The church of St Peter ad vincula** is a building of ruddy stone in the Early English and Perpendicular styles, consisting of a chancel with aisle, north aisle, transepts, north and south porches and an embattled western tower with four pinnacles and containing a clock and 6 bells, ecast by Taylor of Oxford in 1827. The screen separating the chancel from its aisle is particularly fine and has painted panels with figures of the Apostles. In the South aisle is a mural monument with finely carved effigy to the wife of Thomas Hancock who died in 1637. The church was restored in 1881 at a cost of £500 and has 450 sittings. The register dates from the year 1736. The living is a Recotry, tithe rent-chrage £400 with 70 acres of glebe and residence in the gift of and  held since 1842 by the Rev. Humphry William Toms MA; JP of Exeter College, Oxford.

The chapel of Holy Trinity, a Chapel of Ease to St Peter's Church, is an iron building, presented to the Rector and erected by him in 1885 on his own land; it consists of nave and a western turret containing one bell. Here are Baptist and Wesleyan chapels with Sunday schools attached.

Here is a small umber*** mine, and lime burning is extensively carried on. The mines in the parish containing lead and silver ore have been worked from the time of Edward I and were at times very productive. Between 1796 and 1802, 9,293 tons of rich ore were shipped to South Wales and the mines were again worked in 1813 and 1835 at great expense but are now entirely neglected. A silver cup, 137 oz in weight, presented by Queen Elizabeth to Sir R. Martin, Lord Mayor of London, and still used at the inauguraion of lord mayors, bears the date 1593 and is said to be made of metal obtained from these mines.

Lady Watson-Copley of Sprotborough Hall, West Yorkshire is lady of the manor and principal landowner. The soil is loam, subsoil, rock. The valley is very productive and the cottagers supply quantities of fruit and vegetables to Lynton and Ilfracombe. The chief crops are pasture, fruit and vegetables. The area of the parish is 3815 acres, rateable value £5317. The population in 1881 was 1315.

*  Today the street is almost two miles in length

** St. Peter in chains - and unusual dedication to be found at  Ashwater and Rose Ash

*** The name "Umber" comes from the little river which flows through the valley here. Umber is a pigment, muddy brown in colour,derived from clay, which anyone who has ever had a paintbox may remember.

PRIVATE RESIDENTS

Bagley, Rev. William henry morris MA (Curate) Brooklands

Brooks, Rev. .A.

Crang, Mrs, Jubilee Terrace

Cutcliffe, William, Rosea Bridge Cottage

Dovell, Mrs. Coombe Villa

Dovell, Walter John, Jubilee Terrace

Ewns, Rev. William (Baptist)

Harris, Johsua

Irwin, James, Lower Verwell

Kingdon, Alfred Sinclair MD

Knight, Mrs. Amelia

Knight, Mrs., Broad Oak

Lerwill, Mrs. Broad Oak

Manning, George Henry, MB

Staples, James, Park Cottage

Toms, Rev. Humphry William, MA; JP Rector, The Rectory

Van Notten-Pole, Major General Charles, Buzzacott

Whitehead, Mrs. Glenhaven,

COMMERCIAL

Adams, John, Park

Adams, Richard, farmer, Crackland

Bowden, Joanna (Mrs), Day School

Brooks, Richard, shoe maker

Burgess, George, tailor

Burgess, William, builder

Burgess William Henry, smith

Buse, Philip Dendle, beer retailer

Charley, James, farmer, Colsworthy

Clarke. Robert Frederick, boot maker

Clogg, Richard and Frederick, farmers & lime merchants

Clogg, William, boot maker

Comer. William, lime merchant

Conibear Maria (Mrs) King's Arms Hotel

Crang, David, grocer & draper

Creek, George Henry, grocer  & draper

Creek, Edward, market gardener

Creek, Francis, boot maker

Creek, Mary (Mrs) shopkeeper

Creek, Samuel, beer retailer & smith

Creek, William, butcher

Crocombe, James, tailor

Cutcliffe & Creek, builders & ironmongers

Cutcliffe, George, linen& woollen draper

Cutcliffe, John, baker

Day, Samuel, grocer & draper

Delve, William, baker & grocer

Devon & Cornwall Bank ( Henry Besley, Manager)

Dovell, John, maltster & farmer

Dovell, Joseph, Lodging House

Down, John, Dolphin Public House

Draper, Mary Ann (Mrs) Marine Hotel

Dunsford, John, coal dealer

Facey, John, master mariner

Fox, Fowler & Co, bankers (Charles Copner, manager)

Gardner, John, carrier

Gooding, Simon, farmer

Goss, Ann (Mrs) shopkeeper

Goss, Henry, shoe maker

Goss, Richard, carpenter & shopkeeper

Goss, Susan (Mrs) lodging house, Belmont Place

Gould, William, shopkeeper & market gardener

Gretton, Richard, farmer, Nutts

Grafton, William, farmer

Gubb, Thomas, farmer

Gubb, William, farmer

Hancock, James, grocer & draper

Harris, John, lime merchant

Harris, William Irwin, farmer

Huxtable Nathaniel( Mrs) farmer & shopkeeper

Irwin, George, master mariner

Irwin, James, coal dealer

Irwin, James, farmer, Truckham

Isaac, Elizabeth (Mrs), day school

Isaac, Thomas, farmer, Gurt

Jewell, James, farmer

Johns & Sons, timber merchants and saw mills(Walter Dovell, manager)

John, William, lodging house

Kingdon, Alfred Sinclair MD; surrgeon

Lerwill, Humphrey, farmer, West Challacombe

Lerwill Walter, farmer, Verwell

Lerwill, William, blacksmith

Lewis, Mary (Miss), dress maker

Ley, John, master mariner

Ley William, market gardener

Lock William, brush maker

Lovering, William, farmer, Nutcombe

Manning, George Henry MB; medical officer

Norman, James, butcher

Norman, Richard, butcher

Passmore, James, tailor

Passmore, William Edward, plumber

Peak, John, farmer

Pile Edward, carpenter

Pile, George, farmer, Bera

Robins, Samuel, Registrar and Relieving Officer

Rook, William

Sanders, John, Castle Hotel

Sanders, John George Smallridge, blacksmith

Sanders Thomas, wheelwright

Smallridge, Georg, farmer, Cowlscot

Squire, John, butcher

Thomas, John, dairyman

Thorn, Henry, farmer

Thorne, George saddler

Treweek, Ellen (Mrs) shopkeeper

Tucker, Richard, farmer

Turner, Nathaniel, marine store dealer

Watts, John, tea dealer

Webber Tabitha (Mrs) shopkeeper

Widlake, Edward, farmer

Willis, James, shopkeeper & carrier

Willis, Henry, George & Dragon Public House

Willis, Mary Jane (Mrs) farmer

Willis, William, Red Lion Public house & coal dealer

Willis, William, day school

Willis, William Charles, stone mason

Witheridge Ann (Miss) dress maker

Wybron, John, farmer, Corners