Bampton, Devon

Bampton is a small town and parish in northeast Devon, England, on the River Batherm, a tributary of the River Exe. It is about north of Tiverton, 19 miles (31 km) north of Exeter and the parish borders Somerset on its north-east and north-west sides. Bampton is a major part of the electoral ward of Clare and Shuttern. The ward population at the 2011 Census was 3,412.

Bampton is a small town and parish in northeast Devon, England, on the River Batherm, a tributary of the River Exe. It is about north of Tiverton, 19 miles (31 km) north of Exeter and the parish borders Somerset on its north-east and north-west sides. Bampton is a major part of the electoral ward of Clare and Shuttern. The ward population at the 2011 Census was 3,412. ==History== ===Toponymy=== The name Bampton is derived from the Old English bæðhǣmetūn meaning 'settlement of the bath dwellers', either referring to baths for bathing, or perhaps to nearby Morebath. ===Pre-Norman=== The history of Bampton is thought to have started with a Roman fort, but later Saxon remains are most easily seen. Some hedges conform to the Saxon furrow measure of 625 feet (the later furlong) and traces of Saxon strip farming can be seen to the north-east of the later castle. The circular churchyard is also Saxon in origin. ===Norman=== The 11th-century Norman Bampton Castle was built in about 1067 by Walter Douai or his son, Robert. Originally it probably had a timber tower on top of the Motte. To the east of the mound was a rectangular bailey, defended to the south by the steep slope down to the River Batherm. Following a dispute with King Stephen about the ownership of lands around Uffculme, Robert Douai rebelled against King Stephen. Stephen then besieged the castle which eventually surrendered. Robert’s fled into exile and his lands were granted to Henry de Tracy. ===Civil War=== The English Civil War reached Bampton in 1645, when Royalists from Tiverton Castle burnt the town, so that few buildings earlier than the 17th century survive. ===Nineteenth century=== The population in the 1841 census was 1,275 inhabitants¹. ==Bampton Fair== ==Twin towns== Villers-Bocage, Calvados, France since 1975 ==Historic estates== Duvale ==References== ==External links== Bampton in Devon - town website

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