Okehampton

Coordinates: 50°44′20″N 4°00′15″W / 50.7388°N 4.0041°W / 50.7388; -4.0041

Okehampton
Okehampton main street.
Okehampton  Okehampton shown within Devon
Population	7,155 (2007)
OS grid reference	SX5895
- London	201 miles (323 km)
Parish	Okehampton
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OKEHAMPTON
Postcode district	EX20
Dialling code	01837
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Torridge and West Devon
Website	http://www.okehampton. gov.uk/
List of places: UK • England • Devon

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.^[1]

History

Okehampton was formed by the Saxons. The earliest written record of the settlement is from 980 AD as "Ocmundtune", meaning settlement by the Ockment, a river which runs through the town. It was recorded as a place for slaves to be freed at cross roads.^[2]

Like many towns in the West Country, Okehampton grew on the medieval wool trade.^[3] Notable buildings in the town include the 15th century chapel of St. James and Okehampton Castle, which was established by the Norman Sherrif, Baldwin de Brionne,^[4] as the administrative centre of his vast estate in Devon. These passed by marriage to the Courtenay family, who rebuilt the castle as a lavish but defensible country retreat, until in 1539 Henry VIII seized the estate, and had Edward Courtenay executed for treason.^[5] Presently, the castle is owned by English Heritage and is open to the public during the summer season. The town is also home to the Museum of Dartmoor Life, which has had notable visitors such as Prince Charles. Okehampton elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons. The Reform Act of 1832 abolished its representation as a rotten borough.

Map of Okehampton from 1946

Military presence

There is a substantial army training camp on Dartmoor which can be reached via Okehampton, and is commonly referred to as "Okehampton Camp". It is managed by the Defence Training Estate, and used by a variety of military units, including the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone, Devon, and many cadet training units. The Ten Tors event is run by the Army each year in early May from Okehampton Camp.^[6]

Sport

The town's football team, Okehampton Argyle, is a non-league club which was established in 1926 after the original side, Okehampton Town, disbanded. They are managed by Stuart Cann and Neil Agnew and train in Simmons Park. The club competes in the South West Peninsula League which sits at Steps 6 and 7 of the National League System; four leagues below the top division of non-league football, the Football Conference.^[7] The town also has a rugby club, Okehampton RFC, which is believed to have been founded in 1884.^[8]

Travel links

Okehampton's location at the edge of the moor means that it has always been a route centre. The A30 trunk road now bypasses the town. Okehampton railway station is on the former northerly rail route from Exeter to Plymouth via Tavistock. The line from Exeter remains open for freight traffic to and from Meldon Quarry, two miles (3 km) west of Okehampton. In summer, and at weekends throughout the year, the Dartmoor Railway operates a heritage railway service between Okehampton and Meldon Quarry.

In 1997, Devon County Council revived a passenger rail service from Exeter, on summer weekends only, in an attempt to reduce motor traffic to the national park. As of March 2010 there were plans to reinstate a daily service terminating in Exeter.^[9] The town is also linked to Exeter, Barnstaple and North Cornwall by increasingly infrequent bus services.

Nearby settlements

Okehampton is characterized by the large number of smaller villages and towns that surround it. Notable examples are the villages of Folly Gate, a small picturesque village which lies close to the village of Inwardleigh and Abbeyford Woods, Belstone, known for its location on the very outskirts of Dartmoor, and Sticklepath which runs parallel to the A30 dual carriageway.

References

1. ^ WDBC : West Devon Facts and Figures. Westdevon.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
2. ^ Okehanpton Town Council. Okehampton.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
3. ^ The medieval wool trade. World Timelines. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
4. ^ Some Descendants of the BRIONNE Family Related to George Washington 1st US President. Washington.ancestryregister.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
5. ^ Pastscape – Detailed Result: OKEHAMPTON CASTLE. Pastscape.english-heritage.org.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
6. ^ Ten Tors 2011. Events.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.
7. ^ Okehampton Argyle Okehampton Argyle
8. ^ Okehampton RFC Google
9. ^ Joint, Laura. (2010-03-29) BBC – Okehampton to Exeter railway line back on track. BBC News. Retrieved on 2011-03-05.

External links

• Okehampton Town Council
• Okehampton at the Open Directory Project