Unique records of life in the parish of Ashcombe between the 16th and 18th centuries have been rediscovered after being lost for nearly 80 years.

The births, deaths and marriages registers from Ashcombe from the period 1581 to 1732 were last heard of in 1931 when a transcript was produced from them by the Devon and Cornwall Record Society. 

Since then their whereabouts have been a complete mystery.

But now Renée Jackaman, an archivist from the Devon Record Office, has found them sitting in the Dawlish branch of Lloyds TSB.

She said: 'Unfortunately, although there is extensive legislation in place to protect these records it is not uncommon for items like this to be lost over time. 

'Rarely, records may be retrieved from garages and attics but most of them never resurface as they tend to deteriorate if not kept in strict, environmentally controlled conditions.

'We hope that a discovery like this may prompt the deposit of other lost records from Devon parishes.'

The Ashcombe records came to light when Renée was re-classifying them. She discovered a small receipt in a bundle of papers which recorded the deposit in the vault at Lloyds in 1948. 

The vicar of Ashcombe granted permission to pursue the matter and the bank staff tracked down the deposit in their vault, along with some other records from Ashcombe Parochial Church Council. 

The documents were in the original bundle and in excellent condition. The first volume of churchwarden's accounts is in need of some conservation work although it was in this condition when placed in the vault.

The volumes will now be filmed and microform versions made available in the Devon Record Office for members of the public to consult.