Poughill

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The village of Poughill (pronounced "Pofil" or "Puffil") is about one mile inland north of Bude. In 1086 it featured in the Domesday Book,as Pochelle.

Its water-mill which is believed to have been a manorial mill for Trevalgus Manor lying at the foot of Trevalgus Hill in thick woodland. It was powered by the stream which runs south towards Stratton called the Stratt. The mill stands located on the footpath towards Bush. Part of the mill building was formed of timbers of wrecked ships from along the coastline.

At the heart of the village is St Olaf's church. The church is of exceptional interest and dates from the 14th century. It seats 300 persons and is dedicated to the Norwegian King and so-called Martyr, St Olaf (Olaf II of Norway). At the restoration in 1928 the foundations of the original Norman Church were uncovered but nothing of this remains above ground. The Pillars on the north side and south arch of the nave are of Caen stone 14th century; those of the south side are granite 15th century. The Piscine and Aumbry in the south chancel are 13th century.Inside the church is a wall of frescoes. The frescoes date from about 1470, and depict St Christopher. In 1894 they were discovered beneath the whitewash. Such paintings were once common in churches. The Poughill accounts record the washing out of the figures' in 1550 at the Reformation. According to the legend, St Christopher was a heathen giant who, on turning Christian, was instructed by a holy hermit to carry travellers over a dangerous ford, and who, one stormy night carried the child Jesus on his shoulder.

The Battle of Stamford Hill This battle was fought on the outskirts of Poughill on 16th May 1643. Each May, on the closest weekend to the anniversary, there is a two day re-enactment of the battle, fought over the Saturday and Sunday, together with a procession through the streets of neighbouring Stratton village. It's well worth a visit.

There are some very old houses in Poughill. Burshill Manor is proven medieval and is listed as an open hall house; another old house is Church House dated 1525.

The assassinated colonial administrator, Sir Henry Lovell Goldsworthy Gurney was born here in 1898.[1]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ A. J. Stockwell, ‘Gurney, Sir Henry Lovell Goldsworthy (1898–1951)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 accessed 21 Nov 2007