Wembury
Encyclopedia
Wembury is a village on the south coast of Devon
, very close to Plymouth Sound
. Wembury is also the name of the peninsula
in which the village is situated. The village lies in the administrative district of the South Hams
within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
(AONB). The South West Coast Path
goes past the coastal end of the town. The National Trust
has taken an active role in maintaining the scenic and historic characteristics of the village and its surrounding area.
The beach is well known for its surfing and rock pooling. Wembury Marine Centre
educates visitors about what they can find in the rockpools and how they can help protect and preserve them. The centre is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust
and was refurbished in 2006.Basking Sharks can be seen in the summer near the Mewstone. There is also a school http://www.wemburyprimary.co.uk/
Wembury is a part of the South West Devon UK Parliament constituency.
man as evidenced by flint implements found on local sites. Some Roman
coins are also found.
The name 'Wembury' may derive from a place name containing the name Woden
and John Mitchell Kemble notes that it was called "Wódnesbeorh".
Saxons colonised South West Devon during the 7th Century, and founded agricultural settlements here. There was also a church to Saint Werburgh, a Saxon
saint, in the area.
. Galsworthy visited Wembury as part of his research for the book, he was intensely interested in his own origins and descent through a long line of Devon farmers who farmed in Wembury for three hundred years from the 17th century to the late 19th century.
Wembury was used as a location in the filming of the Comic Strip
's parody "Five Go Mad on Mescalin". In the film the Mewstone can be clearly seen.
of Wembury was divided into four manors
: Wembury, Down Thomas
, Langdon
and Alfelmeston. According to Lyson's 'Devonshire', published in 1822, the manor of Wembury originally belonged to Plympton
priory. After the dissolution of the monasteries
in 1539 it went into private ownership. Wembury House, the (rebuilt) mansion on the estate, remains in private ownership. Wembury House is an elegant Georgian mansion, originally an Elizabethan House stood on the site now occupied by the current house built in the 17th Century. It was rebuilt by Major Edmund Lockyer.
This is a triangular island which is currently uninhabited. However, it has served as a prison and a private home, as well as a refuge for local smugglers. Its most infamous resident was Sam Wakeman who avoided transportation to Australia in favour of the cheaper option of transportation to the Mewstone, where he was interned for 7 years. After his internment on the island he remained there paying his rent by supplying rabbits for the Manor House table. It is said Sam Wakeman is responsible for carving the rough stone steps to the summit of the Mewstone.
The Mewstone and Little Mewstone is now a bird sanctuary and access is not permitted to visitors.
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...
, very close to Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
. Wembury is also the name of the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in which the village is situated. The village lies in the administrative district of the South Hams
South Hams
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....
within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 337 square kilometres, including much of the South Hams area of Devon and the rugged coastline from Jennycliff to Elberry Cove near Brixham. The purpose of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is to preserve and enhance the beauty of...
(AONB). The South West Coast Path
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...
goes past the coastal end of the town. The National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
has taken an active role in maintaining the scenic and historic characteristics of the village and its surrounding area.
The beach is well known for its surfing and rock pooling. Wembury Marine Centre
Wembury Marine Centre
Wembury Marine Centre is situated in the small village of Wembury, near Plymouth. Run by Devon Wildlife Trust, it holds rockpool rambles throughout the summer months, educating some 20,000 people each year about the importance of marine life and the need to protect it.The area is designated a...
educates visitors about what they can find in the rockpools and how they can help protect and preserve them. The centre is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust
Devon Wildlife Trust
The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's urban, rural and marine wildlife and its...
and was refurbished in 2006.Basking Sharks can be seen in the summer near the Mewstone. There is also a school http://www.wemburyprimary.co.uk/
Wembury is a part of the South West Devon UK Parliament constituency.
History
Wembury was visited by MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
man as evidenced by flint implements found on local sites. Some Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
coins are also found.
The name 'Wembury' may derive from a place name containing the name Woden
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
and John Mitchell Kemble notes that it was called "Wódnesbeorh".
Saxons colonised South West Devon during the 7th Century, and founded agricultural settlements here. There was also a church to Saint Werburgh, a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
saint, in the area.
Wembury in the public eye
Wembury is mentioned in The Forsyte Saga by John GalsworthyJohn Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
. Galsworthy visited Wembury as part of his research for the book, he was intensely interested in his own origins and descent through a long line of Devon farmers who farmed in Wembury for three hundred years from the 17th century to the late 19th century.
Wembury was used as a location in the filming of the Comic Strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
's parody "Five Go Mad on Mescalin". In the film the Mewstone can be clearly seen.
Wembury parish
The parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Wembury was divided into four manors
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...
: Wembury, Down Thomas
Down Thomas
Down Thomas is a village in Devon situated about 4 miles south of Plymouth. It is on the Wembury peninsula and is surrounded by farmland. The village is a part of the South Hams local government district....
, Langdon
Langdon, Devon
Langdon Court is a former English Manor House, in Wembury, South Devon, United Kingdom. It consists of a single courtyard mansion from 1693 and a walled formal garden...
and Alfelmeston. According to Lyson's 'Devonshire', published in 1822, the manor of Wembury originally belonged to Plympton
Plympton
Plympton, or Plympton Maurice or Plympton St Maurice or Plympton St Mary or Plympton Erle, in south-western Devon, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin, and a former seaport...
priory. After the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1539 it went into private ownership. Wembury House, the (rebuilt) mansion on the estate, remains in private ownership. Wembury House is an elegant Georgian mansion, originally an Elizabethan House stood on the site now occupied by the current house built in the 17th Century. It was rebuilt by Major Edmund Lockyer.
The Mewstone
A distinctive feature visible from Wembury Beach is the Mewstone.This is a triangular island which is currently uninhabited. However, it has served as a prison and a private home, as well as a refuge for local smugglers. Its most infamous resident was Sam Wakeman who avoided transportation to Australia in favour of the cheaper option of transportation to the Mewstone, where he was interned for 7 years. After his internment on the island he remained there paying his rent by supplying rabbits for the Manor House table. It is said Sam Wakeman is responsible for carving the rough stone steps to the summit of the Mewstone.
The Mewstone and Little Mewstone is now a bird sanctuary and access is not permitted to visitors.
External links
- Wembury Parish Council- the local authority
- Wembury Marine CentreWembury Marine CentreWembury Marine Centre is situated in the small village of Wembury, near Plymouth. Run by Devon Wildlife Trust, it holds rockpool rambles throughout the summer months, educating some 20,000 people each year about the importance of marine life and the need to protect it.The area is designated a...