Totnes, Devon Genealogy

England   Devon  Devon Parishes

Parish History
TOTNES (St. Mary), a borough, market-town, and parish, having separate jurisdiction, and the head of a union, locally in the hundred of Coleridge, Stanborough and Coleridge, and S. divisions of Devon, 24 miles (S. S. W.) from Exeter, and 196 (W. S. W.) from London. It is variously denominated in ancient records. In Domesday book it is called Totneis; Camden speaks of it as having once been Totonese; and Risdon refers to it under the name of Toutaness, by contraction Totnes or Totness. The church, which has been enlarged, is in the later English style, with an embattled tower surmounted by octagonal pinnacles. It is composed of a red stone strongly resembling brick, and contains an elegant stone screen, with the remains of an ancient rood-loft and steps; a curious stone pulpit, enriched with tracery; a handsome altar-piece; and a library, in which are many old and valuable books. There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans, and a Roman Catholic chapel at Follaton. Several religious foundations are mentioned as formerly existing at or near Totnes, the principal of which, endowed by Judhel de Totneis, was of the Benedictine order, dedicated to St. Mary, and formed an appendage to an abbey at Angiers. There are some remains of an ancient chapel; and Leland mentions a Roman fosse-way, commencing in the vicinity.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Devon Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain