Northlew
Encyclopedia
Northlew is a village and civil parish in the West Devon
district
of the county of Devon
, England
, located at 50.77° N 4.12° W, UK National Grid
reference SX5099. The post code
for the village post office
is EX20 3NZ.
To the west of the village, but within the parish, are the hamlets
of West Kimber and East Kimber.
, and most places in the village have excellent views over Dartmoor
. The village is relatively isolated, not being served by any main roads. It has an attractive main square surrounded by traditional buildings, some of them thatched; just off the square are a pub, the local primary school and two churches, the Church of England
parish church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury and the Methodist
church (originally Bible Christian). The ecclesiastical parish of Northlew has been combined with the neighbouring village of Ashbury, and since the school is a Church of England voluntary controlled school
, it bears the name of both villages.
The hamlet of Crowden is on the Highampton side of the village.
Historically, Northlew formed part of Black Torrington
Hundred
. It gets its name from the ancient manor
of Lew, mentioned in the Domesday Book
; the village of Lewdown and the River Lew
are nearby. The village has the melancholy distinction of having lost the highest proportion of its enlisting population of any municipality in the United Kingdom
during the First World War: of 100 men who enlisted in the forces, 24 died. A stone memorial to them was recently erected in the churchyard, replacing wooden memorial tablets within the church.
Legend has it that the devil died of the cold in Northlew. There is a stone in the village that represents where the devil is meant to have died.
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
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...
, 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...
, located at 50.77° N 4.12° W, UK National Grid
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
reference SX5099. The post code
UK postcodes
The postal codes used in the United Kingdom are known as postcodes. They are alphanumeric and were introduced by the Royal Mail over a 15-year period from 11th October 1959 to 1974...
for the village post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
is EX20 3NZ.
To the west of the village, but within the parish, are the hamlets
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of West Kimber and East Kimber.
Geography and history
The village is approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the town of OkehamptonOkehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
, and most places in the village have excellent views over Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
. The village is relatively isolated, not being served by any main roads. It has an attractive main square surrounded by traditional buildings, some of them thatched; just off the square are a pub, the local primary school and two churches, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury and the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
church (originally Bible Christian). The ecclesiastical parish of Northlew has been combined with the neighbouring village of Ashbury, and since the school is a Church of England voluntary controlled school
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
, it bears the name of both villages.
The hamlet of Crowden is on the Highampton side of the village.
Historically, Northlew formed part of Black Torrington
Black Torrington
Black Torrington is a village in north Devon, England, situated between the towns of Holsworthy and Hatherleigh. It is situated on and named after the River Torridge.The river also flows through a near by town called Bideford.Black Torrington is one third of the town Torrington,the other thirds are...
Hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
. It gets its name from the ancient manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Lew, mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
; the village of Lewdown and the River Lew
River Lew
The River Lew can refer to either of two short rivers that lie close to each other in Devon, England.The more northerly of the two rises just south of the village of Beaworthy, and flows east, then turns north to run past Hatherleigh before joining the River Torridge about 1 km north of the town...
are nearby. The village has the melancholy distinction of having lost the highest proportion of its enlisting population of any municipality in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the First World War: of 100 men who enlisted in the forces, 24 died. A stone memorial to them was recently erected in the churchyard, replacing wooden memorial tablets within the church.
Legend has it that the devil died of the cold in Northlew. There is a stone in the village that represents where the devil is meant to have died.
Broadband
Northlew was one of the many areas in the UK who were unable to connect to broadband via conventional means. Early in 2009, Christopher Marson spearheaded a campaign to bring the service to Northlew and Belstone with the help of 4 other villagers. They obtained funding and on Christmas Eve 2009 the system went live. Over 60% of the village is now connected to this system and still expanding.External links
- Village website
- Broadband For Northlew
- Northlew Community Page on the Devon Libraries Local Studies Service web site
- Devon Roots page about Northlew - prepared by a genealogical enthusiast
- Northlew and Ashbury Parochial Primary School web site
- Map showing Northlew from www.streetmap.co.uk