Davidstow ( (village) or (parish)) 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 ...

and village in north

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England, United Kingdom. The village is north of

Bodmin Moor Bodmin Moor () is a granite moorland in north-eastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and dates from the Carboniferous period of geology, geological history. It includes Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall, and Rough To ...

straddling the A395 road about north of

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

. The hamlets of Hallworthy, Hendraburnick, Tremail and Trewassa are in the parish. It was formerly known as Dewstow(e). ' Davidstow Cheddar' and '

Cathedral City City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...

' brands of cheese are produced at Davidstow Creamery which is operated by

Dairy Crest Saputo Dairy UK, the trading name of Dairy Crest Limited, is a British dairy products company. It was created in 2019 when the Canadian company Saputo Inc bought Dairy Crest. Dairy Crest itself was created in 1981 as a spin-off of the Milk Marke ...

using water ultimately from

St David David (; ; ) was a Welsh Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Mynyw during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail about his life. ...

Holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

, next to the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

. A military airfield,

RAF Davidstow Moor Royal Air Force Davidstow, or more simply RAF Davidstow Moor, is a former Royal Air Force station located north east of Camelford, Cornwall and west of Launceston, Cornwall, England. It was used from late 1942 until 1945, and despite a f ...

, was built near the village during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was later used as a motor racing circuit.

Parish church

'Davidstow' means ''David's Place'' and according to legend the church was founded by

Saint David David (; ; ) was a Welsh Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Mynyw during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail about his life. ...

in the 6th century, whilst visiting his mother at nearby

Altarnun Altarnun ( ; ) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies west of Launceston on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at . The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolvento ...

. The church is large but was very much

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

in 1875 so that little original work remains inside. Both the nave and the east windows are wider than usual in a Cornish church; a few bench ends are interesting, one portrays a bagpiper. The parish is part of the group in the charge of the Rector of

Boscastle Boscastle () is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tintagel. The harbour ...

. In former times the remoteness of the parish led to many vicars choosing non-residence. The older name Dewstowe is evidenced by a Guild of Our Lady of Dewstowe in 1545 (when it was abolished). The vicars of the 18th-century were non-resident and even the curates they employed could be absentees (e.g., in 1745 the vicar resided at St Ervan, his curate at

Pancrasweek Pancrasweek is a village and civil parish and hamlet in the far west of Devon, England forming part of the local government district of Torridge and lying about three miles north west of the town of Holsworthy.Ordnance Survey mapping It is bord ...

and the curate also minded the parish of Boyton). In 1561 information collected for Archbishop Parker included the fact that the vicar, William Waller, was non-resident and "all things are in ruin". Arthur Langdon (1896) records two Cornish crosses in the parish, one at Lambrenny and one at Trevivian.

Treglasta

The manor of Treglasta was recorded in

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

(1086) when it was held by

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, first Earl of Cornwall of 2nd creation (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at t ...

; before 1066 it had been held by Earl Harold. There were 6 hides of land and land for 20 ploughs. The lord had one hide of land with 2 ploughs and 15 serfs. 24 villeins and 20 smallholders had the rest of the land with 12 ploughs. There were 300 acres of pasture, 4 unbroken mares, 4 cattle and 50 sheep. The value of the manor had been 12 silver marks (i.e. £8 sterling) but was in 1086 worth £15-18-4d.Thorn, C., et al., ed. (1979) ''Cornwall''. Chichester: Phillimore; entry 5,1,5

Gallery

File:View from Trevivian - geograph.org.uk - 731246.jpg, The view from Trevivian across the Inny valley towards Treglasta File:The Cheese Factory - geograph.org.uk - 193932.jpg, Davidstow Creamery File:Davidstow Creamery - geograph.org.uk - 730296.jpg, Davidstow Creamery File:Holy Well, Davidstow - geograph.org.uk - 208233.jpg, St David's Holy Well

References

External links

Cornwall Record Office Online Catalogue for Davidstow

DMOZ page on Davidstow
{{authority control Bodmin Moor Civil parishes in Cornwall Holy wells in Cornwall Villages in Cornwall

Parish church

Treglasta

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links