Church Tower

The Site
 The Church lies half a mile north of Walkhampton Village and stands on a lofty elevation 700ft above sea level. It occupies a very ancient site and was built long before the village itself, hence the unusual location. Another curious feature is that it faces north-east, the point of sunrise on the longest day, rather than due east. This alignment points exactly to Gipsy Rock, the meeting place of the Walkhampton Hundred in Saxon times.
Foot & Mouth

 Church Car Park

Recent Events 

The recent history of Walkhampton includes the Foot & Mouth epidemic of 2001 and although no farms in the immediate vicinity were affected (the nearest outbreak was the other side of Princetown) all the footpaths were closed and the government restrictions had an impact on the whole community.  

Dedication

The dedication to St Mary the Virgin only dates from 1985. Prior to that date the church was known simply as Walkhampton Church. Recent research suggests that the lost dedication may have been St Dionisius of Walkynton, (according to the coinage rolls of 1531 for Tavistock).

Early History   

The first mention of a church in Walkhampton is the institution of Eylas de Hertyforde as rector on 6 June 1259. By 1342 the Visitation of the Archdeacon of Totnes noted that “The Matins books are incomplete and worn out. The chancel is mean and needs rebuilding”.
The Abbots of Buckland remained patrons until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 when the church reverted to the Crown until 1546 when the manor and advowson were purchased by John Slanning of Plympton. Lady Modiford was the last of the Slanning family to inherit the manor (hence Lady Modiford’s School).In 1798 the estates were sold to Sir Manasseh Massey Lopes of Maristow, and by inheritance passed to the present day Roborough family.  

The Graveyard

The view of the church shows the new car park, which was acquired to provide much needed parking at the Church together with an extension to the original graveyard as the old graveyard had become full. 

 

An interesting gravestone in the old churchyard is that of George Gray  
Gray Grave

The Grave of George Gray. The inscription reads:
Died July 20 1843
Aged 8 years
Who being placed in charge of some horses lost his way in a fog on Dartmoor and after wandering for two days was found in a state of exhaustion and died soon after. The above is recorded in the hope of conveying a caution to others lest they unhappily become the cause of a like untimely and meloncholy loss of life.

The Millenium Yew

To commemorate the Millenium we have planted a Yew Tree which is thriving.

Millenium Yew