Witheridge 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 North 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. 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 at the above census was 2,313. Its name may be derived from the Old English for "Weather Ridge", which would fit with the village's somewhat exposed situation. Situated almost equidistant from

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...

and

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath ...

, the village has earned the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

''the Gateway to the

Two Moors Way The Two Moors Way is a long-distance trail mostly in Devon, UK, first established in 1976. It links Dartmoor and Exmoor and has been extended to become a Devon Coast-to-Coast trail. History The Two Moors Way was the brainchild of Joe Turner ...

''. Butcher FJP Maunder established his business in the village in 1879, which taken over by his son became local butchers chain

Lloyd Maunder Lloyd Maunder are an Exeter, Devon based group of West Country retail butchers, a major producer of locally reared beef, pork and chicken products. History FJP Maunder established a meat processing facility at Witheridge, Devon in 1879. He opene ...

. The village is home to two shops, a pub, restaurant and a cafe. There is also the home to Mid Devon Medical Practice. It is also home to a Gothic-style church, built circa 1500, and restored in 1841 and 1884. The stone pulpit located in the church is one of just 70 medieval stone pulpits in England. The village is twinned with Cambremer,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and the two villages have annual

exchange Exchange may refer to: Physics *Gas exchange is the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Places United States * Exchange, Indiana, an unincorporated community * ...

trips (although not solely for students).

Sport and leisure

Witheridge has a Non-League football club Witheridge F.C. who play in the

South West Peninsula League The South West Peninsula League (SWPL) is a football competition in England, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Devon County League and the South Western League. The league is restricted to clubs based in Cornwall, Devon and West ...

which is at step 6 of the National League System as well as a Reserve side who play in Division 1 of the

Devon and Exeter Football League The Devon and Exeter Football League is a football competition based in England. It was established around 1900. The top division of this league, the Premier, sits at level 12 of the English football league system and is a feeder to the Devon Footb ...

. Both sides play their home games at Edge Down Park. The St John's Fair takes place annually and shows the wonderful community spirit in this English village. Witheridge also has a well established

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

club.

Notable residents

Witheridge is the birthplace of Mary Baker (née Willcocks), a noted impostor who went by the name "Princess Caraboo" from a fictional far off island kingdom.John Wells, 'Baker , Mary rincess Caraboo(bap. 1791, d. 1864)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 201
accessed 5 June 2013
/ref> Frank and Mary Housam have represented Witheridge in town crier competitions all over the world, winning trophies in Canada, Australia and the US, and represented Witheridge at the World Town Crier Championships in Maryborough City, Australia.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Devon