![CruwysMorchardChurch(MartinBodman)Oct2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/CruwysMorchardChurch%28MartinBodman%29Oct2005.jpg)
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Cruwys Morchard is an ecclesiastical and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
Mid Devon
Mid Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Tiverton.
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tiverton and Crediton urban district ...
district of the county of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
in England. It is located about four to five miles west of
Tiverton along the road to
Witheridge
Witheridge is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. In 2001 the population of the parish was 1162, reducing slightly to 1,158 at the 2011 Census. An electoral ward with the same name exists. The population ...
. The parish covers about of land, and comprises a number of scattered houses and farms, and three small hamlets, Pennymoor, Way Village and
Nomansland
No man's land is an unoccupied area between two opposing positions.
No man's land (Latrun) is an example.
No Man's Land, No-man's land or Nomansland may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* No Man's Land, Cornwall, England
* No Man's Land F ...
. The church and the manor house are in the centre of the parish. The population at the time of the 2000 census was 461. The parish takes its name from the Cruwys family who have been Lords of the Manor here since the reign of
King John (1199–1216).
History
The name Morchard means ''the great wood or forest'' from the Celtic: ''mǭr cę̃d'', Modern Welsh: ''mawr coed''. The manorial affix is from the ''de Crues'' family who held the manor here in the 13th century.
![CruwysArms](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/CruwysArms.png)
The manor of ''Morceth'' is mentioned twice in the
Domesday book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086, with part being held
in-chief by
William Cheever
William Cheever ( 1086) (''alias'' Chievre) ( Latinised to ''Capra'', "she-goat",Thorn & Thorn, part 2 (notes) chap.19 from French ''chèvre'') was one of the 52 Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror. He held 46 landhol ...
, the 35th of his 46 Devonshire holdings, and part being held in-chief by
Geoffrey de Montbray
Geoffrey de Montbray (Montbrai, Mowbray) (died 1093), bishop of Coutances ( la, Constantiensis), also known as Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman, trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and a great secular prelate, warrior and adminis ...
,
Bishop of Coutances
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)''; French: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathe ...
, the 73rd of his 99 Devonshire holdings.
William Cheever's lands later formed the
feudal barony of Bradninch {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
The feudal barony of Bradninch was one of eight8 per Sanders, 1960; Pole, pp.1-31, listed 12 feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed during the mediaeval era, and had its ''caput'' at the manor of Bradninch. One ...
from which Cruwys Morchard was later held by the Cruwys family.
[Thorn, part 2, 19,35]
Church of Holy Cross
It is believed that a wooden church existed in Cruwys Morchard from the time of Godfrey de Sowy, who was the first rector in 1262.
The Church of the Holy Cross was built in 1529
with a
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...
on top of the church tower. This, however, was struck by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
in 1689, and the consequent major fire, which melted the
bells, necessitated the rebuilding of the top stage of the tower in brick. It also destroyed painted windows which bore the
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
of the Cruwys family. The repairs, which also involved a new roof and new pews, took thirteen years to complete. The windows were replaced with stained glass renderings of the Cruwys arms.
There was also a chapel belonging to Cruwys Morchard House which was the burial place of the Cruwys family, but the chapel was destroyed by
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
, and it is believed that many family monuments were destroyed at the same time.
People
![Cruwys Morchard house - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Cruwys_Morchard_house_-_geograph.org.uk_-_220795.jpg)
*
Robert Cruwys (1884–1951), cricketer and clergyman
*
Margaret Campbell Speke Cruwys
Margaret Campbell Speke Cruwys née Abercrombie (20 October 1894 – 12 March 1968) was an archivist and Devon historian. She was born in Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, and was the daughter of Alexander Houghton Abercrombie, an officer in the 21st Royal ...
(1894–1968), Devon historian.
* Sir Robert Cruwys (d 1362) was knighted for his service in France in the
Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
;
he probably fought at the
Battle of Crecy
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
on 26 August 1346 and the
Battle of Poitiers
The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poi ...
on 19 September 1356
* Robertus de Cruwes was a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
in 1340 and 1344
*
Hugh Peters
Hugh Peter (or Peters) (baptized 29 June 1598 – 16 October 1660) was an English preacher, political advisor and soldier who supported the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, and became highly influential. He employed a flamboyant ...
(1598–1660), the preacher and
regicide
Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...
, spent much of his childhood at Cruwys Morchard House with his uncle and aunt Lewis Cruwys and Sarah Cruwys née Treffry.
* Cruwys Morchard is the alias of Clytie Potts, a fictional character in the 2006 novel ''
A Darkling Plain
''A Darkling Plain'' is the fourth and final novel in the ''Mortal Engines Quartet'' series, written by British author Philip Reeve.
The novel won the 2006 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young ...
'', written by Devon resident
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve (born 28 February 1966) is a British author and illustrator of children's books, primarily known for the 2001 book ''Mortal Engines'' and its sequels (the 2001 to 2006 ''Mortal Engines Quartet''). His 2007 novel, ''Here Lies Arthur ...
.
References
External links
Genuki pageCruwys Morchard parish pagePhotograph and story of the ChurchOld postcards of Cruwys Morchard
{{authority control
Villages in Devon
Former manors in Devon