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A History of Offwell Church and Parish, Devon
The tranquil village and parish of Offwell, near Honiton in Devon, are as rich in history as they are in charm. As a celebration of this heritage, and as a gift to the church which has stood at its centre for at least eight centuries, Dr Susan Morris and Mr Gervase Belfield of Debrett Ancestry Research were commissioned to research and write a substantial history of the parish and it is now available for sale, with proceeds going to church funds.
For reasons which are explained in the book, for most of its history Offwell had no Lord of the Manor and so the church was the focus of authority, wielded not only by its Rectors but also by the local gentry who served as churchwardens. Wardens’ accounts provide a fascinating window onto parish life, in good times and bad, as well as documenting the physical evolution of the church. The rich and poor of Offwell (and of farther afield) pass through these pages. We learn the names of the gallery musicians with their viols, clarinet and flute; we find out who project-managed the building of Offwell’s fine Georgian pews; and we see the humblest members of the community receiving gifts of shoes or breeches when in greatest need.
Offwell had its share of high drama too: in the 1640s we meet the passionate Royalist Rector Thomas Jones, a benevolent and cultured man whose Rectory House at Offwell was savagely plundered and vandalised so many times that he eventually rode off to join the Royalist Army himself. When the Parliamentarians tried to drag the Rector’s aged father away to prison, it was the women of Offwell who rescued him. Jones eventually had to flee the country, and did not live to see the monarchy restored.
The arrival of the wealthy Copleston family in the late eighteenth century as Rectors and patrons raised the parish to a new level. The Coplestons provided a continuous succession of Rectors from 1772 until 1954, including the distinguished Edward Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff, whose eccentric ‘Bishop’s Tower’ is just one of many architectural legacies in Offwell.
Offwell’s medieval estate history has been researched in detail from original sources and is set out separately as an Appendix.
Illustrated in colour, A History of Offwell Church & Parish is 150 pages long (297mm x 210 mm) and includes an index, bibliography and genealogical charts.
Buying this item:
A History of Offwell Church & Parish is available in the UK for £18.75 including postage and packing (for overseas orders please email postbox@debrettancestry.co.uk for shipping costs).
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