Cullompton
| Cullompton | |
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 Cullompton: the town from the south west |
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 Cullompton
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| Cullompton shown within Devon | |
| Population | 8,499 (2011 census - parish) |
| OS grid reference | ST020071 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CULLOMPTON |
| Postcode district | EX15 |
| Dialling code | 01884 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Cullompton (/ˈkʌləmptən/) is a town and civil parish in the district of Mid Devon and the county of Devon, England, locally known as Cully. It is 13 miles (21 km) miles north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2011 the parish as a whole had a population of 8,499 while the built-up area of the town had a population of 7,439
The earliest evidence of occupation is from the Roman period – there was a fort on the hill above the town and occupation in the current town centre. Columtune was mentioned in Alfred the Great's will which left it to his youngest son Aethelweard (c.880-922). In the past the town's economy had a large component of wool and cloth manufacture, then later leather working and paper manufacture.
A large proportion of town's inhabitants are commuters but there is some local manufacturing, including flour and paper mills. It has a monthly farmers' market held on the second Saturday of every month which is the oldest event of its kind in the South West. It is home to two grade I listed buildings: the fifteenth-century St Andrew's parish church and the seventeenth-century house known as The Walronds. The centre of the town is the only conservation area in Mid Devon and there are seven grade II* listed buildings and ninety grade II listed buildings in the parish.
The derivation of the name Cullompton is disputed. One derivation is that the town's name means "Farmstead on the River Culm" with Culm probably meaning knot or tie (referring to the river's twists and loops). The other theory is that it is named after Saint Columba of Tir-de-Glas, who preached to West Saxons in 549 AD. The Revd Grubb also states that the parish church was probably formerly dedicated to St Columba (although for the last 500 years it has been dedicated to St Andrew) and that tradition records there was an ancient figure or image of Columba. There are 40 recorded spellings of Cullompton between the first recorded use of the name and the present day, and even as late as the mid-nineteenth century three spellings were in use: the post office spelled it Cullompton; in their 1809 first edition the Ordnance Survey map used Cullumpton and the railway station sign said Collumpton. The railway station sign was changed to Cullompton in 1874 and the Ordnance Survey used Cullompton in the edition of their map published in 1889. It is affectionately known as Cully.
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Wikipedia