Stoodleigh 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 authorit ...

in the Mid Devon 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. Devo ...

, England, located north of Tiverton and south of Bampton. It is situated above the Exe Valley, close to the

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

border. The centre of the village is a conservation area."About Stoodleigh"
Stoodleigh.org In the past it formed part of Witheridge Hundred and it is within the Tiverton Deanery of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Castle Close

Castle Close is a circular earthwork, close to Stoodleigh, that is most likely to be an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

Hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

or enclosure.

Church of St Margaret's

The Church of St Margaret's was constructed in the 15th century and was extensively restored in 1782. It contains a Norman font which is likely to have come from an earlier church in the parish where the first recorded incumbent was installed in 1264.

Stoodleigh Beacon

Stoodleigh

Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

is situated about 2 miles west of Stoodleigh village. It was anciently known as ''Warbrighsleigh'', ''Warbrightley'', ''Warpsley'', etc., also the name of the high hill on which it stood. The beacon was ordered to be set up by King Edward II (1307-1327) "when he doubted of the landing of his queen

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

and Sir

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(''sic'') of Henold" (

Risdon Risdon is a surname and also a first name, and may refer to: ; Given name * Risdon Beazley (1904–1979), British businessman ; Surname * Dustin Risdon (born 1981), Canadian professional golfer * Elisabeth Risdon (1887–1958) English film act ...

) This refers to Isabel's Invasion of England in 1326, having betrothed her son Prince Edward to

Philippa of Hainault Philippa of Hainault (sometimes spelled Hainaut; Middle French: ''Philippe de Hainaut''; 24 June 1310 (or 1315) – 15 August 1369) was Queen of England as the wife and political adviser of King Edward III. She acted as regent in 1346,Stricklan ...

, the daughter of

William I, Count of Hainaut William the Good ( nl, Willem, french: Guillaume; – 7 June 1337) was count of Hainaut (as William I), Avesnes, Holland (as William III), and Zeeland (as William II) from 1304 to his death. Career William, born , was the son of John II, Co ...

, from whom she received a substantial dowry and several warships. In the 16th and 17th centuries the estate of Warbrighsleigh, etc., was the seat of the Broughton family.Vivian, p. 111

References

External links

{{Mid Devon Villages in Mid Devon District Civil parishes in Devon