Bovey Tracey
Encyclopedia
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...
, England, on the edge of Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". The locals just call the town "Bovey" (sometimes pronounced "Buvvy").
It is near the market town of Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead lies on the edge of Dartmoor and is notable for having the longest one-word name of any place in England. The parish church is dedicated to St. Andrew. George Oliver and John Pike Jones , 1828, Exeter: E. Woolmer. Moretonhampstead is twinned with Betton in France.-History:The...
. Roughly between the two lies the small village of North Bovey.
History
Bovey Tracey was an established SaxonSaxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
community and takes its name from the River Bovey. The town gained its second name from the de Tracey family who were "lords of the manor" after the Norman Conquest. One member of the family, William de Tracey
William de Tracy
Sir William de Tracy, Knt., was Lord of the Manor of Toddington, Gloucestershire, feudal Baron of Bradninch, near Exeter, and Lord of Moretonhampstead, Devon...
, was implicated in the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
in Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
in 1170. It is thought that de Tracey rebuilt the parish church of St Peter, St Paul and St Thomas of Canterbury as penance for the murder. The church still stands today and has an unbroken list of vicars from 1258. Amongst other things, the church also contains three 15th century misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
s.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
in 1646, Royalist troops were attacked in a local inn by members of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's Roundhead army. If local legend is to be believed, the Royalists escaped by throwing coins from the windows in order to distract the poorly paid Roundhead troops. The next day a battle was fought on nearby Bovey Heath
Bovey Heath
Bovey Heath is a 32 hectare area of heathland between Bovey Tracey and Heathfield in south Devon, England.Although primarily heathland habitat, the site has some wet mature oak woodland, and is home to rare species such as the Dartford Warbler, stonechat, nightjar and the narrow headed ant....
ending in victory for Cromwell's army.
The name of Cromwell lives on in the town today in both the popular pub "The Cromwell Arms" and the remains of a nearby stone arch, known locally (and incorrectly) as "Cromwell's Arch". The arch is actually what is left of a priory that stood previously on the site of the nearby Baptist Church.
Bovey railway station
Bovey railway station
stationBovey railway station was on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway at Bovey Tracey, Devon, England.The station was built on the west side of the town, opening on 26 June 1866...
was opened on 26 June 1866 with the new Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway
Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway
The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway was a broad gauge railway which linked the South Devon Railway at Newton Abbot railway station with Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead, Devon, England.-History of the line:...
on a site to the west of the town. It closed to passengers on 28 February 1959, but goods trains continued to operate until 6 July 1970.
Things to see
- Bovey Tracey Heritage Centre in the old Bovey railway stationBovey railway stationstationBovey railway station was on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway at Bovey Tracey, Devon, England.The station was built on the west side of the town, opening on 26 June 1866...
- House of Marbles — free visitor attraction on the site of the historic old pottery with marbleMarblesA marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
runs, marble manufacturing, glass blowing demonstrations and a large restaurant. - Devon Guild of Craftsmen headquarters
- Headquarters of the Dartmoor National Park Authority at Parke
- A Devon Wildlife TrustDevon Wildlife TrustThe 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...
nature reserve at Bovey HeathBovey HeathBovey Heath is a 32 hectare area of heathland between Bovey Tracey and Heathfield in south Devon, England.Although primarily heathland habitat, the site has some wet mature oak woodland, and is home to rare species such as the Dartford Warbler, stonechat, nightjar and the narrow headed ant.... - The church has a tower dating from the 14th century, many 15th-century carvings and a screen described by Arthur MeeArthur MeeArthur Henry Mee was a British writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for The Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopaedia, The Children's Newspaper, and The King's England...
as "one of the finest in this county of fine screens".
Sport
Bovey Tracey is noted in the cyclingCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
community as the start point of the Dartmoor Devil
bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
ride, an annual Audax
Audax (cycling)
Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion. Audax has its origins in Italian endurance sports of the late nineteenth century, and the rules were...
UK Brevet Populaire event held in late October taking in over 2,000 m of climbing and over 100 km around and across Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
. The ride ends in nearby Manaton
Manaton
The village of Manaton is situated on the south-eastern side of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England.The 15th century church, in a prominent spot to the north of the village green, is dedicated to St Winifred. Three of the six bells in its tower are medieval - markings on the oldest indicate a...
. Bovey Tracey also has a football (soccer) team known as Bovey A.F.C
Recent events
On Friday 14 March 2008, a party in a Grade II-listed mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
near the town gained national and international coverage after up to 2,000 people gatecrashed it. The family blame Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
on his Radio 1 show. In a shout-out item in which he quoted: "We're getting ready for a huge mansion party - 500 plus people going - it's in Bovey Tracey in Devon tipping us off on that, anyone who's listening can come along, apparently, just say 'hi' to Marilyn Monroe on the door".
On Sunday 6 July 2008, emergency services were called to a fire at the Old Thatched Inn in Station Road, Bovey Tracey, at 0250 BST. Around 90 firefighters attended. The building was almost completely destroyed. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the counties of Devon and Somerset, including the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay, in South West England...
said six people, including a child, had been taken to hospital. They were not believed to have been seriously injured. It is still not known what caused the fire.