West Alvington is a small village, located on the outskirts of

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the abo ...

in South

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

on the

A381 road A381 may refer to: * The A381 road in Devon, England * The Autovía A-381, a motorway in Andalucia, Spain * The RMAS ''Cricklade'' (A381), a fleet tender to the United Kingdom's Royal Navy {{Letter-NumberCombDisambig ...

. The appropriate

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

is called Westville and Alvington. Its population at the 2011 census was 2,042. It has a primary school and is about a 10-minute walk from the centre of

History

It was originally part of the manor of Bowringsleigh, which took its name from the Bowring family, who were lords of the manor from about 1330 to the early sixteenth century. At one time, Alvington was part of the Royal Estates; the town of Kingsbridge formed around a bridge which was built in or before the 10th century between the royal estates of Alvington, to the west, and Chillington, to the east, hence giving it the name of Kyngysbrygge ("King's bridge").

Notable residents

* Thomas Bowring (died 1504),

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge i ...

and the principal local landowner.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 *Robert Bowring (died 1514) eldest son of Thomas, MP for Plymouth.

References

Civil parishes in South Hams Villages in South Hams {{Devon-geo-stub