Exeter Bedford Circus, Devon Genealogy

England Devon  Devon Parishes

Guide to Exeter Bedford Circus, Devon family history and genealogy: parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
BEDFORD CIRCUS was one of the finest pieces of Georgian town-planning in England. The idea for Bedford Circus started with Robert Stribling, a speculative architect/builder who, in 1773, who began the construction of 14 townhouses on the site of John Russell's Bedford House, itself a remnant of a Dominican Friary which had been on the same location from the 13th century until it was dissolved in 1538 during the Reformation. A chapelry was created for the inhabitants of the circus. It came to an end beginning in the early hours of 04 May 1942 when German bombs set light to much of Exeter's historic centre.

BEDFORD-CIRCUS, a precinct and chapelry, in the county of the city of Exeter, S. division of Devon.

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.

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