Thorverton

Thorverton is a village in Devon, England, about a mile west of the River Exe and 8 miles (13 km) north of Exeter. It is almost centrally located between Exeter and the towns of Tiverton, Cullompton and Crediton, and contains the hamlets of Yellowford and Raddon. It has two churches and two public houses. The population is approximately 900, reducing to 674 at the 2011 Census. The Millennium Green provides walking alongside the stream which runs through the centre of the village. The Memorial Hall provides a centre for entertainment, with a monthly Saturday Market for local produce. A monthly local village magazine, Focus on Thorverton, is produced by volunteers. Thorverton is a major part of the Cadbury electoral ward. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 1,602.

The name of Thorverton may be Scandinavian in origin and the village might have been named after its founder. Old records mention the parish as Toruerton in 1182. In 1340 the parish was called Thorferton. Other sources believe that the name is an ancient reference to a thorn-bush besides a river crossing.

There was briefly a small settlement here during Roman times, perched on a hill overlooking a fording point across the River Exe (near to the current day bridge), a key crossing for the military garrisoned at Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum).

There is no evidence however to suggest that there was a settlement here by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, although Thorverton Mill was running at this time on the River Exe (and continued to do so until its closure in 1979). (Raddon, a hamlet 1-mile (1.6 km) W of Thorverton is mentioned in the Domesday book. "William holds RADDON (in Thorverton) from the abbott. Wulfmaer held it in TRE, and it paid geld for 1 virgate of land. There is land for 2 ploughs. There is 1 villan with half a plough and 1 slave and 13 acres (53,000 m²) of meadow and 50 acres (200,000 m²) of pasture. It is worth 5s")

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