The river Garrah flows through the parish to Slapton Ley, a fresh water lake separated from the sea by a sand bank through which the water percolates into Start Bay, on the south-eastern boundary of the parish.

The church of St Michael is a building of stone in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled western tower containing 6 bells, 5t of which were cast in 1782. The chancel retains a double piscina and the sedilla, and in the aisle there is a fine brass dedicated to Nicholas Forde ob.1582, and Margaret, his wife. The rood loft stairs still exist, as well as a carved oak screen, curiously painted with varying shades of vermillion and blue, but now in a dilapidated condition. There is a Norman font. On the capital of one of the pillars are sculptured  the arms of  Torr Abbey, which possessed large estates in the parish and the adjoining estate of Abbotsleigh in Halwell parish. A new organ was provided in 1900. The church, with the exception of the chancel was restored in 1887 when the roof and floor were renewed and new seats provided. In 1893 the chancel and vestry were restored There are 400 sittings.  The register dates from  1538.  The living is a vicarage with residence in the gift of the Bishop of Exeter. There is a Methodist Chapel in the village. 

Slapton Ley

Courtesy of www. www.slapton.org/slfsc.htm

A fresh water lake separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Torr Abbey  and a large portion of the abbey property passed to t he Ridgways of Torwood, Torquay.  From an unpublished manuscript at Sheplegh Court, it appears that in AD 835, King Ethelbert's great battle against the West Wealas was fought at Hingeston Down in Cornwall. The name of Blackawton itself is derived  from this very camp, whose Saxon name of Stanborough or stone barrow, was preceded doubtless by the  British name of  "Blaighedun", meaning "the hill fort".

Major John R. L. Holford Scott-Tucker and C. W. Dimes Esq. are the chief landowners. The soil is generally a rich loam; the subsoil is clay, slate and the best land is in the dunstone. The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats. The area is 4986 acres of land and inland water. The population in 1931 was 546 in the civil and 505 in the ecclesiastical parish.

By Local Government Board Order, a detached part of Halwell was added to the parish in 1881.

CLERK TO THE PARISH COUNCIL: James Henry Foale

PRIVATE RESIDENTS

Charles William Dimes, Greenslade

William Henry Evans, Dartmouth House

Mrs Jones, Wadstray House

Rudolph Milner -White, Sheplegh Court

COMMERCIAL

Frasedr Thomas  Baker, farmer Greenwood

Henry Baker , Coombe farmer , Larcombe

Robert Heath Bastard , wheelwright

Brookes, White-Cooper & Green physicians and surgeons

Charles George Brown, carpenter

Brown , Ralph Hedley, farmer, East Down Farm

Buckpitt, Emily Mary farmer, Middle Wadstray

Buckpitt, William Aitkin, farmer, Lower Wadstray

Burgoyne, Thomas Henry, thatcher, Bow

Butland, William George, farmer, Washwalk

Colton, William, farmer, Waterslade

Commercial Inn - John Henry Rogers

Cousins, Horace, grocer

Crocker, Charles Henry & Son, farmers, Stone

Cutmore, John Henry, butcher

Dennis, Frederick John, carpenter

Dennis, Thomas Henry, boot repairer

William Ellis, farmer, Eastdown

William Endacott, farmer, Sweetstone

Foale,  James Henry, clerk to the Parish Council

The Forces Inn - Henry Shillabeer

Furseland, John Nicholas, farmer, Home Farm, Oldstone

Geatches, Harold Spry, farmer, Lower Hutcherleigh

George Inn - Cyril William Bath

Hakewill, George, farmer, Lower Cotterbury

Hayman, Ernest Alfred, farmer, Abbotsleigh

Hoskin, William, farmer, Higher Hutcherleigh

Jarvis, Abraham Arthur, threshing machine owner, East Down

Jerwood, Albert, newsagent

Kelland, John Henry, farmer, Seccombe

Lethbridge, Frederick George, farmer, West Down

Life, John Frederick. motor engineer

Lynn, Cecil Elliott, farmer, Higher Abbotsleigh

Martin, Nathaniel Lyndon, farmer, Puddislake

Maunder, Nathaniel, farmer, Millcombe

Nicholls, John William, farmer, Higher Cotterbury

Oldrieve, Owen, farmer, Oldstone

Palmer. John, farmer, Cheat

Quick, William Henry, bee-keeper, The Bungalow, Wadstray

Rendle, Henry, farmer, Cliston

Rickard, Willie, farmer, Town Farm

Rowden, Richard Pack, farmer, Wood Farm

Rowe, Charles, farmer, Shearstone

Rowe, Edwin, farmer, Middle Hutcherleigh

Rowe, Henry farmer, East Down

Rowe, Walter, farmer, Millcombe

Sage, Samuel Arthur, farmer, Lower Dreyton

Shillabeer, William Horace, farmer, Stray Park

Soper, John Percival Anstey, farmer Woodford

Sportsman's Arms - John Disraeli Hatfield

Spurr, Edward James, farmer, Barnsdale

Talbot, Alban William, Thrashing machine owner, Cross

Tippett, Alfred Henry, blacksmith, Bow

Tope, Leslie Arthur, farmer, Drayton

Trant, Sydney Harold, farmer, Forder

Tucker, Charles John, farmer, Pasture

Tucker, William Arthur, farmer, West Drayton

Walke, John, farmer, West Hartley

Widdicombe, Harold Percy, farmer, Little Wadstray

Wills, Albert Edward, boot repairer

Yabsley, Herbert, farmer, Bowden.

Sheplegh Court today - modernised and divided

into a  number of luxury homes