Stratton, Cornwall
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Stratton is a small town situated near the coastal resort of Bude in North Cornwall, England, UK. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall - see "Hundreds of Cornwall". Built on one of the main roads linking Cornwall to the rest of the UK, Stratton was also built in a good position in terms of shelter and defence. Its residents had access to water (the river Neet), wood and good arable land as it was surrounded by fertile soil.
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[edit] Earliest references
The earliest known references to Stratton are found in King Alfred’s Will of 880, the Domesday survey of 1086, and the Stratton Hundred.
[edit] Religion
One of the most prominent buildings in Stratton is the 12th Century Norman Church dedicated to St Andrew which holds a central and elevated position within the village. As well as the main church, there were also other chapels around the village; this indicates a large population because only one church wouldn’t suffice. This is also supported by the existence of the large, old tithe barn; it needed to be large enough to hold the tax of one-tenth of their earnings/produce that all villagers paid to the church. The area around Cot Hill was an important sanctuary for pilgrims travelling the pilgrimage route to Hartland during Medieval times. However, many of the chapels are derelict or have now been converted, suggesting the population decline has been so great as to leave only enough people to use the church and one remaining chapel.
[edit] Justice
The town once had a jail, a police station and a courthouse, but the police station has now been moved to Bude, the prison demolished and the courthouse converted into two dwellings. The door of the jail, marked "CLINK", is still visible in the church porch. The following quote indicates Stratton's importance as a centre of justice “As Stratton Town and the surrounding villages grew, the need to administer civil and criminal law from an appropriate location was necessary” ("Stratton Past & Present", Bill Young & Bryan Dudley Stamp, 2002).
[edit] Government
The name Stratton was given to the unit of government for taxation during Saxon times, known as a ‘ Hundred’. Stratton was the head of its hundred due to its importance in comparison to that of the local towns and villages, including Kilkhampton, Marhamchurch, Boyton, Jacobstowe, Whitstone, Stratton itself, Poughill, Bridgerule, Week St Mary, Launcells, North Tamerton and Morwenstowe. Other than Bridgerule, the Stratton Hundred remained undisturbed until the demise of the Stratton Rural District in the 1970’s. The Hundred is an indicator of Stratton’s importance not only for these reasons, but also because in the whole of Cornwall, there were only 7 Hundreds and all of them had their own courts, this suggests to me that not only did Stratton have a courthouse, it was probably the only one in the Stratton Hundred.
[edit] Trade and industry
Trade and industry greatly affected Stratton’s popularity; it had a thriving wild garlic, leather and agricultural trade. During Medieval times it dealt in leather, evidence of this is the road named after the trade; Poundfield area was where the animals were kept, Stratton also housed tanning pits and a rack park, where the leather was stretched. There is also evidence of farming in the milking parlours, barns and stalls that are made from cob, a traditional building material, and the Old Malt House shows where ale was produced in the church owned brewery. During Medieval times herbs and spices were also considered important, for medicinal purposes as well as others, and Stratton had an abundance of wild garlic which it was famous for. Trade events such as markets and fairs were a regular occurrence in Stratton and people would come from all around to attend. Lots of the evidence for events and trades in Stratton is subtle, for example street names like Market Street and Poundfield Lane. Stratton had up to 14 pubs, although some were houses where people brewed beer themselves. Many have now been knocked down or converted, however some, for example the Tree Inn, are still running, despite perhaps fewer customers than they would have expected before Bude became the main town. Although many of the shops that once lined the streets have now been converted into homes, the large front windows still hint at the lives led by the inhabitants when Stratton was the most important town in the area. Trade directories allow us to compare the two towns, for example, in 1844, when Stratton had 6 shoe makers, Bude had only 1, although Slater’s Trade Directory 1852-1853 shows the period in which Bude was beginning to catch up, although Stratton was still thriving. One of the main factors which led to the demise of Stratton’s influence was New Road which directed traffic away from the centre of Stratton in the early 20th Century. The bypass was then built in 1950 when Stratton was well and truly defeated. Despite the downfall of Stratton, it still managed to keep the hospital and surgery running although the union and workhouse from the 1830’s was no longer operating.
[edit] Population
Statistics show that although the average urban population of towns in Cornwall increased rapidly between 1660 and 1805, Stratton's stayed roughly the same. The existence of the hospital, police station, courthouse, workhouse, services, for example blacksmiths and wheelrights, and trades are all indications of the large population. Without enough people, these wouldn’t have been needed in the first place, although later on they were moved to Bude.
