What is the correct contemporary name for Stoke Damerel, Devonshire, for a birth ca. 1800? [closed]

Question

If I have correctly identified his birth information, Theophilus Watts was born on 13 Jan 1799, and christened on 27 Mar 1799, in Stoke Damerel, Devonshire, England.  His parents were John Watts and Ann Rowe, married on 11 Dec 1792, in Stoke Damerel. (My sources for this are FamilySearch transcripts, provided on the profile.

What is the correct location name, for the birth place field?  My guess would be Stoke Damerel Parish, Plymouth Dock, Devonshire, England, but I would very much appreciate some advice from the United Kingdom (or England?) Project.

From what I have been able to find out, Stoke Damerel was the name of a parish in the village of Stoke, owned at the time of the Domesday Book by Robert of Albemarle (whose family was later known as "Damerell").  After 1690, the area at the mouth of the River Tamar, along the Tamar Estuary, was developed as a ship building center, called Plymouth Dock, which seems to have included the parish of Stoke Damerel.  In 1823, the town successfully petitioned the king to allow it to be renamed Devonport (in 1824).  In 1914, it was merged with Plymouth and East Stonehouse to form (in 1928) the new City of Plymouth.

Sources: 

R. N. Worth, ''A History of Devonshire, with Sketches of Its Leading Worthies'', ''Popular County Histories'', London: Elliott Stock, 1886, pp. 223-6.

"Devonport, Plymouth," Wikipedia.org.

Comments

Today Stoke is a suburb of Plymouth - a parish that was referred to as Stoke Damerel  then part of the historical Devonport prior to 1914.

 In 1914, Devonport and Plymouth amalgamated with Stonehouse: the new town took the name of Plymouth.

Answer 1

Hope England's not that fussed. I'd use Stoke Damerel, Devon, England.

Comments

I agree with C

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So do I. That is good in the location field. We try to keep it simple - and that is what is in the sources. You can always explain a bit more in the biography .

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I agree Stoke Damerel, Devon, England  is what I'd also use. 

The church  where the Christening took place predates the dockyard and isn't part of it though it served those who worked there.  Obviously as the dockyard developed so did the amount of housing in the parish.

Here's the first ordnance survey map  

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There is also a lot of info on the category page for Stoke Damerel, which is here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Stoke_Damerel%2C_Devon

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Thank you, all!  I hadn't realized from the written descriptions that the parish encompassed the town, rather than the other way around.  The map (thank you, Helen) and the category page (thank you, Joe - I hadn't been able to find it before you provided the link) are especially helpful in addition to the sources.

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Problem is that the Church in England is ancient. Originally Parishes were much larger than towns. With the growth in population more buildings were needed but more buildings did not necessarily result in more Parishes at first. Populous Parishes did eventually become split but are experiencing a re-merging with today's decline in Church membership. Towns have grown from hamlets in Parishes into administrative entities that encompass one or more Parishes but the process has operated more according to local needs than to a considered plan. Consequently Parish/town relationships have to be studied individually. What is true of Stoke Damerel may not be true anywhere else. Confusing.

Answer 2

You might like to look here

https://www.genuki.org.uk/search/site/Stoke%20Damerel

Comments

Thank you, Marion.  I looked through several pages of this (intimidating!) list, but couldn't find anything to tell me how I should handle the place name on WikiTree for a birth in 1799.  Do you happen to know whether any project has established protocols for such place names in England?

Answer 3

I have many relatives born and bred in this area and always referred to as Stoke Damerel, Devon, England.

Valerie Crowley

Comments

Thank you, Valerie.  From your answer and all the others, I am going to assume that it was also designated "Stoke Damerel, Devon, England" in 1800.

Answer 4

You could also take a look at http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20456 for more information. 

Comments

Thank you, Hilary.  I particularly like the old map.

Answer 5

The Parish Church at Stoke Damerel was called the Church of St Andrew, on Paradise Road, Plymouth, and it is a listed building (which means it's protected) and it was rebuilt in 1751 (although there are records going back to the 13th Century).  There is information and a map at https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1386305 and the history of the church can be found on the current church website at http://stoke-damerel-church.co.uk/

Comments

Thank you, Richard.  I noticed that, despite what the text says on the church's site, the heading indicates that the name of the church is "St. Andrew with St. Luke" and that the address they use indicates it is in the town/village of Stoke.  Ah, well.