Hartland, Devon

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Hartland
latitude= 50.993
longitude= -4.483
shire_district= Torridge
shire_county = Devon
region= South West England
post_town= BIDEFORD
postcode_district= EX39
postcode_area= EX
dial_code= 01237
os_grid_reference= SS2524
constituency_westminster=Torridge and West DevonThe town of Hartland, which incorporates the hamlet of Stoke to the west and the village of Meddon in the south, is not the most north-westerly settlement in the county of Devon, England.

Now a small town which acts as a centre for a rural neighbourhood and has minor tourist traffic, until Tudor times Hartland was an important port. It lies close to the promontory of Hartland Point, where the coast of Devon turns from facing north into the Bristol Channel to face west into the Atlantic Ocean. There is an important lighthouse on the point. The town's harbour, Hartland Quay, is to the south of the point,The quay was originally built in the late 16th century but was swept away in 1887. The high tower of the Church of Saint Nectan at Stoke remains a significant landmark for ships in the Bristol Channel.

Hartland is a convenient centre for walking parts of the South West Coast Path, and the wild coastal scenery around the point is some of the most dramatic on the path, with excellent views across to Lundy Island. It is from Hartland Point that the Lundy Company operate their helicopter service to Lundy, during the months of November to March.

The Service 319, a council supported bus service run by Stagecoach Devon, runs from Barnstaple to Hartland and vice versa.

Origin of the name

The name "Hartland" presumably derives from the Old English word "hart" for a deer (compare with Swedish "hjort" and Dutch "hert") and it is therefore surprising that it is not more common in England. The many places in other English speaking countries called Hartland probably bear witness to the historic importance of Hartland rather than being independent derivations, since the word "hart" was largely obsolete before the European discovery of the New World. Before the discovery of America, the word Hart was common in surnames. Family names such as Hartshorne were first mentioned in the Domesday book. The importance of deer was very significant in all things English.

The town was in the past known as Harton and was an unreformed borough, finally abolished in 1886. [http://www.hartlandforum.co.uk/towntrust/walk.htm]

Twin Town

Plozevet, France

Magnetic Observatory

The British Geological Survey operate a magnetic observatory (one of three in the UK) just to the north of Hartland village. [http://www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/hartland.html]

Television

* In early 2008, scenery and a cottage on the Hartland Abbey estate were featured in the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. [http://www.hartlandabbey.com/Sense_&_Sensibility.htm]

ee also

*Church of Saint Nectan

External links

* [http://www.hartlandforum.co.uk/ Hartland Forum] — "A guide to the parish of Hartland in North Devon"
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Devon/Hartland/ Hartland (DMOZ.org)]

References