In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Heavitree like this:
HEAVITREE, a village, a parish, and a sub-district in St. Thomas district, Devon. The village is suburban to Exeter, on the E side; was anciently called Wowford, afterwards Wonford, from a streamlet which runs through it; became for some time the place of execution for Exeter, and took thence the name of Heavy-Tree, which passed into Heavitree; and now contains many good and neat houses. ...
The parish includes also the hamlets of Whipton, East Wonford, and South Wonford; and is partly within the borough of Exeter. Acres, 3, 469. Real property, £21, 104; of which £37 are in quarries. Pop., 3, 133. Houses, 651. Pop. of the part within Exeter borough, 2, 757. Houses, 572. The property is much subdivided. The manor was given, by Henry I., to Geoffrey de Mandeville; and passed to the Fitzjohns, the Montacutes, the Courtenays, and the Kellys. Heavitree House is the seat of the Ford family; and was the place where Richard Ford wrote his ' ' Handbook for Spain." A priory stood at Whipton. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £641.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Exeter. The church, with the exception of the tower, was rebuilt in 1845; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with S porch; and has an imposing interior. A chapel of ease was erected in Whipton in 1862. There are national schools, two suites of alms houses, and a few charities. Hooker, the author of "Ecclesiastical Polity, " and Duck, the author of "De Auctoritate Juris Civilis, " were natives.—The sub-district contains eight parishes, and an extra-parochial tract. Acres, 10, 854. Pop., 6, 556. Houses, 1, 302.
Heavitree through time
Heavitree is now part of Exeter district. Click here for graphs and data of how Exeter has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Heavitree itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Heavitree, in Exeter and Devon | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/490
Date accessed: 28th April 2024
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