49 East Street
Above: 49 East Street

My own photograph 2025

On the tithe map and apportionment for Ashburton, circa 1840, Mr Edward Bean and others are shown as the occupiers of property labelled 'houses etc., East street' numbered 1342. On the map this number seems to span the modern No.47 and No.49.

There are a number of conveyances for a dwelling house and premises in East Street, Ashburton. The conveyance for the 30th September 1875 names the parties as Mr Edward F Bean and Mr John P Foot. The messuage was formerly known as a ............[unreadable] malthouse. The dwelling house is not necessarily No. 49

Previous transactions had involved:
Mrs Elizabeth Calley and Miss Sarah E Soper
Mr Robert Dobell
7th May 1860

Robert Dobell
Edward Fowles* Bean 
24th March 1871
*Probably should be Fowler
Research by Nigel Brown. Many thanks to Nigel

The Library
No. 49 is now known as The Old Library.

According to the Western Times the library in Ashburton began in the house of Jospeh Fitze, which was in East Street (claimed in an article written 80 years after the event)

Western Times 20 April 1916, p13 col1

The tithe apportionment, circa 1840, says that Joseph Fitze and others are occupying a property numbered 1572. The map is very difficult to read, but No. 1572 appears to be on the other side of East Street, somewhere in between St Lawrence Lane and Heavyhead Lane (now Woodland Road).

Joseph was at one time the registrar for Ashburton. Peter Foot was deputy registrar.
Western Times 10 June 1837, p1 col3


Subscription Library, East Street, Peter Foot, librarian.
The Post Office Directory of Somerset and Devon, with Bristol etc. 1866, p 702

The wife of Mrs J P Foot gave birth to a daughter at The Library, East Street, on the 24th February 1873

Western Times, 28 February 1873, p5 col5

John Peter Foot died at The Library, East Street, on April 30th, 1901. He was 85
Totnes Weekly Times, 4 May 1901, p5 col6
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

Walter T Lomax married Jessie E Foot in the September quarter of 1913, in the Newton Abbot registration district.

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/

In September 1929 the Torbay Express and South Devon Echo reported on the funeral of Mrs. Jessie E Lomax, who had died at The Library. She was the wife of Mr W T Lomax. 

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 7 Sept 1929, p11 col1

Alice M Lomax and Ernest R Moss are on the register of electors at 49 East Street for the year 1965/66.
See the Register of Electors, under People and Properties

Rendells was selling 49 East Street by auction in April 1986. Described as a Grade II listed large period terrace house, it had six bedrooms on 2 floors. There was a large panelled hall, a dining room, sitting room, kitchen and bathroom, plus a scullery and separate WC. The property had a yard and lawns, and a former washhouse/ workshop.

Torbay Express and South Devon Echo, 18 April 1986, p31 col1