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Manor, parish and town boundary stones

The stones described in this category mark administrative areas. The summaries below describe groupings of parish or manor stones, and the distinctive stones erected by local authorities across the three towns of Plymouth, Devonport and East Stonehouse. Please note there's a separate category for military property boundary stones, and further categories for markers erected by other private land owners and stones erected in connection with the historic town leats.

Plymouth

For many hundreds of years, the most important of the three towns was Plymouth. The medieval boundaries were fixed by Charter in 1439, and they remained unchanged until the 1890s.

The surviving boundary stones that mark the medieval boundary are almost entirely of nineteenth century date: Plymouth boundary stones records - BSPC.

Further stones mark the boundary extensions made after 1896: Plymouth boundary extension records - BSPCX.

Devonport

Plymouth Dock was a town that grew around a new, purpose built, Naval Dockyard after 1690. The Dockyard and its town were located within the large parish of Stoke Damerel and the Manor of the same name. The town became Devonport in 1824 and obtained municipal status in 1837.

The surviving boundary stones include manor, parish and municipal corporation stones: Devonport boundary stones records - BSDB.

Plus there are later Devonport County Borough Extension stones: Devonport boundary extension records - BSDBX.

East Stonehouse

East Stonehouse, or Stonehouse as it was more usually known, was the smallest of the three towns, a Domesday Manor, later and for many centuries, in the ownership of the Edgcumbe family.

There are both manor boundary stones and stones dated 1883 erected by the Stonehouse Local Board: East Stonehouse boundary stones records - BSES (see also leat stones and water works)

Surrounding parishes

Bickleigh, Compton Gifford, Eggbuckland, Tamerton and Weston Peverell were the surrounding parishes - into which Plymouth and Devonport expanded. A few historic parish boundary stones survive. Compton Gifford, technically a 'tything', remained self-regulating until largely absorbed into Plymouth. A series of stones dated 1893 were most likely erected by the Compton Gifford Local Board in opposition to Plymouth's extension plans. The older and once separate town and parish of Plympton had its own boundaries.

 Surrounding parishes overview [PDF, 116KB]

 Plymouth and parishes map [PDF, 179KB]

View the records and further information below: