Combeinteignhead or Combe-in-Teignhead is a village in

Teignbridge Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Newton Abbot. Other towns in the district include Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish and Teignmouth. It is named for the old Teignbridge hundred. ...

South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower se ...

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 ...

. It lies within the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

of Haccombe with Combe, between

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in th ...

and

Shaldon Shaldon is a village and civil parish in South Devon, England, on the south bank of the estuary of the River Teign, opposite Teignmouth. The village is a popular bathing place and is characterised by Georgian architecture. At the 2011 Ce ...

, about half a mile (1 km) inland from the estuary of the River Teign. Despite this closeness to the

River Teign The River Teign is a river in the county of Devon, England. It is long and rises on Dartmoor, becomes an estuary just below Newton Abbot and reaches the English Channel at Teignmouth. Toponymy The river-name 'Teign' is first attested in an A ...

, the name ''Combeinteignhead'' is not derived from it: in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

the district contained thirteen manors which totalled an area of ten

hides __NOTOC__ Hide or hides may refer to: Common uses * Hide (skin), the cured skin of an animal * Bird hide, a structure for observing birds and other wildlife without causing disturbance * Gamekeeper's hide or hunting hide or hunting blind, a stru ...

and the whole area was known as the "Ten Hide". This was later corrupted to ''Teignhead'' through the influence of the river name. It is one of the longest place names in England, with 16 letters. The name of the nearby village of

Stokeinteignhead Stokeinteignhead () is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England, above the southern bank of the estuary of the River Teign. The parish has a short boundary on the estuary, and is otherwise surrounded, clockwi ...

has a similar derivation. The village has two historic pubs: the Wild Goose Inn, originally called the Country House Inn, a 17th-century tavern in the centre of the village, and the

Coombe Cellars Coombe Cellars Inn is a public house on the south bank of the estuary of the River Teign in south Devon, England. It is in the parish of Haccombe with Combe, near the village of Combeinteignhead. The pub was owned by Brewers Fayre until 2006. ...

Inn, right on the estuary of the River Teign. Coombe Cellars was an early base for the local fishing industry and was also used by smugglers. The village church (dedicated to All Saints) has ancient origins:

Bishop Bronescombe Walter Branscombe (–1280) was Bishop of Exeter from 1258 to 1280. Origins Nothing for certain is known of Walter Branscombe's origins and education, but he is thought to have been born in Exeter in about 1220. In the opinion of William Georg ...

dedicated two altars here in 1259, and the high altar was dedicated in 1339. The present building dates from the 14th and 15th centuries; it was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in the 1880s, but retains its 12th century font.

Henry de Bracton Henry of Bracton, also Henry de Bracton, also Henricus Bracton, or Henry Bratton also Henry Bretton (c. 1210 – c. 1268) was an English cleric and jurist. He is famous now for his writings on law, particularly ''De legibus et consuetudinibus ...

was rector here for a short time in the 13th century. The pews have fascinating carved bench ends dating from Elizabethan times. These include many well known and obscure saints as well as wild men, animals, St George in armour spearing a dog-like dragon, and some depictions that are difficult to identify. They may be the finest wood carvings in Devon. The nearby

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

s built of red sandstone were founded in 1620 by William Bourchin. Combeinteignhead was designated as a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in December 2000.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Devon