| Hartland | |
|---|---|
 Barley Bay | |
  Hartland Location withinDevon | |
| Population | 1,724 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SS2524 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIDEFORD |
| Postcode district | EX39 |
| Dialling code | 01237 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°59′35″N4°28′59″W / 50.993°N 4.483°W /50.993; -4.483 | |
The village ofHartland, whose parish incorporates the hamlet ofStoke to the west and the village ofMeddon in the south, is the most north-westerly settlement in the county ofDevon, England.
Now a large village which acts as a centre for a rural neighbourhood and has minortourist traffic, untilTudor times Hartland was an importantport. It lies close to the promontory ofHartland Point, where the coast of Devon turns from facing north into theBristol Channel to face west into theAtlantic Ocean. There is an importantlighthouse on the point. The town's harbour,Hartland Quay, is to the south of the point: the quay was originally built in the late 16th century but was swept away in 1887. The high tower of theChurch of Saint Nectan in Stoke remains a significant landmark for ships in theBristol Channel. The appropriate electoral ward is calledHartlandandBradworthy. Its population at the 2011 census was 3,019.[2]
Hartland is a convenient centre for walking parts of theSouth West Coast Path, and the wild coastal scenery around the point is some of the most dramatic on the path, with views across toLundy Island. From Hartland Point, the Lundy Company operates its helicopter service to Lundy between November and March. The 319 bus service, a council-supported infrequent route operated byStagecoach Devon, runs fromBarnstaple to Hartland and return. There is also a 219 service, which runs toBude.
The town was in the past known asHarton and was an unreformedborough, finally abolished in 1886.[3] In medieval times there was an important abbey at Hartland, where the shrine of St Nectan was venerated. Hartland Abbey and the parish church are located some two miles (3 km) away in Stoke.
Hartland Abbey was built in 1157 and consecrated byBartholomew Iscanus in 1160[4] (Bartholomew was appointedBishop of Exeter the following year). It was converted into anAugustinian abbey in 1189. In 1539 it was the last monastery to bedissolved byHenry VIII. The King gave the building to William Abbot, his Sergeant of the Wine Cellar atHampton Court.[4] William Abbot converted what had been the Abbot's Lodging into a mansion. The present house incorporates a few components from Tudor times but is mainly the wing added to the old house in 1705 (the north-west corner being the work of 'Mr Mathews' (according to the author of theBeauties of England and Wales). Further alterations were made in about 1860.[5] The gardens were laid out byGertrude Jekyll.
Saint Nectan, sometimes styled SaintNectan of Hartland, was a 5th-century holy man who lived in Stoke. The Anglican church isSt Nectan's Church, Stoke, Hartland. The Roman Catholic Church (Our Lady and St Nectan's Church, Hartland) was opened in 1964: it was also dedicated to St Nectan. The building was closed in 2010 due to no priests being available to celebrate mass there, and was demolished in 2012.
TheParish Church of St Nectan has the highest tower in Devon (128 ft (39 m)), built in the late Perpendicular style. The church is large (137 ft (42 m)) and was built in the mid-14th century. Notable features include the fine Norman font, the rood screen (described as the finest in north Devon)[6] and the old wagon roofs. The monuments include an elaborate medieval tomb-chest, a small brass of 1610 and a metal-inlaid lid of a churchyard tomb from 1618.[5]
Historic estates within the parish include:
The name "Hartland" presumably derives from theOld English word "heort" for adeer (compare withSwedish "hjort" andDutch "hert"), and it is therefore surprising that it is not more common inEngland. The manyplaces in other English-speaking countries called Hartland probably bear witness to the historic importance of Hartland rather than being independent derivations, since the word "hart" was largely obsolete before the European discovery of theNew World. Before the discovery of America, the word Hart was common in surnames. Family names such as Hartshorne were first mentioned in theDomesday Book. The nearbyHartland Point was named "promontory of Hercules" during the Roman occupation, which could have influenced the later naming of the village and parish.
Twin townPlozévet,Brittany,France
Natural history The coast at Hartland is part of theNorth Devon Coast AONB. TheBritish Geological Survey operates a magnetic observatory (one of three in the UK) just to the north of Hartland.[7]
Television In early 2008, scenery and a cottage on the Hartland Abbey estate were featured in theBBC adaptation ofSense and Sensibility.[8] Episode 2 of the BBC's 2016 adaptation ofThe Night Manager features Fore Street (Hartland's main street, including the Anchor Inn pub, O'Donnell's Grocers and Heard's Garage), Hartland Quay and the same Hartland Abbey cottage as featured inSense and Sensibility.[9] Hartland Abbey and Quay featured in theHBO seriesHouse of the Dragon.[10][11]
Community magazine TheHartland Times, ‘A bi-monthly review of life in Hartland’, reported on events and village life. It was first published in 1981, taking inspiration from theHartland Chronicle, a local newspaper written and edited by Thomas Cory Burrow from 1896 to 1940. Its editor was Tony Manley.[12] The final edition was published in September 2014, after which Manley retired.[13] TheTimes' successor, theHartland Post, is published quarterly, with its first issue released in the winter of 2015/16.[14]
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