, 10, and 11 July, and 2 Oct. -The parish contains also the villages of Chilsworthy, Chasty, and Staddon; and comprises 8, 836 acres. Real property, £6, 764. Pop., 1, 724. Houses, 341. The manor, and much of the land, belong to Earl Stanhope. An interesting feature is the Labyrinth, designed by Earl Stanhope, and formed of beech trees. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £1, 000.8 Patron, the Rev. G. W. Thornton.—The sub-district contains also the parishes of Pancrasweek, Pyworthy, and Hollacombe. Acres, 18, 857. Pop., 2, 756. Houses, 563.—The district comprehends also the sub-district of Milton-Damerel, containing the parishes of MiltonDamerel, Abbots-Bickington, Sutcombe, Bradworthy, and Thornbury; the sub-district of Black-Torrington, containing the parishes of Black-Torrington, Halwell, Cookbury, and Bradford; the sub-district of Broadwoodwidger, now conterminate with the parish of Ashwater, but formerly containing also the parishes of Broadwoodwidger, Virginstow, St. Giles-on-the-Heath, and part of Bapton; and the sub-district of Clawton, containing the parishes of Clawton, Tetcott, Luffincott, Bridgerule, and North Tamerton, -the last electorally in Cornwall. Acres, 82, 519. Poor rates in 1865, £3, 736. Pop. in 1851, 10, 921; in 1861, 9, 876. Houses, 1, 988. Marriages in 1862, 69; births, 326, -of which 22 were illegitimate; deaths, 175, -of which 50 were at ages under 5 years, and 12 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 778; births, 3, 084; deaths, 1, 748. The places of worship in 1851-also in 1865-were 21 of the church of England, with 4, 182 sittings; 3 of Baptists, with 250 s.; 11 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 1, 393 s.; 1 of the Wesleyan Association, with 70 s.; and 19 of Bible Christians, with 2, 383 s. The schools in 1851 were 7 public day schools, with 288 scholars; 14 private day schools, with 291 s.; and 32 Sunday schools, with 1, 387 s.
Holsworthy through time
Holsworthy is now part of Torridge district. Click here for graphs and data of how Torridge has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Holsworthy itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Holsworthy, in Torridge and Devon | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/738
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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