Robin Holmes e-mailed us with news of some interesting finds in parish registers which are not to be found in the IGI. We suggested that he put his findings in the form of an open letter which will help families who do not have access to the original parish registers - thank you Robin for some very interesting and useful material.

The contiguous parishes of Harberton are:

Dartington; Rattery; Totnes; Ashprington; Cornworthy; Halwell; Diptford; South Brent.

Dear Readers

The village of Harberton is situated in the South Hams area of Devon, about 2.5 miles South West of the small, ancient market town of Totnes. Its church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was erected in the 14th & 15th centuries. Harbertonford, one of several hamlets formerly in the parish of Harberton, became a parish in its own right in 1859 when a new church, dedicated to St. Peter, was built.

The Devon Record Office holds the following parish registers:

HARBERTON (St ANDREW) Baptisms 1624-1943, Marriages 1626 & 1648-1978, Burials 1624-1975.

HARBERTONFORD (St PETER)  Burials 1866-1955                 

The Harberton registers for the years 1673 - 1743 are not the originals but only certified copies. A note appearing in the marriage register in 1743 reads as follows:-

"This copy of the Register of Marriages from the year 1673 to the year 1743 both inclusive was examined and compared with the original Book and found to agree exactly therewith this second day of December 1790. Ralph Barnes, Vicar of Harberton. Henry Barnes, son of the Vicar."

A similar note appears in the Baptisms register in the same year.

While searching the Harberton registers for the period 1675 - 1743 I noted a few STENTAFORD references. It occurs to me that these may be of particular interest to readers of The Stentiford Family Magazine since Harberton is not represented in the International Genealogical Index other than by a few privately submitted references.

The entries I have noted, all dates old style, are as follows:

HARBERTON (St. ANDREW)

Baptisms 1675 - 1743

19 Nov 1678          Jane, (or possibly Joan) daughter of John Stentaford

25 Jan 1687           Susanna, daughter of Nicholas Stentiver & Joane his wife

05 Jun 1695           John, son of Nicholas & Johan Stentaford

31 Jul 1715            Nicholas, son of Nicholas Stentaford

Marriages 1675 - 1743

06 Jan 1701            Sam LOCKERAFT & Joan STENTAFOR

24  Apr 1715           Nicholas STENTAFORD & Eleanor LAPTHORN

21 Nov 1717           Robert STENTAFORD & Elizabeth WEEKS

01 Jun 1721            Walter NEEL & Mary STENTAFORD

Burials 1680 - 1743

08 Sep 1682            Henry, son of Nicholas Stentiver

04 Feb 1711            Nicholas Stentaford from Totnes

I very much hope that these few references will be of interest and assistance to readers whose Stentiford ancestors lived in the South Hams area of Devon.

Yours sincerely,

Robin Holmes

High Wycombe, Bucks.