Torbryan is a village and former

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 ...

, now in the parish of Denbury and Torbryan, in the

Teignbridge Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous vi ...

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 is located approximately one mile to the west of

Ipplepen Ipplepen is a village and civil parish located within the Teignbridge district of the county of Devon in south-west England. It is the site of Ipplepen Priory and there is an electoral ward with the same name. The population of Ipplepen villag ...

History

In the Domesday Book (1086) it was listed simply as "Torre", from Old English ''torr'' meaning hill. The manor came to be held for over 250 years by the de Brianne or Brionne (Bryan/Brian) family, who probably originated in Brionne in Normandy. The manor is first recorded as ''Torre Briane'' in 1238. In 1242 it was held by Sir Wydo uyde Brianne or Brionne. On 25 March 1885 the parish of

Denbury Denbury is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Denbury and Torbryan, in Teignbridge district of Devon, England. The village is situated between Totnes and Newton Abbot, approximately ten miles from Torquay. Denbury Hill (Loc ...

was merged with Torbryan. On 1 April 1998, the new parish was renamed to "Denbury & Torbryan". In 1881 the civil parish of Torbryan (prior to the merge) had a population of 203.

Church

Holy Trinity Church Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

is situated at the head of the village. It is thought that the original church built by Sir Guy de Bryan burnt down in about 1360. The present church was constructed in 1400. The church currently houses a colony of lesser horseshoe bats. The church houses a medieval rood screen constructed in about 1430, the lower panels having a unique series of coloured paintings depicting 36 saints. The screen is a rare survivor of the reformation and survived because the panels were whitewashed. These screens made national headlines when they were stolen in 2013 but later recovered by the police, restored and reinstalled.

Caves

The Torbryan caves located in the valley were largely excavated by Edward Widger who lived in the village. The bones of many extinct animals were found in the excavations including those of the mammoth, cave hyena and cave bear. These remains are displayed at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...

Notable inhabitants

* Sir

William Petre Sir William Petre (c. 1505 – 1572) (pronounced ''Peter'') was Secretary of State to three successive Tudor monarchs, namely Kings Henry VIII, Edward VI and Queen Mary I. He also deputised for the Secretary of State to Elizabeth I. Educated ...

, born at Tor Newton. He was a Tudor Secretary of State and agent of Thomas Cromwell. He served from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. There is a monument to him on the north wall of the chancel.

References

{{authority control Villages in Devon Former civil parishes in Devon Teignbridge