We enjoyed a very informative visit to the 'village' of South Zeal, near Okehampton, in May.
There has been a settlement at South Zeal before Roman times, but in the mid-thirteenth century the site was designated a 'New Town', one of many established to take account of increasing population. The town's site was important, as it was on the main road through Devon to Cornwall. The new towns provided not only accommodation but facilities for trade. The properties were on burgage plots and resident craftsmen or tradesmen paid a rent for the right to live and work there. Others were tied to the land as serfs working for the local Lord of the Manor. Some of these 'new towns' survived and flourished but South Zeal did not. Today it is very much a community whose residents work away. But it still retains the original layout from the mid-thirteenth century including the burgage plots on which the properties are situated.
After this splendid guide by their local history groups we retired to the Oxenham Arms (see photo) for refreshments, and the landlord showed us around the mediaeval building. A large granite pillar in one of the lower rooms is a feature reputed to be many thousands of years old. If you hold your hand away from it you can feel heat being emitted from the stone. A fascinating building with a long and colourful history.
My thanks, as usual, to Judy Tucker for arranging the visit.
George Palin