Bridgerule
Encyclopedia
Bridgerule is a village and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in Devon
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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, a mile from the border with Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

. The parish is divided by the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...

, which no longer forms the border between Devon and Cornwall there. The river frequently floods the High Street.

History

Bridgerule was mentioned (as Brige) in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 in 1086, when the local manor was held by a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

, Ruald Adobed. The name is thought to be derived from bridge and Ruald.

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
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The Counties Act 1844 , which came into effect on 20 October 1844, was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which eliminated many outliers or exclaves of counties in England and Wales for civil purposes....

. When civil parishes were created in 1866, East Bridgerule and West Bridgerule became separate parishes, but the two were reunited in 1950.

Church

There is a 15th century church dedicated, as at Bridestowe
Bridestowe
Bridestowe is a village in West Devon, England. It is located outside Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor and on the A30 main road. Its population in 2001 was 552, although it had been over twice as large in the early 19th century. The name derives from Saint Bride, who is featured in a church...

, to Saint Bridget, who is commemorated with a statue. There are also several paintings and carvings within. The baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

 is very old, dating to Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

times.

External links

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