Archdeacon of Totnes

The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter and under the oversight of the Bishop suffragan of Plymouth.

History

The first recorded archdeacon of Exeter occurs in 1083, around the time when archdeacons were first appointed in Britain. Around that time, the Diocese of Exeter was divided into four archdeaconries: Exeter, Cornwall, Totnes (or Totton) and Barnstaple (or Barum). This configuration of archdeaconries within the diocese remained for almost 800 years, until the creation of the independent Diocese of Truro from the Cornwall archdeaconry. On 22 March 1918, the archdeaconries were reconfigured and the Archdeaconry of Plymouth created from Totnes archdeaconry. Presently, the diocese operates an informal 'area scheme' such that responsibility for roughly half the diocese is delegated to each suffragan bishop: special oversight is given to the Bishop of Crediton for the Barnstaple and Exeter archdeaconries and to the Bishop of Plymouth for the Plymouth and Totnes archdeaconries.

Totnes

Coordinates: 50°25′55″N 3°41′02″W / 50.432°N 3.684°W / 50.432; -3.684

Totnes (/ˈtɒtnᵻs/ or /tɒtˈnɛs/) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about 22 miles (35 km) south of the city of Exeter and is the administrative centre of the South Hams District Council.

Totnes has a long recorded history, dating back to AD 907 when its first castle was built; it was already an important market town by the 12th century. Indications of its former wealth and importance are given by the number of merchants' houses built in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Today, the town is a thriving centre for music, art, theatre and natural health. It has a sizeable alternative and "New Age" community, and is known as a place where one can live a bohemian lifestyle. Two electoral wards mention Totnes (Bridgetown and Town). Their combined populations at the 2011 census was 8,076.

History

Ancient and medieval history

Totnes (UK Parliament constituency)

Totnes is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Sarah Wollaston, a Conservative.

History

The current constituency was formed for the 1997 general election, from parts of the former South Hams constituency. This had largely replaced the previous Totnes constituency, which had existed in a wide form since 1885, but in a much narrower form from the Model Parliament.

An original parliamentary borough of Totnes or Totness had been created in 1295. It returned two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 until it was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1867 with effect from the 1868 election.

The modern constituency has been served by two Conservatives since its 1997 recreation, which suggests a safe seat. However, during this period, while not marginal, the majority won has not been absolute and the next largest party has consistently been the Liberal Democrats.