Iddesleigh
| Iddesleigh | |
|---|---|
 Cob and thatch cottages in the village |
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 Iddesleigh
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| Iddesleigh shown within Devon | |
| Population | 198 |
| OS grid reference | SS5608 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Winkleigh |
| Postcode district | EX19 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
Iddesleigh is a village and civil parish in the county of Devon, England. The settlement has ancient origins and is listed in the Domesday Book. The village lies on the B3217 road, roughly central in its parish of around 2,900 acres, about eight miles north of the town of Okehampton.
Iddesleigh has been described as an attractive small village, with good views of Dartmoor to the south. Its church is a grade I listed building and there are a number of other listed buildings in the parish.
Sir Stafford Northcote owned most of the parish at one time and took the title of Earl of Iddesleigh, though he never lived here. Author Michael Morpurgo has lived here since the 1970s.
The name Iddesleigh derives from the Old English personal name, Ēadwīġ (or perhaps Ēadwulf), and lēah, a wood or clearing. The first documentary evidence of the settlement appears in the Domesday Book (1086), where it is referred to twice, as Edeslege and as Iweslei. By the 13th century its name was recorded as Edulvesly and in 1428 as Yeddeslegh.
Domesday Book shows that in 1086 the majority of the manor of Iddesleigh (under the name of Edeslege) was owned directly by the king, but a small part of it (one virgate recorded as Iweslei) was held from the king by William of Claville. The pre-conquest owner of this land is unclear: two women's names – Alware Pet and Aelfeva Thief – are recorded. The overlord is recorded as Brictric son of Algar. By the 13th century the lands had passed to the de Reigny family as part of the honour of Gloucester.
The village is three miles north-east of Hatherleigh and eight miles north of Okehampton. It is roughly in the centre of its parish, on the B3217 road that runs from Okehampton to Atherington, near the A377.
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Wikipedia