Dartmoor Forest is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

West Devon West Devon is a local government district with borough status in Devon, England. Its council is based in Tavistock, the borough's largest town. The borough also includes the towns of Hatherleigh, North Tawton and Okehampton, along with nume ...

district, in the county of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. It was formed on 1 April 1987 by the splitting of the parishes of

Lydford Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village and civil parish, in Devon, north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district. The parish covers an area of , and at the 2021 census had a population of 370. The ...

and

Walkhampton Walkhampton is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. The village lies on the Black Brook, a tributary of the River Walkham, about south-east of Tavistock, near the villages of Horrabridge, Y ...

. It covers about entirely within

Dartmoor National Park Dartmoor is an highland (geography), upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National parks of England and Wales, National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers ...

, and is the largest parish in Devon. Despite its size its population in 2001 was only 1,619. Due to its large size it is surrounded by many other parishes: these are, clockwise from the north, Belstone,

South Tawton South Tawton is a village, parish and former Manorialism, manor on the north edge of Dartmoor, Devon, England. An electoral ward bearing the same name exists. At the 2011 census the population was 1,683. In front of the church is a "Crosstree", ...

, Throwleigh,

Gidleigh Gidleigh is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of Devon, England. Located within Dartmoor National Park, the parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Throwleigh, Chagford and Dartmoor Forest. In 2001 its ...

Chagford Chagford is a market town and civil parish on the north-east edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, England, close to the River Teign and the A382, 4 miles (6 km) west of Moretonhampstead. The name is derived from ''chag'', meaning gorse or broom, an ...

North Bovey North Bovey is a village and civil parish situated on the south-eastern side of Dartmoor National Park, Teignbridge, Devon, England, about 11 miles WSW of the city of Exeter and 1.5 miles SSW of Moretonhampstead. The village lies above ...

Manaton Manaton is a village and civil parish in Teignbridge District, situated to the southeast of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England. The 15th-century church, located in a prominent spot due north of the village green, is dedicated to St Winifred ...

, Widecombe in the Moor,

Holne Holne is a village and civil parish on the southeastern slopes of Dartmoor in Devon, England. A community has existed here since at least the 11th century, and today a population of around 250 people is served by a church and a public house, the ...

West Buckfastleigh West Buckfastleigh is a small civil parish in the South Hams district, on the eastern border of Dartmoor in Devon, England. Situated within the parish are the village of Scorriton and the hamlets of Michelcombe and Combe.BBC"West Buckfastleigh ...

, Dean Prior,

South Brent South Brent is a large village on the southern edge of Dartmoor, England, in the valley of the River Avon. The parish includes the small hamlets of Aish, Harbourneford, Lutton, Brent Mill, and many scattered farmhouses. It is five miles (8& ...

, Ugborough, Harford,

Cornwood Cornwood is a village and civil parish in the South Hams in Devon, England. The parish has a population of 988. The village is part of the electoral ward called ''Cornwood'' and Sparkwell. The ward population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2 ...

Shaugh Prior Shaugh Prior is a village and civil parish on the south-western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. It is situated about 8 miles north-east of the historic centre of the city of Plymouth. In 2001 its population was 751. The parish s ...

Sheepstor Sheepstor is a village, civil parish and former manor on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. In 2001, its population was 53, down from 95 in 1901. For administrative purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of ...

Whitchurch Whitchurch may refer to: Places Canada *Whitchurch, Ontario, since 1971 part of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario England *Whitchurch, Bristol *Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire *Whitchurch, Devon, in Tavistock **Whitchurch, Devon (parish), a civil ...

Peter Tavy Peter Tavy () is a village along the A386, northeast of Tavistock, Devon, England. It is named after the River Tavy The Tavy () is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic languages, Brythonic root , once ...

, land common to the parishes of

Bridestowe Bridestowe () is a civil parish and village in the district of West Devon, Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Bratton Clovelly, Sourton, Bridestowe and Sourton Common, Lydford, Lewtrenchard ...

and

Sourton Sourton is a small village and civil parish in West Devon, England. It lies about south-west of Okehampton. It is at the north-western extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales, and lies along the A386 road. The historic ma ...

, and

Okehampton Hamlets Okehampton Hamlets is a civil parish in the Borough of West Devon and the English county of Devon, it runs independently from the Okehampton Town Council, meetings are held at the Meldon Village Hall. The Parish of Okehampton Hamlets is a rur ...

. The principal settlement in the parish is

Princetown Princetown is a villageDespite its name, Princetown is not classed as a town today – it is not included in the County Council's list of the 29 towns in Devon: located within Dartmoor national park in the English county of Devon. It is the ...

. Other settlements include

Bellever Bellever is a hamlet in Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is located on the river East Dart about south of Postbridge. The first mention of a settlement at this location is in a Duchy of Cornwall record from 1355 which gives the name of a farm here ...

Hexworthy Hexworthy is a hamlet on Dartmoor, in Devon, England. It lies on the West Dart River a mile upstream from Dartmeet. Historically in the parish of Lydford, since 1987 it has been in the civil parish of Dartmoor Forest. Hexworthy has an inn, th ...

Postbridge Postbridge is a hamlet in the heart of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. It lies on the B3212, roughly midway between Princetown and Moretonhampstead. Postbridge is on the East Dart river, one of two main tributaries of the River Da ...

and Two Bridges.

References

Civil parishes in Devon Dartmoor {{Devon-geo-stub