Swimbridge
Swimbridge (historical spelling: Swymbridge) is a village, parish and former manor in Devon, England. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) south-east of Barnstaple and twinned with the town of St.Honorine Du Fay in Normandy, France. It was the home of the Rev. John "Jack" Russell who first bred the Jack Russell Terrier.
Etymology
The manor is called Birige in the
Description
Before the changes to parish boundaries in 2003, at 7,280 acres (29.5 km2) it was one of the largest in North Devon. It formerly hosted a number of historic estates.
The village is noted for its church (The Parish Church of St. James; tower ca. 1300) which has been described as a treasure house due to its fine carvings and memorials.
Church
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According to Tristram Risdon, writing in the early 17th century, John Mules of Ernesborough built the north aisle of Swimbridge Church, and gave his estate of Furse for the maintenance of it.[3] This is known as St Bridget's Chapel,[4] or the "North Chancel Chapel".[5]
In his will dated 1422 John D'Abernon requested to be buried in the "newly built aisle".[5] This manorial chapel served to seat the household of the Mules family. It is now mostly occupied by the large Victorian organ and the remaining space serves as a vestry. It includes an interesting squint in the form of the corner of a wall being removed and held up with a column, which would allow the family to view the priest elevating the host at the high altar, the holiest point of the Roman Catholic mass. The surviving roof bosses of the North Chancel Chapel display various arms of Moels, repainted in 1727 as a date shows.[5] Pevsner states Swimbridge Church itself to have been "mostly rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries".[5]
Jack Russell Terrier
The parish was the home of the
Railway
From 1873 to 1966, Swimbridge had a
Industry
Leather Tanning was a major local industry until 1965.[6]
References
- ^ Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) Domesday Book, (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985, Part 1, Chapter 13
- ^ Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) Domesday Book, (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985, Part 2 (Notes), Chapter 13
- ^ Risdon, Tristram (died 1640), Survey of Devon. With considerable additions. London, 1811. p. 324
- ^ Rogers, William Henry Hamilton, The Antient Sepulchral Effigies and Monumental and Memorial Sculpture of Devon, Exeter, 1877, pp.299–301
- ^ ISBN 978-0-300-09596-8
- ^ Dalling, Mervyn C., Our Village History, www.swimbridge.com, retrieved 4 February 2013
External links
Media related to Swimbridge at Wikimedia Commons