Fremington, Devon
| Fremington | |
|---|---|
 Sign on the village green | |
  Fremington Location withinDevon | |
| Population | 4,310 2011 census[1] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARNSTAPLE |
| Postcode district | EX31 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
Fremingtonis a large village,civil parishand formermanorinNorth Devon,England, the historic centre of which is situated three miles (5 km) west ofBarnstaple.The village lies between the south bank of the tidal estuary of theRiver Tawand a small inlet of that river known as Fremington Pill. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes ofHeanton Punchardon,Ashford,West Pilton,Barnstaple,Tawstock,Horwood, Lovacott and Newton Tracey,andInstow.[2]
Fremington Quay was formerly a port on the River Taw, one-half mile (800 m) north of the village centre. Fremington was formerly aboroughwhich sent members to Parliament in the reign of KingEdward III(1327–77). The parish includes the neighbouring former hamlets (greatly expanded in the 20th century) ofBickingtonto the east andYellandto the west. It has many public woodland and even coastal walks.
Fremington, Bickington and Yelland, all on the B3223 main road from Barnstaple toInstowhave, according toHoskins(1959), been spoilt by almost uninterrupted ribbon-building to provide housing for commuters to Barnstaple, but some old houses survive near the parish church.[3]
History
[edit]Fremingtonhundredwas one of the 32 historichundreds of Devon.Owing to its quay and right to hold certain fairs or markets, it was briefly aboroughthat sent members to Parliament in the reign ofEdward III.[4]
The manor of Fremington was held by the Acland family of Barnstaple, a junior branch of theAcland BaronetsofKillertonin Devon andHolnicotein Somerset, which originated in the 12th century at the estate ofAcland, Landkeyin North Devon, and which by the 19th century was one of the largest landowners in theSouthwest of England.It passed to Richard II who granted it to his half-brotherJohn Holland, Earl of Huntingdon.[5]Following Holland's execution in January 1400 for his rebellion against Henry IV, who had usurped the throne from Richard, the keeping of the manor of Fremington was given in May 1400 toJohn Stourton (died 1438)ofPreston Plucknettin Somerset, 7 times MP forSomerset,together with William Yerde, MP.[6]
Demography
[edit]The population of Fremington, according to the census of 1801, was 875. This number increased gradually in the forty years to 1841, to 1,326 however the rate of increase slowed during the next 10 years and coinciding with the arrival of the railway fell from 1,351 in 1851 to 1,194 in 1901 and slightly lower in 1931. Population growth resumed afterWorld War IIand saw more than a doubling between 1961 and 2011, to 4,310 people. Data for 1801–1961 is available at Britain Through Time.[7]The2001and2011 Censusesgive detailed information about the village.
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 875 | 941 | 1,099 | 1,180 | 1,326 | 1,350 | 1,235 | 1,195 | 1,194 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 2001 | 2011 | |
| Population | 1,200 | 1,120 | 1,172 | n/a | 2,734 | 4,409 | 3,923 | 4,310 |
The 1848Samuel Lewisnational survey shows the parish had 6,810 acres (2,760 ha), of which 999 acres (404 ha) were waste or common land.[4]
The number of dwellings in the village was relatively static between the first Ordnance Survey series in the 1880s untilWorld War II.Fremington has since multiplied in population. By 2001, the population of the village (rather than the parish) was approximately 4,250.
Fremington Manor
[edit]
The large early Georgian red-brick mansion known as Fremington Manor, situated 50 metres east of St Peter's Church, and clearly visible from the main road, is the formermanor housebuilt by Richard II Acland (1679–1729),MPforBarnstaple1708–13. It was re-modelled in the 19th century by his eventual heirs the Arundell-Yeo family, who added a bow window which displays on three large terracotta relief panels the arms of Acland, Barbor and Yeo quartering Arundell.
