Widecombe-in-the-Moor is a small village located within the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. grid reference SX718767. The name is thought to derive from 'Withy-combe' which means Willow Valley.
According to Widecombe's official website, there are 196 households in the village, although its large and sprawling parish stretches for many miles and encompasses dozens of isolated cottages and moorland farms.
Tourism is a major source of income for Widecombe today, as reflected by the fact that within a small area there are several gift shops (including a National Trust shop), two cafes and two pubs (the Old Inn and the Rugglestone).
The village is probably best known for Widecombe Fair, held annually and celebrated by a well-known folksong of the same name, featuring 'Old Uncle Tom Cobley and All'. Its words were first published in 1880. The characters from the song are featured in many of the souvenirs on sale in the local shops. Also popular are the traditional 'Toby Jugs' - a type of mug, with a handle, shaped as a three dimensional caricature of a person's head - sometimes fictional, sometimes a celebrity.
The Deserted medieval village of Hutholes and the abandoned farmstead Dinna Clerks (also spelt Dinah Clark's) lie nearby.[1]
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The church of St Pancras is known as the 'Cathedral of the Moors' in recognition of its 120 foot tower and relatively large capacity for such a small village. The church was originally built in the fourteenth century, in the Perpendicular style (late Gothic), using locally quarried granite. It was enlarged over the following two centuries, partly on the proceeds of the local tin mining trade. Inside, the ceiling is decorated with a large number of decorative roof bosses, including the tinner’s emblem of a circle of three hares (known locally as the Tinners' Rabbits).
The church was badly damaged in the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, apparently struck by ball lightning during a severe thunderstorm. An afternoon service was taking place at the time, and the building was packed with approximately 300 worshippers. Four of them were killed, around 60 injured. According to local legend, the Great Thunderstorm was caused by the village being visited by the Devil.
The size of the parish meant that, for centuries, families were obliged to walk for miles to go to church at Widecombe every Sunday. The task was even more challenging when it came to burying their dead, whose coffins had to be carried over rough ground and both up and down exceptionally steep hills. Halfway up Dartmeet Hill, for example, lies the Coffin Stone, close to the road, where the body would be placed to allow the bearers to take a rest. The rock is split in two, along its length. Local legend has it that the body of a particularly wicked man was laid there. God took exception to this, and struck the stone with a thunderbolt, destroying the coffin and splitting the stone in two.
In Widecombe churchyard is the grave of novelist Beatrice Chase who lived for much of her life in a cottage close to the village. Her real name was Olive Katharine Parr, and she was a direct descendant of William Parr, the brother of Catherine, the sixth wife of Henry VIII.
Next to the church stands the Church House, built in 1537. It is thought to have originally been built as a brewery for the production of church ales, became adapted as an almshouse, and later became the village school. Today, it is used as a meeting place for local people. Sexton's Cottage forms the western end of the building and is now a National Trust shop and Dartmoor National Park information point. It is now managed by the National Trust. Standing in front of the building is a 15-inch naval shell, which was donated to the village after the First World War to thank the villagers for supplying troops with sphagnum moss. This grows in abundance in the damp Dartmoor conditions, and is said to have healing properties. It was used as an emergency field dressing for injured troops.
Widecombe Primary School is a small primary school that educates around 70 pupils.
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