North Molton is a village, parish and former manor in

North Devon North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. North Devon Council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The population of the parish in 2001 was 1,047, decreasing to 721 in the 2011 census. An

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

with the same name also exists. The ward population at the census was 2,206. Bounded on the north east by the border with Somerset, it is the second largest parish in

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 ...

, covering about 15,000 acres. Until the 18th century the village was an important centre of the woollen industry, and mining was also a significant employer in the parish until the 19th century. NorthMoltonFromSW

History

North Molton was a manor within the royal

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

until it was granted to a member of the la Zouche family by King John. In 1270 Roger la Zouche was granted a licence to hold a weekly market in the manor and an annual fair on

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are know ...

. The manor then passed through the St Maur family to the Bampfylde family, in the 15th century.

Amyas Bampfylde Sir Amyas Bampfylde (''alias'' "Amias Bampfield" etc.) (1560 – 9 February 1626) of Poltimore and North Molton in Devon, England, was a Member of Parliament for Devon in 1597. Origins Bampfylde was the son of Richard Bampfield (1526–15 ...

(died 1626) built Court Hall—now demolished—to the immediate east of the church.Layley, Charles G, All Saints, North Molton, A Short History (revised by Jonathan Edmunds), church booklet, p.7 CourtHouseNorthMoltonFrom SW

The other significant family in the parish was the Parker family: in 1550 Edmund Parker was granted the office of bailiff of the manor and he built Court House, adjacent to the west of the church in 1553.

All Saints' Church

All Saints, North Molton, Devon - geograph

At the higher side of the village square is the church of All Saints, with tall tower, nave and two aisles. The

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-c ...

in style and there are two

parclose A parclose screen is a screen or railing used to enclose or separate-off a chantry chapel, tomb or manorial chapel, from public areas of a church, for example from the nave or chancel. It should be distinguished from the chancel screen which sep ...

screens of different designs. The font is octagonal and also Perpendicular. There is a fine wall-monument with recumbent effigy of Sir

(d.1626), who was ancestor to the

Bampfylde Baronets Baron Poltimore, of Poltimore in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1831 for Sir George Bampfylde, 6th Baronet. His son, the second Baron, held office as Treasurer of the Household from 1872 ...

and Barons Poltimore.

Bampfylde Clump

Bampfylde Clump is a circular plantation of beech trees on the top of Bampfylde Hill, a short distance north west of the village, within the parish. It is a highly recognisable and distinctive landmark from many miles away from all points of the compass. It is situated on private land with public access by permissive footpath.

Mining

In the 16th century there were mines in the region of Heasley Mill. Later workings were near North Radworthy, where in the early 19th century copper was worked and some gold was found, though not in sufficient quantities for commercial extraction. By the later 19th century, Bampfylde Mine on the River Mole was producing iron, copper and manganese before it closed in 1877; and Florence Mine, a mile to the east, was being worked for iron, copper and lead until 1885—from 1874 this mine had a tramway running the four miles to

South Molton railway station The Devon and Somerset Railway (D&SR) was a cross-country line that connected Barnstaple in Devon, England, to the network of the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) near Taunton. It was opened in stages between 1871 and 1873 and closed in 1966. ...

Historic estates

North Radworthy North Radworthy is a hamlet and historic estate in the civil parish and former manor of North Molton, in the North Devon district of the county of Devon, England. It is about three miles north of the village of North Molton, and about fifteen mi ...

* South Radworthy

References

External links

Description at GenUK
''(includes history)''

{{authority control Villages in Devon