Bickleigh, Devon
Photographed by James Derheim, European Focus Private Tours, on May 31, 2017
Bickleigh is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England, about four miles south of Tiverton. The 2021 census recorded a population of 339.[1]
The village lies in the valley of the River Exe and Bickleigh Bridge is an attractive stone bridge that takes the A396 road across the river. The present bridge was constructed in the early 17th century and is grade II listed.[2]
Bickleigh, as Bicanleag, is recorded as the location of a charter issued in 904 during the reign of King Edward the Elder.[3] The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bichelei, meaning “Bicca’s meadow”.[4] It is in the former hundred of Hayridge.
Bickleigh Castle, the manor house formerly known as Bickleigh Court, has a Norman chapel and baptismal font. The gatehouse is a grade I listed building.[5]
St Mary’s Church
Bickleigh’s church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is a medieval church predominantly built in the 14th century, although it still contains a 12th-century south doorway and font. The subsequent restoration in 1843 detracted from its original form.[6] 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 centuries. 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.[6] He is buried in the graveyard.[7][8]
The church is home to carved bench ends depicting scenes of medieval life. Major John Gabriel Stedman, author of A History of Surinam, d. 1797, was buried here in an unmarked grave near the vestry door.[8]
Source: Wikipedia
