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Silverton is a large village and civil parish, about north of Exeter, in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
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. Devo ...
. It is one of the oldest villages in Devon and dates from the first years of the Saxon occupation. It has been suggested that the medieval manor of Burn, within the modern parish of Silverton, may be the estate listed as Mylenburnan (Mill-on-the-Burn or Burn Mill) in the will of King Alfred the Great of 899, now in the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
, in which it was left to his youngest son Athelweard (c. 880-922). In the year 2001, its population was 1,905, recounted to 1,494 at the
United Kingdom Census 2011 A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
. The electoral ward with the same name had a population of 1,875 at the above census. The parish has two pubs: The Lamb and The Silverton Inn. The church, dating back to the fourteenth century, is dedicated to St Mary. It has a full set of bells that are rung regularly. Inside, the pews have doors at the end of each row which is unusual in this area. The village also has a further two churches - an Evangelical and a Methodist church; both are popular with social and youth clubs. The village is on the "old" road from Exeter to Tiverton and as such was once a busy thriving place. Now it has become a dormitory for people working in Exeter although there are still a number of original families living in the village. A post office, a small supermarket (Spar), butcher's shop and a hairdresser offer most necessities for the residents. The main feature of the village is the giant oak tree which is over 1,000 years old. On the first Saturday of each August, the village holds a Street Market, which is popular among local people. There are stalls selling local goods and crafts, as well as entertainment and children's activities organised throughout the day, and the tug-of-war always ends the day on a high. Silverton is represented on Mid Devon District Council by Liberal Democratic Party Councillor Josh Wright (Village Ward) and by Independent Councillor Bob Deed (North Ward). The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened a Station at Silverton in 1867, it closed to passengers on 5 October 1964 and freight 3 May 1965, but a private siding serving a paper mill, which had been opened on 26 July 1894, survived until the 31 August 1967. The Station Master from its opening until 1894 was one Roger Langdon (1825-1894), a noted amateur astronomer. Following the partial solar eclipse of 22 December 1870 Langdon altered his telescope to view a
solar prominence A prominence, sometimes referred to as a filament, is a large plasma and magnetic field structure extending outward from the Sun's surface, often in a loop shape. Prominences are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend ou ...
. He also observed the planet
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
including the
transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
of 1882. A summary of his life was published by Patrick Moore.


Silverton North Ward

Silverton Parish is divided into two wards; Village Ward to the south includes the village of Silverton together with the hamlets of Ellerhayes, Greenslinch, Hayne and Poundsland, and is home to around 95% of the population of the parish. In contrast, North Ward with a population of around 80, is almost entirely rural. Noted Devon historian William Hoskins claimed that Silverton North Ward was the location of Stochelie, a Domesday manor whose location had long been lost. If correct, North Ward would at one time have contained a small manor quite separate from Silverton. Until the 1990s the only settlements comprised a dozen or so working farms. Today most of these have been converted into small groups of dwellings including Underleigh, Dorweek, Ravenshayes and Leigh Barton. Bounded to the west by the small Burn river and to the north by the village of Butterleigh and lying on the slopes of the Hayridge Hills, North Ward provides views of the Exe, Burn and Culm valleys.


Silverton Parochial Trust

The Silverton Parochial Trust is a historic charity still operating in the Silverton area. It comprises a collection of 13 legacies, the earliest dating from 1616 and now formed into a modern charitable trust controlling property, land and investments. It is managed by seven resident trustees. Funds are available for the immediate assistance of parishioners who are in a condition of ‘need, hardship or distress’ which is not provided for by the state schemes such as Social Services or state benefit programmes.


Parish church

The parish church, dedicated to St Mary, is a building mainly of the 15th and 16th centuries; it has a nave, chancel and north and south aisles. The west tower has battlements, buttresses and four pinnacles. The north aisle was built with funds left by a rector who died in 1479; a rebus referring to a rector of 1519-49 is on the east respond of the north arcade. A new chancel, vestry and two western bays were added by the architects Hayward and Ashworth in 1860-63.Pevsner, N. (1952) ''South Devon''. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 263


Twin city

*
Saint-Thégonnec Saint-Thégonnec (; br, Sant-Tegoneg) is a former commune in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Saint-Thégonnec Loc-Eguiner.Silverton Park Silverton Park, also known locally as Egremont House, was a large neoclassical mansion in the parish of Silverton, Devon, England. History It was built between 1838 and 1845 by George Wyndham, 4th Earl of Egremont, and demolished in 1901. It wa ...
, a demolished large mansion


References


External links


Silverton Local History SocietySilverton Parochial Trust
{{Devon parishes Villages in Mid Devon District