Harberton is a village,

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 former manor 3 miles south west of

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

, in the

South Hams South Hams is a non-metropolitan district, local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Totnes, although the largest town is Ivybridge. The district also contains the towns of Dartmouth, ...

District 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. The parish includes the village of Harbertonford situated on the main

A381 road The A381 road is a non-Trunk road#United Kingdom, trunk 'A'-class road in Devon, England which serves as an important link between the towns of Teignmouth, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Totnes and Salcombe and many villages in between, with the ...

. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,285. The village is a major part of the

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 t ...

of Avon and Harbourne. At the 2011 census the ward population was 2,217.

Etymology

The village takes its name from the River Harbourne, which flows through the parish.

Church of St Andrew

The Parish Church of St Andrew is a fine building of the 14th to 15th centuries with a handsome tower. The late medieval

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

is a notable example with richly carved cornice and vaulting. The font is a very fine piece of Norman work and the pulpit is 15th century.

Harberton Croquet and Social Club (HCSC)

Harberton is home to the Harberton Croquet and Social Club, which was founded in 2002 and hosts the popular Summer Cup. This is the only club in the country that plays by Harberton Croquet Rules, rather than the more commonly played variations of

croquet Croquet ( or ) is a sport which involves hitting wooden, plastic, or composite balls with a mallet through hoops (often called Wicket, "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court. Variations In all forms of croquet, in ...

rules.

Harberton, Tierra del Fuego

Harberton was the home of Mary Ann Varder (1842–1922), who married Thomas Bridges on 7 August 1869 and moved with him in 1871 to

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...

, the southern tip of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, overlooking the

Beagle Channel Beagle Channel (; Yahgan language, Yahgan: ''Onašaga'') is a strait in the Tierra del Fuego, Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, on the extreme southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina. The channel separates the larger main island of I ...

. There they established an

estancia An estancia or estância is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias are located in the southern South American grasslands of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, while the ''pampas'' have historically bee ...

in 1886, which they named

Harberton Harberton is a village, civil parish and former manor 3 miles south west of Totnes, in the South Hams District of Devon, England. The parish includes the village of Harbertonford situated on the main A381 road. In the 2001 census the parish ...

after Mary's birthplace.

History

Anglo-Saxons

According to Risdon (d.1640), Harberton was the residence of ''Alric the Saxon''.

Normans

was one of twelve

feudal baronies in Devonshire According to Sanders (1960) there were eight certain or probable English feudal baronies in Devonshire: * Feudal barony of Bampton * Feudal barony of Bradninch * Feudal barony of Great Torrington * Feudal barony of Okehampton * Feudal barony of Tot ...

said to have existed according to Pole (d.1635). It was not however recognised as such in the 1960 work by Sanders, ''English Baronies''.

Domesday Book

Harberton is not mentioned in the

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 ...

of 1086, as it was then a constituent estate of the manor of Chillington, which is listed.

Bigod

According to Risdon (d.1640), Roger le Bigod (d. 1107), was seized of lands in Harberton.

de Nonant

*Roger I de Nonant (d.pre-1123). The estate of Harberton was granted out of the royal manor of Chillington (in the parish of Stockenham) by King Henry I (1100–1135) to Roger I de Nonant (d.pre-1123), feudal baron of Totnes *Guy de Nonant (d. pre-1141) *Roger II de Nonant (d.''circa'' 1177), a supporter of

Empress Maud Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Duchy of Normandy, Norm ...

. *Henry de Nonant (d.1206). *Roger III de Nonant, who married a certain Alice, but without consent of King John (1199–1216), who seized his barony of Totnes back into crown lands.

de Vautort

The feudal barony of Harberton was granted to the de Vautort family, feudal barons of Trematon, Cornwall. Surviving sources (i.e. Pole, Risdon and Sanders)Pole, p.21; Risdon, p.165; Sanders, p.90 confuse between themselves the names Roger, Reginald and Ralph de Vautort, leading to disparate and irreconcilable accounts of the true descent of the family. All accounts however agree that it was held for several generations by this family, which died out in the male line in the 13th century.

Notable residents

John Huxham John Huxham (1692–1768) was an English physician, a provincial doctor notable for his study of fevers. In 1750 Huxham published his ''Essay on Fevers'' and in 1755 received the Copley Medal for his contribution to medicine. Biography Huxham ...

, the surgeon and doctor, was born here in 1672.

References

External links

Village website
{{South Hams parishes Villages in South Hams Civil parishes in South Hams