Mary Tavy
Encyclopedia
Mary Tavy is a village with a population of around 600, located four miles north of Tavistock in Devon
in south-west England
; it is named after the River Tavy
. It used to be home to the world's largest copper
mine Wheal Friendship, as well as a number of lead
and tin
mines. It borders Dartmoor National Park. The village lies a mile or two north of Peter Tavy
; both were shown as separate settlements in the Domesday Book
entry of 1086.
St Mary's Parish Church has a pinnacled west tower built of granite, a south porch with old wagon roof and a south transept built in 1893.
To deter highwaymen
from attacking travellers along the road between Tavistock and Okehampton
, captured highwaymen were hanged from a gibbet
on what is now known as 'Gibbet Hill'.
The topographer William Crossing
was for part of his life resident at Mary Tavy. The Canadian financier James Henry Plummer
was born here.
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...
in south-west 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...
; it is named after the River Tavy
River Tavy
The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...
. It used to be home to the world's largest copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mine Wheal Friendship, as well as a number of lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mines. It borders Dartmoor National Park. The village lies a mile or two north of Peter Tavy
Peter Tavy
Peter Tavy is a village 3 miles along the A386, North-East of Tavistock, Devon, England; it is named after the River Tavy. St Peter's Parish Church is largely built of granite and has a buttressed west tower....
; both were shown as separate settlements 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...
entry of 1086.
St Mary's Parish Church has a pinnacled west tower built of granite, a south porch with old wagon roof and a south transept built in 1893.
To deter highwaymen
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
from attacking travellers along the road between Tavistock and Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
, captured highwaymen were hanged from a gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
on what is now known as 'Gibbet Hill'.
The topographer William Crossing
William Crossing
William Crossing was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and at Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth.-Early life:...
was for part of his life resident at Mary Tavy. The Canadian financier James Henry Plummer
James Henry Plummer
James Henry Plummer was a Canadian financier, He acquired the Dominion Iron and Steel Company in 1903 and developed it as a major industry before and during the First World War....
was born here.