Aylesbeare | |
|---|---|
Village andcivil parish | |
 Crossways Cottage at Aylesbeare | |
 | |
| Coordinates:50°43′13″N3°21′55″W / 50.72028°N 3.36528°W /50.72028; -3.36528 | |
| Country | England |
| County | Devon |
| District | East Devon |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,948 acres (1,193 ha) |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 527 |
| • Density | 110/sq mi (44/km2) |
Aylesbeare is a village andcivil parish in theEast Devon district ofDevon, England, 8 miles (13 km) east ofExeter. According to the2001 census, the parish, which includes the hamlet ofNutwalls, had a population of 527. Known for theSite of Special Scientific Interest onAylesbeare Common[1] that is managed by theRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds, Aylesbeare was in the news during 1978 as the scene of the unresolved disappearance of the schoolgirlGenette Tate.
Aylesbeare is on the northern side of the East Devon Pebbled Heathlands. Locally known as Woodbury Common, the heathlands are made up of 8 parish commons, including Aylesbeare Common.
Aylesbeare has a long, but lightly recorded, history.Tumuli on Aylesbeare Common indicate that the area was inhabited in prehistoric times. By the time of theDomesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Ailesbergon though, in common with many place names, it had many spellings over the years, including Aillesbir and Ailesberga.
The oldest building in the parish is the church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It dates to the 13th century. Gregory was the first recorded incumbent, in 1261. The church has been rebuilt and restored many times – in the 14th century, amajor refurbishment in 1899 and a new roof in 2004.
Aylesbeare made national headlines in August 1978 after the disappearance of 13-year-oldGenette Tate, who lived in the village. She has never been found. In 2016, the police announced that they believed serial killerRobert Black to be responsible, but could not charge him as he had since died.[2]
From the highest point of the parish 512 feet (156 m) on the Common, the land gradually falls away to the northwest reaching its lowest point of 98 feet (30 m) nearExeter International Airport. With an area of 2,948 acres (1,193 ha), Aylesbeare is slightly below the average for aDevon parish. The village gives its name to a sequence of mudstone and sandstone rocks ofTriassic age, theAylesbeare Mudstone Group which occurs from the east Devon coast northwards into Somerset.[3]
Although the population is widely distributed around the parish, it clusters in Aylesbeare Village itself, the hamlets of Rosamundford and Withen, and small groups of houses on the site of former farm buildings.
Originally a farming parish, Aylesbeare still has two working farms within the village itself with many others spread throughout the parish. However, agriculture is no longer the main source of employment, with many people working in Exeter and surrounding towns.
