Halwell
| Halwell | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 Halwell, from nearby Moreleigh | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SX776531 |
| Location: | 50°21’58"N, 3°43’16"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Totnes |
| Postcode: | TQ9 7 |
| Dialling code: | 01548 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Hams |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South Hams |
Halwell is a village in southern Devon, and which may be found five miles south of Totnes, six miles north of Kingsbridge and eight miles west of Dartmouth, at the junction of the A381 and A3122 roads serving the three towns.
History
During the Saxon era, Halwell was one of the four burhs, or fortified settlements, established in Devon by King Alfred the Great (d.899), King of Wessex from 871 to 899, to defend against invasion by Vikings.[1] At that time the other three were Exeter, Pilton (near Barnstaple) and Lydford.[2] Halwell had its own mint and issued its own coinage. According to the Burghal Hidage (an early 10th Century document describing all burhs then functioning), Halwell's town wall was 1,237 feet long and the garrison consisted of 300 men who could be drawn from the surrounding district in the event of an invasion. However by the close of the 11th century its status as a burh had been transferred to Totnes, five miles to the north on the River Dart, probably because it was better placed for trade at a time when the Viking threat had diminished, after which the significance of Halwell greatly decreased.