Morebath
Encyclopedia
Morebath is an upland village in the county of Devon
, mostly given over to sheep-farming, and situated on the southern edge of Exmoor
.
An account of life in Morebath in the sixteenth century can be read in The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village by Eamon Duffy
(published in 2001 by Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-09185-0). Then, as now, Morebath was populated by no more than 300 people, drawn from some thirty families, living and working on the land. During the often turbulent period of the Reformation
, its inhabitants relied on the guidance of their priest, Christopher Trychay, Vicar of Morebath from 1520 to 1574. His detailed hand-written records were transcribed by the Rev. J. Erskine Binney, and published by James G. Commin of Exeter in 1904 as a separate volume in the Devon Notes & Queries series, under the title The Accounts of the Wardens of the Parish of Morebath, Devon. They provide an insight into the life of this small English community.
The village was formerly served by two railway stations. Morebath Station
(initially opened in 1873 as "Morebath and Bampton") on the Devon and Somerset Railway
was actually nearer to Shillingford
, and about a mile-and-a-half from Morebath itself. Morebath Junction Halt
, which opened in 1928, was a single-platform halt set among fields in the valley beyond Ashtown Farm, and had no access road, though there was a footpath to it from Ashtown, which extended along the edge of fields to Chilpark on the B3190, close to the main part of the village. It was served by the Exe Valley Railway, as well as the Devon and Somerset line, and therefore had a better service than Morebath Station: it was also much closer to Morebath village itself. Both stations closed in 1966.
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...
, mostly given over to sheep-farming, and situated on the southern edge of Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
.
An account of life in Morebath in the sixteenth century can be read in The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village by Eamon Duffy
Eamon Duffy
Eamon Duffy is an Irish Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, and former President of Magdalene College....
(published in 2001 by Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-09185-0). Then, as now, Morebath was populated by no more than 300 people, drawn from some thirty families, living and working on the land. During the often turbulent period of the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, its inhabitants relied on the guidance of their priest, Christopher Trychay, Vicar of Morebath from 1520 to 1574. His detailed hand-written records were transcribed by the Rev. J. Erskine Binney, and published by James G. Commin of Exeter in 1904 as a separate volume in the Devon Notes & Queries series, under the title The Accounts of the Wardens of the Parish of Morebath, Devon. They provide an insight into the life of this small English community.
The village was formerly served by two railway stations. Morebath Station
Morebath railway station
Morebath railway station was on the Devon and Somerset Railway line between Taunton and Barnstaple. The station opened when the line was extended westwards from Wiveliscombe in 1873....
(initially opened in 1873 as "Morebath and Bampton") on the Devon and Somerset Railway
Devon and Somerset Railway
The Devon and Somerset Railway was a branch line from near in Somerset to in North Devon. It was operated from the outset by the Bristol and Exeter Railway which became part of the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1876.-History:...
was actually nearer to Shillingford
Shillingford, Devon
Shillingford is a village two miles east of Bampton on the River Batherm in Mid Devon, close to the border with West Somerset. It is in the Exe Valley....
, and about a mile-and-a-half from Morebath itself. Morebath Junction Halt
Morebath Junction railway station
Morebath Junction Halt was a railway halt at the junction of the Devon and Somerset Railway and Exe Valley Railway in Devon, South West England.-Junction:...
, which opened in 1928, was a single-platform halt set among fields in the valley beyond Ashtown Farm, and had no access road, though there was a footpath to it from Ashtown, which extended along the edge of fields to Chilpark on the B3190, close to the main part of the village. It was served by the Exe Valley Railway, as well as the Devon and Somerset line, and therefore had a better service than Morebath Station: it was also much closer to Morebath village itself. Both stations closed in 1966.