Cruwys Morchard
Encyclopedia
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Mid Devon
Mid Devon
Mid Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Tiverton.The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tiverton and Crediton urban district together with Tiverton Rural District, and Crediton Rural...
district of the county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located about four to five miles west of Tiverton along the road to Witheridge
Witheridge
Witheridge is a village and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. In 2001 the population of the parish was 1162. Its name is derived from the Old English for "Weather Ridge", probably as a result of its exposed location on the top of a hill, which means it and surrounding...
. The parish covers about 5765 acres (23.3 km²) of land, and comprises a number of scattered houses and farms, and three small hamlets, Pennymoor, Way Village and Nomansland
Nomansland, Devon
Nomansland is a hamlet in Devon, England, with a population of about 150. It is eight miles west of Tiverton along the B3137 road and is served by the No.155 bus, which runs between Exeter and Barnstaple via Tiverton...
. The church and the manor house are in the centre of the parish. The population at the time of the 2000 census was 461. The parish takes its name from the Cruwys family who have been Lords of the Manor here since the reign of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
(1199–1216).
History
The parish is mentioned in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as being owned by the Bishop of Countances, with William Cheever as tenant, having 13 cattle, 200 sheep and some houses. It is believed that a wooden Church existed in Cruwys Morchard from the time of Godfrey de Sowy who was the first Rector in 1262.
The Church of the Holy Cross was built in 1529 with a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
on top of the church tower. This, however, was struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
in 1689, and the consequent major fire, which melted the bells
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
, necessitated the rebuilding of the top stage of the tower in brick. It also destroyed painted windows which bore the arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Cruwys family. The repairs, which also involved a new roof and new pews, took thirteen years to complete. The windows were replaced with stain glass renderings of the Cruwys arms.
There was also a chapel belonging to Cruwys Morchard House which was the burial place of the Cruwys family but the chapel was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and it is believed that many family monuments were destroyed at the same time.
People
may2005.jpg)
- Robert CruwysRobert CruwysRobert Geoffrey Cruwys was an English cricketer and clergyman. He was born in the family manor, Cruwys Morchard House, located in Cruwys Morchard, a small parish in Devon which takes the name from the Cruwys family who have been Lords of the Manor here since the reign of King John .Cruwys, whose...
(1884–1951), cricketer and clergyman - Margaret Campbell Speke Cruwys (1894–1968), Devon historian.
- Sir Robert Cruwys (d 1362) was knighted for his service in France in the Hundred Years War; he probably fought at the Battle of CrecyBattle of CrécyThe Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
on 26 August 1346 and the Battle of PoitiersBattle of Poitiers (1356)The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
on 19 September 1356 - Robertus de Cruwes was a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in 1340 and 1344 - Hugh PetersHugh PetersHugh Peters [or Peter] was an English preacher.-Early life:He was baptized on 29 June 1598 in Fowey, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge....
(1598–1660), the preacher and regicideRegicideThe broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
, spent much of his childhood at Cruwys Morchard House with his uncle and aunt Lewis Cruwys and Sarah Cruwys née Treffry. - Cruwys Morchard is the alias of Clytie Potts, a fictional character in Philip ReevePhilip ReevePhilip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
's Hungry City ChroniclesHungry City ChroniclesThe Mortal Engines Quartet is the UK and original title of a series of four novels, Mortal Engines , Predator's Gold , Infernal Devices , and A Darkling Plain , written by the British author Philip Reeve...
.