Newton Abbot in 1836
Newton Abbot is in the parish of Woolborough, or Wolborough, in the hundred of Haytor ; and Newton Bushel, which is adjacent to Newton Abbot, being separated from it only by a narrow brook which flows into the Teign, is in High Week parish, and in Teignbridge hundred : the two may be considered as forming one town a short distance from the south or right bank of the Teign, fifteen miles south by west of Exeter. The area, population, &c., of the parishes by the census of 1831 were as follows :
Parish |
Acres |
Inhabited houses |
Inhabitants |
High Week |
2,140 |
216 |
1,109 |
Woolborough |
970 |
442 |
2,194 |
Total |
3,110 |
658 |
3,303 |
Of the adult male population, amounting to 734 persons, 110 were engaged in agriculture and only 3 in manufactures. There is a market on Wednesday held at Newton Abbot that on the last Wednesday in February is a great cattle market : there are three cattle fairs in Newton Abbot.
The principal street of the town runs north-west and south-east for above half a mile : another principal street runs into this from the south-west, and there are some smaller ones : the houses are indifferently built, and the streets ill paved : the market-place and shambles in the principal street obstruct the thoroughfare.
The parish churches are at some distance from the town : there is a chapel of ease at Newton Bushel, the minister of which is appointed by the incumbent of High Weeks, and another chapel in Newton Abbot, served by the minister of Woolborough. There are meeting-houses for Independents and Calvinistic Baptists. There is an alms-house in the parish of Woolborough for two clergymen’s widows, originally for four.
The living of High Week is a curacy united with the vicarage of King’s Teignton ; the value of the joint livings is £396, with a glebe-house, in the gift of the prebend of Teignton Regis, or King’s Teignton, in Salisbury cathedral. The living of Newton Abbot, of the annual value of £235, in the gift of the earl of Devon.
In 1833 there were in High Week and Woolborough parishes, one national school, containing 82 boys and 64 girls, who were taught daily, and 10 boys and 12 girls additional on Sunday ; one endowed day-school for 100 children of both sexes ; two boarding and day-schools, with 63 scholars, eight day-schools with above 200 children of both sexes, and one Sunday-school of 33 children.
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