Okehampton in Devon

Friday, 26 March 2021 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Kicior99/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Kicior99/cc-by-sa-4.0

Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Okehampton is 21 miles (33 km) west of Exeter, 26 miles (42 km) north of Plymouth and 24 miles (38 km) south of Barnstaple.

Okehampton was founded by the Saxons. The earliest written record of the settlement is from 980 AD as Ocmundtune, meaning settlement by the Ockment, a river which runs through the town. It was recorded as a place for slaves to be freed at cross roads. Like many towns in the West Country, Okehampton grew on the medieval wool trade. Notable buildings in the town include the 15th century chapel of St. James and Okehampton Castle, which was established by the Norman Sheriff of Devon, Baldwin FitzGilbert (d.1090).

<
>
Okehampton was the caput of a large feudal barony (feudal barony of Okehampton), which at the time of the Domesday Book was held by Baldwin FitzGilbert. After his death in 1090 the tenure of the barony is obscure for the next twenty years after which it was held by the heiress Maud d’Avranches until her death in 1173, which passed to her daughter, Hawise de Curci (died 1219), who married Reginald de Courtenay. His French possessions were confiscated by the French King Louis VII, but were given, together with the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth de Courtenay, to his youngest brother Peter I of Courtenay. The Courtenay family rebuilt Okehampton Castle, until King Henry VIII seized the lands and had Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter executed for treason in 1539. Presently, the castle is owned by English Heritage and is open to the public during the summer season. The town is also home to the Museum of Dartmoor Life, which has received notable visitors such as Prince Charles.

Okehampton is surrounded by many smaller villages and towns. Notable examples are the villages of South Zeal with its ancient burgage plots, granite thatched cottages and Dartmoor Folk Festival; Belstone, noted for its location on the very outskirts of Dartmoor and links to Agatha Christie‘s The Sittaford Mystery; and Sticklepath which has an annual fire show on Bonfire Night, 5 November. Other nearby villages and settlements include Hatherleigh, North Tawton, Whiddon Down, Chagford, Bratton Clovelly, Lydford, Folly Gate, Southcott, Northlew, Jacobstowe, Bridestowe and Sourton.

Read more on Okehampton, VisitSouthDevon.co.uk – Okehampton and Wikipedia Okehampton (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

We wish you a peaceful Advent season, Merry Christmas and a great start into a happy, amazing, healthy, awesome and successful New Year! 🕯 🎅 ✨ 🎄 🎁 🍾 🎆

We wish you a peaceful Advent season, Merry Christmas and a great start into a happy, amazing, healthy, awesome and successful New Year! 🕯 🎅 ✨ 🎄 🎁 🍾 🎆

[caption id="attachment_224634" align="aligncenter" width="590"]Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin © Leonhard Lenz[/caption] Read more on Wikipedia Twelve Days of Christmas, Wikipedia Saturnalia, Wikipedia Adven...

[ read more ]

Doha on the Persian Gulf

Doha on the Persian Gulf

[caption id="attachment_24234" align="aligncenter" width="510"] Doha Montage © flickr.com - amjra/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Doha (englisch: The Bay)is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the coast of the P...

[ read more ]

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin

[caption id="attachment_244731" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Parliament Square © David Kernan/cc-by-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Trinity College Dublin (Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide, Bhaile Átha Cliath), officially titled Th...

[ read more ]

The European Union: Common Trade and Economic Policy

The European Union: Common Trade and Economic Policy

[responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Common and Economic Policy The European Single Market is the single market of the European Union, which has officially existed under that name since 1 January 1993. Today, the European single market is the largest co...

[ read more ]

Burano in the Venetian Lagoon

Burano in the Venetian Lagoon

[caption id="attachment_231624" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Burano as seen from Mazzorbo © Unofeld781/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Burano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, near Torcello at the northe...

[ read more ]

Berlin Cathedral

Berlin Cathedral

[caption id="attachment_193146" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © A.Savin/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Berlin Cathedral (German: Berliner Dom) is the short name for the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church (Ger...

[ read more ]

The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela

The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela

[caption id="attachment_223523" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Bete Giyorgis © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are monolithic churches located in the Western Ethiopian Highla...

[ read more ]

Wrigley Building in Chicago

Wrigley Building in Chicago

[caption id="attachment_238594" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © flickr.com - daryl_mitchell/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Wrigley Building is a skyscraper located at 400–410 North Michigan Avenue on Chicago's Near N...

[ read more ]

Neringa in Lithuania

Neringa in Lithuania

[caption id="attachment_237998" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Thomas Mann's summer house © Wojsyl/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Neringa or Neringa Municipality (Lithuanian: Neringos savivaldybė) is a municipality of Klai...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Scottish Borders - Peebles

Theme Week Scottish Borders - Peebles

[caption id="attachment_191823" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Tweed Bridge © Kjetil Bjørnsrud/cc-by-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Peebles is a royal burgh in Peeblesshire, of which it is the county town, within the Scottish Borde...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Florida Coasts - First Coast

Theme Week Florida Coasts - First Coast

[caption id="attachment_225300" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Sunrise over Ponte Vedra Beach © flickr.com - Craig ONeal/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Florida's First Coast, or simply the First Coast, is a region of the U....

[ read more ]

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

[caption id="attachment_238292" align="aligncenter" width="590"] USS Arizona Memorial © Victor-ny/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 ...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Guyana

Theme Week Guyana

[caption id="attachment_184203" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Kaieteur Falls © Bill Cameron/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Guyana is a sovereign state on the northern mainland of South America. It is, however, often consid...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top