Lustleigh is an attractive Dartmoor village with a lively community that treasures its history and its legacy of fine old thatched houses, the thirteenth-century church of St John the Baptist, a medieval pub and ancient traditions such as Crowning the May Queen and Beating the Bounds.
The village was also home to Postscript’s founder and two of the current catalogue team live here, and we are proud to sponsor the Lustleigh Heritage Open Day, when the village Archive displays its riches – including the 1837 Tithe Map.
Blue moon to shine over Lustleigh Heritage Open Day
Chris Wilson
A blue moon is expected to shine over Lustleigh on Saturday 6th July when the Lustleigh Society holds a Heritage Open Day and rolls out its tithe map, one of very few in community hands.
“It is a very special piece of history”, claims the Society’s chairman, David McGahey. “Most tithe maps are held by county archives; Lustleigh is one of very few villages in Devon to have its own original copy. Due to its importance, and for conservation reasons, we rarely put it on public display, so this is a “once in a blue moon” opportunity to see an exceptional piece of local history.”
The Lustleigh Tithe Map was published in 1837 following The Commutation Act which changed the way that landowners paid taxes to the church, from a payment in kind to a monetary payment. The map, which will be on display along with the Apportionment, gives a snapshot in time of boundaries and land use.
Visitors will also be able to see newly acquired paintings and other significant items from the Community Archive, a display by the Kelly Mine Preservation Society and discuss genealogy questions with the Devon Family History Society. The event is being generously sponsored by Postscript Books and refreshments will be served throughout the day.