Between 1943 and 1945 Fremington Manor and grounds was used by the US army as "Fremington Training Camp", a hospital and rehabilitation centre.[8]On the departure of the US Army in 1945, the house and grounds were used by the British Army as the "School of Combined Operations", commanded by an admiral. In the late 1950s it was used by amphibious squadrons of the Royal Army Service Corps and Royal Corps of Transport. The mansion house served as the officers mess of 18 Company (Amphibian).[8]In the 1970s it served as an army training camp. In 1980 Fremington Manor was sold by the army and became a nursing home.[9]The army camp, which occupied about 50 acres (20 ha) of land, remained, but closed on 1 October 2009 when it was no longer economically viable to keep open, as it was hardly used outside the summer months.[10]
Clay works
[edit]Fremington is famous for "Fishley Pottery", made by the family of that name in the Combrew area, examples of which are in the collection of theMuseum of Barnstaple and North Devon.Excellent, stone-free clay pits (now mainly worked out) exist in the eastern half of the parish and were also owned byBrannam Potteryand used for their "BarumWare ". The clay may have formed invarvelakes, near an ice deposit which lay over Fremington during theLast Glacial Maximumor previous glaciations such as the Anglian (MIS12) or the Wolstonian glaciation (MIS6)[11]Unusually,glacial depositsare found here in the county of Devon. Two patches ofboulder claylie over the centre of the parish's bedrock. The next nearest boulder clay deposits are in theGower Peninsula,South Wales, approximately 45 miles (72 km) due north of Fremington across theBristol Channel.The nearest deposit of boulder clay in England is in the centralCotswolds,6 miles (10 km) due east ofBourton-on-the-Waterand approximately 140 miles (230 km) north-east of Fremington. The existence of the boulder clay is puzzling as the southernmost limit of theDevensianglaciation is believed to have been located over South Wales. There are few other signs of glaciation in North Devon to support an extension to a more southerly limit. It has been suggested that the surface covering was in some way attached to an ice-mass that drifted across the Bristol Channel and deposited thetillover Fremington. However, this does not fully explain the presence of the nearly co-located varve clay beds.
Fremington Quay
[edit]
Fremington Quay was once significant in the import and export of many goods. It had railway sidings, cranes, and other apparatus used for the export ofball clayand import of coal. Between the early to mid-twentieth century it was the busiest port (based on tonnage) betweenBristolandLand's End.Anabattoirwas formerly located here. The quay has been redeveloped as an amenity facility with restaurant and provides wide views over theRiver Tawestuary. It has been aConservation Areasince 1996.
Transport
[edit]The A39 trunk road, which forms the main route to north-west Devon and north-east Cornwall, was diverted 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the village in 1989, relieving the village of its annual summer traffic jams.
Fremington is served by Stagecoach Devon 21/21A –The North Devon Wave– Barnstaple – Bideford,Westward Ho!andAppledore,and Stagecoach Devon 5B – Barnstaple –Exeter.
Education
[edit]The West Fremington Presbyterian School for Boys was set up in 1873 byPresbyterian ministerTheReverendWilliam Morgan Topps with the assistance of his father, local landowner William Desmond Topps. The old school house was sold by Devon County Council in 1982 and converted to private dwelling. The school, that exists today as Fremington Community Primary & Nursery School, is near the centre of the post-war village expansion.
Culture
[edit]The Fremington great meat pie is described in a song included inDevon Tradition(Topic Records 12TS349), 1979. Sporting and open land facilities are provided by Fremington civil (administrative) parish council across all of the localities of the village, as well as having a village hall that may be hired by any of the residents of the whole parish. Allied is a Community Group who engage in charitable fundraising.[12]The 1st FremingtonAir Scoutsgroup is also in the village.
Commercial premises
[edit]Fremington has twopublic houses,The Fox and the New Inn, situated almost next door to each other.
Little Bridge House in the village is achildren's hospicerun byChildren's Hospice South West.
