Bridgerule

Village in Devon, England

Human settlement in England
Bridgerule is located in Devon
Bridgerule
Bridgerule
Location within Devon
Population570 OS grid referenceSS2702District
  • Torridge
Shire county
  • Devon
Region
  • South West
CountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townHolsworthyPostcode districtEX22PoliceDevon and CornwallFireDevon and SomersetAmbulanceSouth Western
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°47′N 4°27′W / 50.79°N 04.45°W / 50.79; -04.45

Bridgerule (Cornish: Ponsrowald)[1] is a village and civil parish in Devon, England, a mile from the border with Cornwall. The parish is divided by the River Tamar, which no longer forms the border between Devon and Cornwall there. The river often floods the High Street. An electoral ward exists in the area titled Tamarside. The population at the 2011 census was 1,734[2]

History

Bridgerule was mentioned (as Brige) in the Domesday Book in 1086, when the local manor was held by a Norman, Ruald Adobed. The name is thought to come from bridge and Ruald.[3]

Until 1844 the Tamar formed the border between Devon and Cornwall, and the western part of the parish was in Cornwall. West Bridgerule was transferred to Devon by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844. When civil parishes were created in 1866, East Bridgerule and West Bridgerule became separate parishes, but the two were re-united in 1950.[4]

Whitstone and Bridgerule railway station on the line from Okehampton to Bude served the village, opening in 1898 and closing in 1966.

Church

There is a 15th-century church dedicated, as at Bridestowe, to Saint Bridget, who is commemorated with a statue. There are also several paintings and carvings within. The baptismal font is very old, dating from Saxon times. The vicar's daughter, Emmeline Maria Kingdon, who was born here in 1817 went on to be a notable head teacher.[5]

References

  1. ^ Place-names in the Standard Written Form (SWF) Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine : List of place-names agreed by the MAGA Signage Panel Archived 2013-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Cornish Language Partnership.
  2. ^ "Ward of Tamarside population". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ^ Bridgerule parish website: History
  4. ^ Vision of Britain website: Bridgerule East Archived June 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Kingdon, Emmeline Maria (1817–1890), headmistress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/51757. Retrieved 4 October 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bridgerule.
  • Bridgerule at GENUKI
  • Bridgerule at Devon County Council website
  • Bridgerule Village Website
  • v
  • t
  • e
Towns, villages and hamlets in the Torridge District of Devon, England
  • v
  • t
  • e
Exeter1,2
  • None
East Devon1
Mid Devon1
North Devon1
Torridge1
West Devon1,3
South Hams1
Teignbridge1
Plymouth2,4
  • None
Torbay4
Bold text denotes a parish council referred to as a "town council".
  1. Non-metropolitan district of the non-metropolitan county of Devon (administered by Devon County Council).
  2. Has city status in the United Kingdom.
  3. Has borough status in the United Kingdom.
  4. Unitary authority not part of the non-metropolitan county, thus not administered by Devon County Council.
  5. The remainder of Torbay is unparished.