Doddiscombsleigh
| Doddiscombsleigh | |
|---|---|
 St Michaels Church, Doddiscombsleigh | |
  Doddiscombsleigh Location withinDevon | |
| Area | 2.61 sq mi (6.8 km2) |
| OS grid reference | SX8586 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EXETER |
| Postcode district | EX6 |
| Dialling code | 01647 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Doddiscombsleigh(ancientlyDoddescombe Leigh[1]) is a small settlement inDevon,England. It is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of the city ofExeterand one mile East of theRiver Teignand the Teign Valley. Along with a few other places in Devon, it is one of the longest place names in England with 16 letters.
Geography
[edit]Despite its proximity to the city, the village is difficult to find, as it is surrounded by twisting-narrow-lanes and deep valleys, tucked away in the shelter of theHaldon Hills.The village is accessed via minor roads which are predominantly single track with passing places. TheA38passes within 3 miles (5 km) at Haldon Hill. Thewar memorialhas the OS grid reference SX 855 865 and, forsatnavusers, the postcode is EX6 7PS.
The parish is 2,391 acres in size.[2]
Geologically, the village placed on the outer perimeter of themetamorphic aureolesurroundingDartmoor.There is a fault running along the valley in the region which became heavily mineralised with metalliferous ores. This made the area well known historically for its mining activities. In Doddiscombsleigh there were manymanganeseworkings,[3]andJaspercould be found.[2]
Landmarks
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2019) |
Parish Church
[edit]TheC of Eparish church of St Michael is in the village and is a grade Ilisted building.St Michael’s contains the greatest collection of medieval stained glass to be found in situ anywhere in Devon, apart from that in the Great East Window ofExeter Cathedral.The panels in St Michael’s, which were installed c1480, were all produced in the 15th century by the same glazing workshop as some of the glass at Exeter Cathedral.[4]
These panels left Exeter over five hundred years ago - around the time of theWars of the Roses- transported out of the city during the late Middle Ages on a cart and hauled up and down the precipitous Haldon Hill, before being installed in the church for which they were made. And they remain there today, rare survivals of perhaps the most fragile of medieval art forms.
The church was extensively restored and rebuilt by the architectEdward Ashworthin the late 1870s.[4]
Town Barton
[edit]Town Barton - which lies between the church of St Michael and The NoBody Inn is the historicManor house;also known as the Capital Messuage or Mansion House of Doddiscombsleigh. The current building in a 17th-century grade II listed building.[5]
The first record of Town Barton was in theDomesday Bookof 1086 when Doddiscombsleigh was known as Terra Godeboldi under the reign of one Godbold the Bowman. Town Barton was the Capital Barton (Manor House) for Godbold`s Domesday Estates.
This makes it one of the very rare instances of a property truly being specifically traceable to where a Doomsday owner dwelt. The manor of Doddiscombsleigh was also known as Legh-Peverel, but the name was dropped when the manor changed hands, with a Sir Ralph Doddescomb being recorded as living in the old mansion house in the reign ofHenry III(1216-1272).
Town Barton was renowned for its twenty acres of appleorchardswhich produced "remarkably finecider",no doubt supplying the localhostelries.
The NoBody Inn
[edit]
The cottage that is now The NoBody Inn was listed as a "dwelling houses” or “messuage" in 1837, but, from the early 1600s at least, it was the village's unofficial Church House. Originally called Pophill Howse, details are sparse until 1752 when it was owned by Stephen Diggines "the church carpenter". The Inn has had a curious role in the parish. It did not formally become The New Inn until 1838, although it is believed to have been informally established in the late 18th century to provide "liquid refreshments" for the many men who worked in the mines of the hills at Ashton, Doddiscombsleigh and Christow, in their efforts to satisfy the huge demand formanganesefor use in thepotteriesand forbleaching.[6]
The name of the pub came from 1952 when the landlord died, and theundertakerand thepallbearersfailed to notice that there was no body in thecoffinwhen it was buried in the villagechurchyard.The same day, the undertakers noticed that they still had the body. They telephoned the inn during thewakeand the mourners were told of the mishap. The empty coffin was duly dug up and re-buried.[7]
An alternative explanation is that a landlord of the inn was in the habit of leaving his potman in charge of the inn when he went out on business. The potman was either shy or lazy, and when travellers came knocking at the inn door seeking refreshment would shout "There's nobody in!"[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^Pole, Sir William(d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.256
- ^abGB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth,History of Doddiscombsleigh, in Teignbridge and Devon| Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time
- ^Andrew Westcott (2003)."MANGANESE MINING In Doddiscombesleigh - A study of the remains of the old undocumented manganese workings around this village in South-West England".QSL.net.
- ^abHistoric England."Church of St Michael (1333908)".National Heritage List for England.
- ^Historic England."Town Barton (1097777)".National Heritage List for England.
- ^"History".www.nobodyinn.co.uk.Retrieved16 April2019.
- ^Adam Edwards (16 October 2004)."Pint to pint: Nobody Inn".The Daily Telegraph.
External links
[edit]
Media related toDoddiscombsleighat Wikimedia Commons- Doddiscombsleigh Village web pages
