Bickleigh, Mid Devon

Bickleigh is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England, about four miles south of Tiverton. It is in the former hundred of Hayridge. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 239.

The village lies in the valley of the River Exe and there is an attractive medieval stone bridge across the Exe.

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bichelei, meaning "Bicca's meadow".

Bickleigh Castle, the village manor house formerly known as Bickleigh Court, has a Norman chapel and baptismal font.

Bickleigh's church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary is a medieval church predominantly built in the 14th century, though still contains a 12th-century south doorway and font. The subsequent restoration of 1843 detracted from its original form. Its tower houses six bells.

The church's history is closely bound with that of the Carew family, lords of the manor, and the church is noted for its Carew family monuments that date from the 16th and 17th century. The family's association continued until the manor's sale in 1922.

The most notable member of the family was Bampfylde Moore Carew (1690–1758), the son of Theodore Carew, Bickleigh's rector. According to his own account, after a number of adventures, Carew became a gipsy and was subsequently elected their king. He was transported to Maryland but escaped back to Britain, and joined Bonnie Prince Charlie's army on its 1745 march to Derby, before returning to Bickleigh until his death. He is buried in the graveyard.

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