Gulliford Burial Ground

A plot of land was leased from Thomas Lee of Gulliford, yeoman of Woodbury, and the first Chapel was built by 1692 in the corner of a field called the ‘Crosse Park’. The ground was leased ‘for erecting thereon a meeting for religious worship and the services of God of the people commonly called Presbyterians’.  A second Chapel was erected in 1774, adjacent to the first, which was then demolished.  The earliest existing deeds for Gulliford are a list of Trustees of 1716 and a list of 95 subscribers to the Minister’s stipend of 1733, drawn from Exmouth (22), Woodbury (26) and Lympstone (47). By 1744, Gulliford Meeting had moved from Presbyterian to Unitarian doctrine. From 1769, the Gulliford congregation had grown greatly, due to the vast popularity of the Jervis brothers, who drew new adherents from all around. Gulliford’s congregation slowly dwindled from the end of the C19.  By 1907 the chapel was so derelict, the Trustees decided to demolish it. After years of neglect and decay Lympstone and Woodbury Parish Councils became responsible for its restoration and upkeep. The project to restore the cemetery began in September 1996, the re-opening took place on 31 May 1997.