The Lapford Yeo, also known as the River Yeo, is a tributary of the

River Taw The River Taw () in England rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor, crosses North Devon and at the town of Barnstaple, formerly a significant port, empties into Barnstaple Bay in the Bristol Channel, having form ...

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 is one of several rivers of the same name, including another tributary of the Taw, the

Barnstaple Yeo The Barnstaple Yeo, also known as the River Yeo, is a tributary of the River Taw, which enters the Taw at Barnstaple in Devon, England. It is one of River Yeo (disambiguation), several rivers of the same name, including another tributary of the T ...

. The Lapford Yeo also flows within 2 miles of the headwaters of another River Yeo, which is a tributary of the River Creedy. The Lapford Yeo rises near

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", ...

. It flows north through Bow and

Zeal Monachorum Zeal Monachorum (; Latin translation ''Cell of the Monks'') is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England, about north-west of Exeter, situated on the River Yeo. According to the 2001 census, it had a population o ...

Lapford Lapford is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It had a population of 993 in 2001, reducing to 867 at the 2011 census, and increasing to 990 in 2021. Lapford is part of Taw Valley ward whose population at ...

. It joins the Taw 1.5 miles below Lapford, just below Nymet Bridge. Its largest tributary is the

River Dalch The River Dalch, is the largest tributary of the Lapford Yeo in Devon, England. It rises to the east of Nomansland and flows in a south-westerly direction for 18.7 kilometres until its confluence with the Lapford Yeo at Lapford Lapford is ...

, which joins the Yeo near Lapford. The river's catchment area is almost twice the size of the Taw's catchment area above the confluence, but has significantly lower rainfall than the upper Taw valley. The river was earlier called the Nymet, thought to be a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

word meaning 'shrine'. Several Nymet place-names remain in the area, including Nymet Tracey and Nymet Rowland, and it seems that the area may have been sacred in Celtic times.Gelling M. (1997) ''Signposts to the Past (3rd ed.)'' Phillimore , p.243

References

Rivers of Devon 1YeoLapford {{England-river-stub