Spreyton
| Spreyton | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 Spreyton, | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SX700967 |
| Location: | 50°45’19"N, 3°50’35"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 380 (2011) |
| Post town: | Crediton |
| Postcode: | EX17 |
| Dialling code: | 01647 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Devon |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Central Devon |
Spreyton is a small, rural village just north of Dartmoor in Devon.
Spreyton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Spreitone and in 1236 it is recorded as "Sprotton". The first element of the name is the Old English word from which is derived the word "spray", meaning "twig" or "brushwood".[1]
The Tom Cobley Tavern is the village pub, placed on the main street in the village. There is also a parish church, which holds the grave of 'Tom Cobley' within its churchyard.
Parish church
The parish church of St Michael is built of granite ashlar and stands on a hill. The wagon roofs of the nave, aisle and chancel are mediæval; the roof of the chancel has an inscription dated 1451. The Norman font is octagonal.[2]
Legend
The grave of Tom Cobley in the churchyard has ensured that the village can claim a part of a legend, or at least a song. The folksong “Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all” is sung about Widecombe Fair and Spreyton folk insist that Uncle Tom Cobley is one and the same as the man of that name buried in their village. It is a long way over the moor to Widecombe and its fair, but he may indeed have ridden there. There is no sign of Tom Pierce in the churchyard though, he whose grey mare it was.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Spreyton) |
References
- ↑ Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 1960. p. 414 ISBN 0198691033
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: Pevsner Architectural Guides
