Shebbear, England
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Shebbear is a village in North Devon with a population of about 600.
The village is located within Torridge local authority area. It was once itself centre of the Shebbear hundred.
John Wesley laid hands on a young Cornishman called William O’Bryan who later founded the Bible Christian Society in Shebbear. The first Bryanite chapel was built in the village in 1817.
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[edit] Church
The church of St Michael and All Angels dates back to the 11th Century. The South doorway is from about 1180.
[edit] Shebbear College
Shebbear College is an coeducational day and boarding public school for children from 3 to 18 years of age. Famous Old Boys include: Sir Pridham Baulkwill, Sir Ivan Stedeford and EW Martin.
[edit] Turning the Devil's Stone
At 8pm on 5 November each year, while the rest of the country is burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes, Shebbear has its own unique celebration. The one tonne lump of rock known as the Devil's Stone (or Devil's Boulder), which lies in the village square, is turned over by the village bellringers. The stone is a glacial erratic - not from a local rock formation. According to local tradition the stone needs to be turned over every year or a disaster will fall on the village - the last year it was not turned on November 5th was during the second world war when such frivolity was frowned on, but after a few days of bad news someone flipped it over anyway. Supposedly the Devil dropped the stone while passing, before dying of cold in the nearby village of Northlew.
[edit] Famous Residents
The furniture maker David Savage lives on Rowden Farm, near Shebbear. The eminent potter Clive Bowen has lived near Shebbear for over thirty years. Tudor Humphries, illustrious Illustrator, has documented the surrounding area for the last three decades.
[edit] External links
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