River Yeo (Lapford)
The River Yeo is a tributary of the River Taw in Devon, sometimes known as the Lapford Yeo from the village of Lapford. It is one of several rivers of the same name in Devon, including another tributary of the Taw, the Barnstaple Yeo. The Lapford Yeo flows within two miles of the headwaters of another River Yeo, which is a tributary of the River Creedy.
The Lapford Yeo rises near South Tawton. It flows north through Bow and Zeal Monachorum to Lapford. It joins the Taw 1½ miles below Lapford, just below Nymet Bridge.[1]
The Lapford Yeo's largest tributary is the River Dalch, which joins the Yeo near Lapford. The river's catchment area is almost twice the size of the Taw's catchment area above the confluence, but has significantly lower rainfall than the upper Taw valley.
The Yeo is one of several rivers called the River Yeo in Somerset and Devon, which name is from the Old English word ea, meaning simply "river". The river was earlier called the Nymet, thought to be an Old Welsh word perhaps meaning 'shrine'. Several Nymet place-names remain in the area, including Nymet Tracey and Nymet Rowland.