St Peter's Church
[edit]
The parish churchSt Peter'swas subject to thoroughVictorian restorationin 1867 to the designs of the leading architect SirGeorge Gilbert Scott.[13]The stone pulpit was buried during theReformationand retains traces of its original colour. St Peter's medieval tower unusually is positioned at the east end of the church, to the north of the chancel.
Sport
[edit]Agreyhound racingtrack was opened by the Barnstaple & District Greyhound Racing Club on 6 February 1937 at Tews Lane, Bickington. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body theNational Greyhound Racing Club) and known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[14]Racing over 340 yards (310 m) and 400 yards (370 m) continued for just two more years with winter breaks in 1937 and 1938.[15]
Railway
[edit]
TheTarka Trailcycle track (also part of theSouth West Coast Path), which follows the course of the railway from Barnstaple toTorrington,passes over Fremington Pill via the oldLondon and South Western Railwayiron bridge (railway line closed 1982; dismantled 1987) at Fremington Quay on the old Barnstaple to Torrington railtrack bed. The original railway was first planned in anAct of Parliamentin 1838, and laid in 1846 connecting thePenhillwith Barnstaple at a cost of £20 000. A number of boats are moored here (in the Pill). The 'Quay Cafe' is located here. Whilst rather charmingly built in the style of a railway station, it is not the original one which was located the other side of the Tarka Trail where an original platform still exists. Other features around the Pill include a couple oflime kilns,now thoroughly fenced off to prevent accidents. The station was one stop after the still active railway station ofBarnstaple,to which Fremington is linked directly by the wide scenic path described instead.
Army camp
[edit]Fremington Army Campwas located here to be within easy marching distance (800 m) from the railway station at the Quay. The site was used by the US Army's 313th Station Hospital for post-D-Day rehabilitation, with room for 2,000 patients. It started receiving casualties on 20 July 1944.
It economically was complemented by the still current Marines and Air Force presence atRoyal Marines Base Chivenor,one mile (2 km) northwards on the opposite bank of the River Taw, and the Amphibious Trials and Training Unit of theRoyal Marinesat Arromanches Camp,Instow,2 miles (3 km) to the west. The camp was closed in autumn 2009 and between the years of 2015 and 2020 was redeveloped into the Riverside Park and Water's Edge estates.
References
[edit]- ^2011 CensusArchived11 February 2003 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 21 February 2015
- ^"Facts and Figures".(link to Devon Parishes map).Devon County Council. 9 September 2013.Retrieved23 May2020.
- ^Hoskins, W.G.,A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.399
- ^abSamuel Lewis(1848)Topographical Dictionary of England,7th ed.
- ^Risdon, Tristram(died 1640), Survey of Devon, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.286
- ^"Biography of John Stourton (died 1438)".History of Parliament.
- ^"Fremington through time: Population Statistics: Total Population".A Vision of Britain through Time.Retrieved13 July2013.
- ^ab"18 Company Royal Army Service Corps - HOME PAGE".18coyrasc.btck.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 29 November 2014.Retrieved17 November2014.
- ^Christie
- ^"Nine jobs will go as Fremington army camp closes".29 May 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 29 November 2014.Retrieved17 November2014.
- ^(Campbell et al., 1998, Quaternary of South West England). Rare (for south-western England)
- ^fremingtoncommunity.comArchived29 August 2013 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 15 July 2013
- ^Hoskins. p.399
- ^Barnes, Julia (1988).Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 410.Ringpress Books.ISBN0-948955-15-5.
- ^"Bickington".Greyhound Racing Times.
- Sources
- Pauline BrainSome Men who Made BarnstapleN. Devon Art Potters, 2010
- US Army historyR. L. Diveley & M. Cleveland.Surgery in World War II,Volume II, Chapter 6.
External links
[edit]
- Fremington Parish Council
- Fremington, DevonatCurlie
- Devon County Council Local History of Fremington
- GENUKI entry for Fremington
- Devon Tradition: An Anthology from Traditional Singers
