West Putford, Devon
At least two branches of the Braund family have their origins in West Putford. Some of the very earliest entries in the parish registers refer to branch 2 of the family, which is headed by William and Agnes Braund whose children were baptised in West Putford in the 1670s. Other records suggest that there were Braunds in West Putford before this date. DNA results tell us that branch 5 is connected to branch 2 but we can’t tell exactly how. The link is almost certainly through branch 25. Hugh and Grace Braund née Oxenham, who married in West Putford in 1715, head branch 5.
By the time of the 1851 census there was only one Braund family living in West Putford at Nicholas Colscott. This was Thomas and Mary Braund née Martin and their children (branch 5).
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Although branch 25 of the family, in the shape of Hugh and Mary Braund née Prance and their descendants, were from East Putford, rather than from West Putford, they too stray across the border on occasion and we believe that branches 2, 5 and 25 are very closely linked.
Plaque in West Putford Church commemorating William son of Hugh and Mary Braund née Prance 1692-1710
(branch 25)
St. Stephens, West Putford
Parish Registers
The parish registers for St. Stephen’s, West Putford are held at Devon Heritage
Centre,
Marriages 1670-1968
Baptisms and Burials 1668-1968
Bishops’ Transcripts dating from 1614 are held at the Heritage Centre as part of the Westcountry Studies Library collections.
Devon Family History has published Baptisms 1813-1840, Marriages 1754-1837 and Burials 1813-1838.
The Devon Heritage website includes transcripts of burials for 1837-1851 and 1870-1891.
Wesleyan Chapel Registers for 1813-37 are held at the National Archives, with those for the Holsworthy Circuit ref: RG4/1210.
The parish registers have been digitised and indexed on the subscription website FindmyPast.
An Extract from White’s Devonshire Directory 1850
West Putford in the Torridge valley, 8½ miles N. of Holsworthy, is a village and parish, containing 490 souls, and 2620 acres of land, including the small hamlets of Colscot, Thriverden, and Westfield. Wm. May, Esq., is lord of the manor, but a great part of the soil belongs to the Trustees of the late Lord Rolle, the Rev. P. Thomas, Archdeacon Stevens, and a few smaller owners. The Church is a fine cruciform structure, in the perpendicular style, with a tower at the west end, containing three bells. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £9. 11s. 0 ½d., and in 1831 at £204, is in the patronage of Wm. May, Esq., and incumbency of the Rev. J. L.
May, B.A., who has 89A. of glebe, and a good residence, recently erected.
An Extract from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868
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West Putford, a parish in the hundred of Black Torrington, county Devon, 8 miles N.E. of Holsworthy, its post town, and 9 S.W. of Great Torrington. The village, which is considerable, is situated on the river Torridge, and is wholly agricultural. The soil is of a clayey and loamy nature, with a subsoil of clay. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £195, and the glebe comprises 70 acres. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter, value £186. The church is an ancient cruciform structure, with a tower containing three bells. The parochial charities produce about £2 per annum. The Wesleyans and Bible Christians have each a
place of worship. William May, Esq., is lord of the manor.
An Extract from John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales 1870-1872
West Putford: a village and a parish in Bideford district, Devon. The village stands on the river Torridge, 9½ miles S W of Bideford r. station; and is small and scattered. The parish contains also the hamlets of Colscott, Thriverdon, and Wedfield. Post-town, Holsworthy, North Devon. Acres, 2,620. Real property, £1,765. Pop., 362. Houses, 75. The property is subdivided. The manor belongs to W. May, Esq. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £186. Patron, the Rev. J. L. May. The church is cruciform, and has a W tower. There are chapels
for Wesleyans and Bible Christians.
The Signature of William Braund, son of Thomas and Christian Braund née Stapleton from the Parish Register of West Putford
