Clyst St Mary is a small village and civil parish 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Exeter on the main roads to Exmouth and Sidmouth in East Devon. The name comes from the Celtic word clyst meaning 'clear stream'.
The Church , St Mary is a cruciform structure, with a tower and three bells, Clyst St Mary was the site of one of the decisive battles in the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion, when West Country resistance to the Protestant Reformation was quashed. After the Battle of Woodbury Common on 4 August 1549, the rebels under the control of Humphrey Arundell had re-grouped with the main contingent of 6,000 at Clyst St Mary, but on 5 August were attacked by a central force led by Sir William Francis, under the control of John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford. After a ferocious battle Russell's troops gained the advantage leaving a thousand Cornish and Devonians dead and many more taken prisoner, 900 of whom were massacred later that day at Clyst Heath. The village was burned and many of the combatants and villagers drowned in the river. Part of the village of Clyst St Mary is in the parish of Sowton. |
Family History InformationEarliest Baptism registers 1662 Earliest marriage registers 1662 Earliest Burial registers 1662 Devon RO Holdings for Clyst St Mary Bap 1662-1990 Marr 1662-2001 Bur 1662-1958 Registration District: St Thomas The Devon FHS publishes indexes covering:Baptisms 1813-1839, Marriages 1754-1840, Burials 1813-1837 Wills and Probate: Archdeaconry and the Diocese of Exeter Hundred: East Budleigh |
Where to find parish register transcripts and copiesThe best and most obvious place to view the Clyst St Mary parish registers is the Devon Archives and Local Studies Centre in Exeter where all the originals, microfilms and fiche are kept. It is not always possible to visit Exeter and so copies or indexes are the next best thing. Below are some sites where you can find these with the date ranges.
Please note - Find my Past is a subscription site and Family Search is free Clyst St Mary Baptisms 1662-1915 Find My Past
Clyst St Mary Banns 1756-1889 Find My Past Clyst St Mary Marriages 1662-1915 Find My Past Clyst St Mary Burials 1662-1915 Find My Past Bishops Transcripts 1610-1812 Family Search Transcripts of the Parish Registers 1580-1854 by the Devon & Cornwall Record Society are held at the Devon Archives and Local Studies Centre Information available via this site for Clyst St Mary
Here is a summary of resources I have available to share with you or links to other sites of interest. Some are transcriptions or extracts and will be on this site; some, for reasons of copyright are in my possession and I or another person will do lookups where you see the email button. Census 1851 LDS CD - Rom Look - ups available email keith searle 1881 LDS CD - Rom Lookups available keith searle or from LDS web site Parish Registers I do not have any transcripts of Clyst St Mary parish registers but would welcome any holdings that you may have. Devon Heritage has a number of records - The habell-bodied men of Clyst St Mary in 1569 The 1914 - 1918 War Dead Clyst St Mary in White's Directory for 1850 Clyst St Mary Freeholders Not yet available Clyst St Mary Tithe Map 1839 Not yet available Clyst St Mary Books None listed yet |
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