Combe Martin
| Combe Martin | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 Combe Martin from Little Hangman | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SS586464 |
| Location: | 51°12’0"N, 4°1’30"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,687 (2011) |
| Post town: | Ilfracombe |
| Postcode: | EX34 |
| Dialling code: | 01271 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Devon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North Devon |
| Website: | Combe Martin Parish Council |
Combe Martin is a village on the north Devon coast about four miles east of Ilfracombe. It is a small seaside resort with a sheltered cove on the north-west edge of the Exmoor National Park.
Due to the narrowness of the valley, the village consists principally of one single long street which runs two miles between the valley head and the sea.
The name of the village is from the common Old English place-name element cumb# meaning 'valley' (a word though ultimately from Old Welsh). 'Martin' is from the ownership of the manor in the Middle Ages.
History
There is evidence of Iron Age occupation nearby, in paticular the nearby Newberry Castle hill fort. The name of the village was recorded as Comer in 1128. The 'Martin' suffix on the place name is from the name of the FitzMartin family, feudal barons of Barnstaple, from which large barony the manor of Combe was held. The FitzMartins held the barony following the marriage of Nicholas FitzMartin (d.1260) to Maud de Tracy, heiress of the barony of Barnstaple, until the death of his grandson William II FitzMartin in 1326 who left his two sisters co-heiresses.[1]
There are several disused silver mines on the eastern ridge and evidence of tunnels can still be seen, as well as the remains of a wheelhouse used to lift ore from the mine. There are items in the Crown Jewels made from Combe Martin silver and a large part of the war expenses of Edward III and Henry V were paid for by the sale of silver mined here.
Parish church
The parish church bears an unusual dedication: 'St Peter ad Vincula', which mean 'St. Peter in Chains'. The dedication is derived from that is the ancient Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
Village street
It is reputed locally that the village street is the longest village street in England. It is indeed a very long street for such a village, but not quite the longest: a longer street is found at Stewkley in Buckinghamshire. Combe Marti's street is a mile and a hallf long, so the villlagers may be forgiven for asserting theor claim. There is a saying too in Combe Martin that "At the George and Dragon they talk about my sprained thumb, at the Dolphin they talk about my broken leg", indicating the way that news is exaggerated as it passe along the line of the village's several pubs.
Combe Martin does nevertheless hold the Guinness world record for the world's longest street party.
About the village
One of the village's unusual features is the Pack o' Cards public house built around 1700 by George Ley. Reputed to have been funded by his gambling successes, it originally had 52 windows, 13 rooms and four floors (matching the numbers from a pack of cards).
Just to the east of Combe Martin Bay are the Hangman hills: the Hangman cliffs are made up of Little Hangman and the Great Hangman. The Great Hangman is a hog-backed hill of 1,043 feet with a cliff-face of 820 feet, making it the highest cliff in southern Britain. It can be reached by following the South West Coast Path which runs through the village.
Combe Martin lies within the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Wildlife and Dinosaur Park is similar to a normal wildlife park, containing animals such as wallabies, free-roaming macaws, wolves and lions, but there are also models and animatronic dinosaurs. The models are in their own area, Domain of the Dinosaurs, whilst the animatronics (T. rex, Dilophosaurus, Megalosaurus and Velociraptor) have an enclosure in the main area of the park. There is also a Dinosaur Museum with a fossilised skeleton and egg nest of some dinosaurs. Other attractions include a train ride with a massive flood of water, shows with sealions and wolves, a light show and a mock Egyptian tomb with hieroglyphics and mummies.
Events
A regular farmers' market is held at the village hall.
At one time there were nine pubs: The Castle, The Dolphin, the Fo'c'stle, the George and Dragon, the Lion Inn, The London Inn, The Marine, the Pack o' Cards and the Top George. As part of the annual Carnival celebrations, there was a wheelbarrow race over the length of the village, competitors having to stop at each pub and consume a glass of beer before continuing. In 2008 the wheelbarrow race was replaced by a Fun Run and alcohol-free wheelbarrow parade. The wheelbarrow race was reinstated in 2009.
The annual procession "The Hunting of the Earl of Rone" features the rare 'hobby horse' and a character called the Earl of Rone. The Hunting of the Earl of Rone takes place over a weekend, finishing with a two-mile procession along the main street, featuring, as well as the 'obby 'oss and Earl of Rone, a Fool, "Grenadiers", drummers and music, a donkey, and hundreds of dancers in festive dress.
The custom was banned in 1837 (due to 'licentiousness and drunken behaviour') as well as the death of a drunken parishioner falling off a wall during the celebrations. The Rone custom was reconstructed in 1970. Legend has it that Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone fled Ireland in 1607 and was shipwrecked at Rapparee Beach, in Ilfracombe harbour, to the west of the village, and that the hunt commemorates this. (In fact, O'Neill made it to the continent.) It is an interesting and noisy event which takes place over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend each year.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Combe Martin) |
References
- ↑ Sanders, English Baronies, Oxford, 1960, p.104, Barnstaple