Witheridge is a village and

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 ...

in the

North Devon North Devon is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based just outside Barnstaple, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth and Sout ...

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. In 2011 the population of the parish was 1,158, increasing slightly to 1,306 at the 2021 Census. An electoral ward with the same name exists. The population at the above census was 2,465. Its name may be derived from the Old English for "Weather Ridge", which would fit with the village's somewhat exposed situation. Situated almost equidistant from

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, South West England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite that forms the uplands dates from the Carb ...

and

Exmoor Exmoor () is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simons ...

, the village has earned the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

''the Gateway to the

Two Moors Way The Two Moors Way is a long-distance trail mostly in Devon, UK, first established in 1976. It links Dartmoor and Exmoor and has been extended to become a Devon Coast-to-Coast trail. History The Two Moors Way was the brainchild of Joe Turner o ...

''. Butcher FJP Maunder established his business in the village in 1879, which taken over by his son became local butchers chain

Lloyd Maunder Lloyd Maunder are an Exeter, Devon based group of West Country retail butchers, a major producer of locally reared beef, pork and chicken products. History FJP Maunder established a meat processing facility at Witheridge, Devon in 1879. He opened ...

. The village is home to two shops, a pub, restaurant and a cafe. There is also the home to Mid Devon Medical Practice. 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 ...

of St John the Baptist is a Gothic-style church, built circa 1500, and restored in 1841 and 1884. Its carved stone pulpit is one of just 70 medieval similar pulpits in England. The village is twinned with

Cambremer Cambremer () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Cambremer is located in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, between Lisieux and Caen. The village is twinned with Witheridge, UK, and the two villa ...

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, France, and the two villages have annual

exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

trips (although not solely for students).

Sport and leisure

Witheridge has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

club Witheridge F.C. who play in the

South West Peninsula League The South West Peninsula League (SWPL) is a football competition in England, which was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Devon County League and the South Western League. The league covers Cornwall, Devon, western Somerset and western Dors ...

which is at step 6 of the

National League System The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Football Association. The National League System has a ...

as well as a Reserve side who play in Division 1 of the

Devon and Exeter Football League The Devon and Exeter Football League is a Association football, football competition based in Devon in England. It was established around 1900. The top division of this league, the Premier, sits at level 12 of the English football league system and ...

. Both sides play their home games at Edge Down Park. The St John's Fair takes place annually and shows the wonderful community spirit in this English village. Witheridge also has a well established

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

club. Following a single resident complaint, in 2024 Witheridge Parish Council paid £2,000 for adjustment to the mechanism of the clock installed at the parish church, so that it rang hourly only between 07:00 to 23:00.

Notable residents

Witheridge is the birthplace of Mary Baker, a noted impostor who in 1817 went by the name "Princess Caraboo" from a fictional far-off island kingdom.John Wells, 'Baker , Mary rincess Caraboo(bap. 1791, d. 1864)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Sept 201
accessed 5 June 2013
/ref> Frank and Mary Housam have represented Witheridge in

town crier A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required. Duties and functions The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dre ...

competitions all over the world, winning trophies in Canada, Australia and the US, and represented Witheridge at the World Town Crier Championships in Maryborough City, Australia.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Devon