Copplestone

In today's world, Copplestone has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a large number of people around the world. With the advancement of science and technology, Copplestone has positioned itself as a central topic in different areas of knowledge, generating debates, research and new discoveries that have significantly impacted society. From its origin to the present, Copplestone has marked a before and after in various areas, generating great changes and transformations that have had an impact on the way we understand the world. In this article, we will explore in detail the impact and importance of Copplestone, analyzing its influence in different spheres of daily life and the possible implications it has for the future.

For people named Copleston, see Copleston.

Copplestone
Copplestone
Copplestone is located in Devon
Copplestone
Copplestone
Location within Devon
Population1,253 (2011)
OS grid referenceSS7602
Civil parish
  • Copplestone
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCREDITON
Postcode districtEX17
Dialling code01363
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°48′N 3°45′W / 50.8°N 3.75°W / 50.8; -3.75

Copplestone (anciently Copelaston, Coplestone etc.[1]) is a village, former manor and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It is not an ecclesiastical parish as it has no church of its own, which reflects its status as a relatively recent settlement which grew up around the ancient "Copleston Cross" (see below) that stands at the junction of the three ancient ecclesiastical parishes of Colebrooke, Crediton and Down St Mary.[2]

The small parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Sandford, Crediton Hamlets, Colebrooke, Clannaborough, and Down St Mary.[3] According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 894,[4] increasing to 1,253 in 2011.[5] It is situated right in the middle of Devon halfway between Exeter and Barnstaple on the A377, nestled in a valley. Copplestone is a major part of the Yeo electoral ward whose total ward population was 3,488 at the above census.[6]

The Tarka Line railway goes through the middle of the village and calls at Copplestone railway station. Copplestone is surrounded by hills and is not far from Dartmoor, visible to the east and Exmoor to the north, a little farther away. The surrounding countryside has been used for agriculture from before Roman occupation of the area.

Copplestone Cross

Copplestone Cross

In the centre of the village, standing at the junction of the three parishes of Colebrooke, Crediton and Down St Mary,[2] is the Copplestone Cross, a granite pillar, said to be either a boundary stone[7] or the surviving shaft of a decorated late Saxon cross.[2] It stands 3.2 metres high, and is 0.6 metres square, covered with intricate relief sculpted decoration. Parallels of the intricate interlacing design have been drawn with those designs of crosses found in the Isle of Man.[8] The granite for the cross must have been brought some 9 miles from Dartmoor, which suggests it had some deep cultural significance. It was mentioned as Copelan Stan[7] in a charter dated 974.[9] Putta, the second and last Bishop of Tawton (reigned 906–910), was murdered in 910 whilst travelling from his see at Bishops Tawton, on the River Taw 2 miles south of Barnstaple in North Devon, to visit the Saxon viceroy Uffa, whose residence was at Crediton.[10][11] It is believed that Copplestone Cross, situated 6 miles north-west of Crediton and 22 miles south-east of Bishops Tawton, was erected in commemoration of his murder at this spot.[12]

Manor of Coplestone

Setting of Coplestone House, viewed from south

The Copleston Cross or Stone gave its name to the estate or manor of Copleston (modern: Coplestone) which was the earliest known home of the Copleston family.[13][14]

Copplestone Family

The Copplestone family married into both the French landowning Umfraville family and the noble Ferrers family, both noble aristocratic English families.

Notable members of the Copplestone Family include Thomas Coplestone, Edward Copleston, and more recently Michael Onslow, 7th Earl of Onslow.

More recently,the concentration of Copplestone family members has gradually moved from Devon into Hampshire and West Sussex.

References

  1. ^ Watts, Victor, ed. (2004). The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names. Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-521-16855-7.
  2. ^ a b c Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.276
  3. ^ "Map of Devon Parishes" (PDF). Devon County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  4. ^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Mid Devon Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 27 January 2010
  5. ^ "Parish Population 2011". Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Yeo ward 2011". Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.372
  8. ^ Goodwins, Sara. Cross Purposes: an introduction to mediaeval Manx crosses p. 32
  9. ^ Baring-Gould, Sabine (1834-1924), A Book of the West, Being an Introduction to Devon & Cornwall, Vol. I, Devon, London, 1900, p.98
  10. ^ Chattaway, Joseph, An Historical Sketch of the Danmonii: Or Ancient Inhabitants of Devonshire, 1830, p.79
  11. ^ Pole: "Putta was next Bishop of Tawton & was slayne in his journey towards Crediton to visitt the Kinge", as recorded by John Hooker (d.1601) (Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.27)
  12. ^ "Copplestone Cross, Copplestone, Devon".
  13. ^ Coplestion, Paul. "Copelston Family History". copleston.net.
  14. ^ "General history: Families removed since 1620 | British History Online".

Media related to Copplestone at Wikimedia Commons