Shebbear
| Shebbear | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) St Michaels Church, Shebbear | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SS440093 |
| Location: | 50°51’45"N, 4°13’4"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 858 (2011) |
| Postcode: | EX21 |
| Local Government | |
Shebbear is a village in the north of Devon: the county's Shebbear Hundred is named after it. The village is a mile east of the River Torridge, and six miles south of Great Torrington.
The parish population was recorded at 858 in 2011.
John Wesley laid hands in blessing on a young Cornishman called William O’Bryan who later founded the Bible Christian Society in Shebbear: the first Bryanite chapel was built in the village in 1817.
Church
The church of St Michael and All Angels dates back to the 11th century. The south doorway is from about 1180.
Shebbear College
Shebbear College is an coeducational day and boarding public school for children from 3 to 18 years of age.
Turning the Devil's Stone
At 8 pm on 5 November each year, while the rest of the country is burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes, Shebbear has its own unique celebration. The one ton lump of rock known as the Devil's Stone (or Devil's Boulder), which lies in the village square, is turned over by the village bellringers. The stone is a glacial erratic - not from a local rock formation.
According to local tradition the stone needs to be turned over every year or a disaster will fall on the village - the last year it was not turned on 5 November was during the Second World War when such frivolity was frowned on, but after a few days of bad news someone flipped it over anyway. Legend has it that the Devil dropped the stone while fighting with God; he lost the battle and consequently the stone fell on top of him, flattening him under it. The folklore reasoning for the turning is that it takes a year for the Devil to dig down and up the other side of the rock, at which point it is flipped again, trapping him once more.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Shebbear) |