Oakford is a village 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
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 ...
, England. It is located south west of
Bampton and north north west of
Tiverton. Oakford is near the
river Exe
The River Exe ( ) in England rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It flows for 60 mile ...
.
In 1870,
John Marius Wilson
John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–72), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was a c ...
's ''
Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales
The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...
'' described Oakford thus:
Population
It had a population of 358 according to the 2011 census with 185 being Males and 173 being Female.
![Oakford population graph 1881-2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Oakford_population_graph_1881-2011.jpg)
The 1831 census provides information, down to parish-level, on the occupations of males aged over 20 using nine categories. Here we reorganise this information to provide a crude measure of social status, based more on contemporary ideas than on modern definitions of social class: "middling sorts" combines small farmers not employing labourers with both masters and skilled workers in urban manufacturing and handicrafts.
According to the 2011 census, 32% of those who are economically active in Oakford are self-employed; this is nearly twice the district statistics and over 3 times higher than the country's average.
["Oakford (Parish): Key figures for 2011 census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 20 April]
History
Oakford church (St. Peter) dominates the village from an eminence. The porch, nave, cancel and vestry were rebuilt in 1838-9, except for the 15th century tower, with a spacious nave and short chancel. The tower houses eight bells, said to have exceptional tone, cast by Mears of London in 1825 and given to the church by the then rector, the Rev James Parkin. He also presented the organ, built by J. R. Mortimore of Tiverton, in 1841.
Oakford is located within Mid Devon local authority area. Historically it formed part of Witheridge Hundred. It falls within Tiverton Deanery for ecclesiastical purposes. The Deaneries are used to arrange the typescript Church Notes of B. F. Cresswell, which are held in the
Devon Heritage Centre
There are three county record office, local archives covering the Historic counties of England, historic county of Devon, England. The Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter is the main archive. It has a branch office, the North Devon Record Office in ...
. The population was 480 in 1801 484 in 1901.
Historic estates
Various historic estates are situated within the parish of Oakford including:
*
Spurway; Spurway
Barton lies remote above a wooded combe and was a Domesday manor. The Spurways were already settled here in 1244 and continued to own it until the mid-20th century.
*Other estates listed in Domesday are Bickham Barton, Mildon, Woodburn and East and West Tapps.
Education
There is no school in Oakford. The nearest primary school is the Church of England School in Bampton, for ages 3–11. There are 8 primary schools within of Oakford.
Oakford has 3 types of secondary school within . The closest is a special school, Acorn, at Knowstone near South Molton. Tiverton High School is the second nearest (Maintained school) and Blundell's school is the nearest Independent School. These secondary schools all cater for ages 11–16. Blundell's caters up to age 18.
The Pyncombe Educational Foundation helps pupils to advance their education and otherwise promotes education of boys and girls in the beneficial area. It was set up in 1998 through the amalgamation of several Oakford Village Charities. The Foundation awards grants of £150 to help with purchase of books and equipment to any young person who lives in Oakford, or who has lived here within the last year, and is continuing with further education. The award is made in September and is given directly to the person concerned.
Housing
According to the 2011 census, 49.1% of accommodations in Oakford are owned outright with 32.9% of accommodation being owned with a mortgage or loan; these figure are higher than both regional and country statistics.
There are 161 households.
References
External links
GENUKI(tm) pageSome details*
{{Mid Devon
Villages in Mid Devon District
Civil parishes in Devon