BEERFERRIS, or Bereferrers, is a parish on the western bank of the navigable river Tavy, 2 miles above the confluence of the estuary of the Tamar, 8 miles N. by W. of Plymouth, and 91 miles S. of Tavistock. Its parish, which is in Tavistock union, county court district, rural deanery, and petty sessional division, in the Southern division of the county, Roborough hundred, and Totnes archdeaconry, had 2050 inhabitants (1961 males, 1099 females) in 1871, living in 457 houses, on 6038 acres, inclusive of 960 acres of water. It is bounded on the east and west by the tidal waters of the Tamar and Tavy, terminating in a point at their confluence, and includes the village of Beerferris, or, as it is commonly called Beertown, and the ancient disfranchised borough of Beer Alston. The parish is noted for producing immense quantities of apples, cherries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, &c., and the finest cider; and at Gawton is a large tree which, in a good season, has borne 1000 Ibs. weight of cherries. At Weir Quay are extensive smelting works, and in the neighbourhood are several lead and tin mines, yielding a large portion of silver. The manor of Beerferris was given by the Conqueror to Aleuson, from whom Beer Alston took the latter part of its name; but in the reign of Henry II. it belonged to the ancient family of Ferrers. In 1837, Sir William de Ferrers had a licence to castellate the manor house, in which the Lords Willoughby de Broke afterwards resided, and had a park here. The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe is now lord of the manor, and owner of a great part of the parish. The manor of Ley or Legh, was long held by the Ley family, but now belongs to Sir T. T. F. E. Drake, Bart, and part of the parish belongs to a few smaller freeholders. The CHURCH (St. Andrew) is an ancient structure, mostly in the Decorated style, with later additions, consisting of nave, chancel, north and south transepts, south aisle to nave and chancel, and an embattled tower, containing six bells. It was thoroughly restored in 1871. The old oak benches, with carved ends, in a very good state of preservation, were retained to form seats in the nave and aisle; there is also part of a decorated screen, probably the rood-screen, now separating the chancel. The church contains some antique monuments of the Ferrers and Champernownes, and others of more modern date; one is a beautiful double-recessed Easter sepulchre, with effigies of Sir John Ferrers and his lady. The rectory, valued in K.B, at £24 1s. O1/2d., and in 1831 at £800, is in the patronage of the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, and incumbency of the Rev. Frederic T. W. Wintle, who has 148A. 3R. 1P. of glebe, and a large and handsome rectory house, built in 1837 by the late Rev. Sir Frederick Shelley, Bart., in the Elizabethan style. The tithes are commuted for £750 a year. Twelve houses and gardens, worth £60 a year, have been long vested for the repairs, &c. of the church. The WESLYANS have two chapels here, and the WESLEYAN REFORMERS, INDEPENDENTS and BIBLE CHRISTIANS one each.
BEER ALSTON, a small ancient town and disfranchised borough, in the parish of Beerferris, is pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence, overlooking the vales of the Tamar and Tavy, on the east and west, and distant about 3 miles N. of the parish church, and 61/2 miles S. of Tavistock. It first sent two members, to Parliament in the 27th of Elizabeth, and was disfranchised by the Reform Act of 1832. The right of election was in those who had land in the borough and paid 3d. acknowledgment to the lord of the manor, who varied the number of electors at his pleasure, by granting burgage-tenures to as many of his own partisans as might be necessary. There newly made burgage-tenures were usually resigned as soon as the election was over. The portreeve, elected annually at the lord's court, was the returning officer, In. the neighbourhood are the Tamar, the East and South Tamar, and the Valletort Consols lead mines, and two large smelting works, which yield a profitable proportion of silver. The lead mines here are said to have yielded 16 cwt. of silver during three years in the reign of Edward I. The market is now only held on Saturday evenings, for the sale of provisions, &c. In or about 1294, Beer Alston had a grant for a market every Wednesday, and a fair at the festival of St. Andrew, but they have long been obsolete. A chapel, built here in the reign of Edward III. was afterwards used as the parish workhouse, and is now a coal store. A neat CHAPEL OF EASE, to Beerferris, was erected, here in the Early English style, in 1848, by the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, in which service is performed twice on Sundays. The Rev. S. T. Serle is the curate. The INDEPENDENTS have a small chapel, built in 1809; and there is one belonging to the WESLEYANS. The parish FREE SCHOOL, for 16 poor children, was founded in the 17th century by Sir John Maynard, law-serjeant to Cromwell and Charles II., who endowed it with a house and garden for the master, and with 5 acres of land, worth about £21 a year. This school has lately been enlarged and rebuilt to accommodate 210 girls and infants, at a cost of £700; and there is a separate Boys' School, built in 1853, as a Church of England School. At Bere Town is a small National School. Schools are attached to each of the three chapels, and here is a small parochial library.
LETTERS through Roborough to Beer Town. Tavistock is the nearest Money Order Office. There is a WALL LETTER BOX, cleared at 3.20 p.m. week days only. POST OFFICE, Beer Alston,; at .Mr, .James Richard's. Letters are received from Roborough at 8.50 a.m., and despatched at 3.20 p.m. Tavistock is the nearest Money Order Office.
