| Ermington | |
|---|---|
 Ermington as seen from West Strode Cross | |
  Ermington Location withinDevon | |
| Population | 824 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SX637531 |
| • London | 183 mi (295 km) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | IVYBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | PL21 |
| Dialling code | 01548 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Community page website |
| 50°21′40″N3°55′02″W / 50.361020°N 3.917140°W /50.361020; -3.917140 | |
Ermington is a village and civil parish located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the town ofIvybridge in the county ofDevon, England. The village is in theSouth Hams district and falls under theelectoral ward of Ermington & Ugborough. It is twinned with the commune ofClécy, inNormandy, France and had a parish population of 824 at the2011 census. It is known well for itscrooked church spire, which a pub has been named after. It was home toEdmund Lockyer, who went to Australia and named a town,Ermington, inNew South Wales.
Ermington takes its name from theRiver Erme, along with theOld English place-name elements -ing- andtůn ("estate, enclosure"). Thus it once meant "settlement on the River Erme". The name is first attested in theDomesday Book of 1086.[2]
Near the boundary of the parish there is a place called Penquit (pronounced, at least in the 1930s, ['pænkɪt]), whose name is one of relatively few in English to derive fromCommon Brittonic, perhaps being in continuous use since the time of the kingdom ofDumnonia. The namePenquit is first attested in 1238, asPencoyt; it derives from the words that survive in modern Welsh aspenn ("head, top, summit, end") andcoed ("wood"). Thus it once meant "end of the wood".[3][4]: 291
Ermington appears in theDomesday Book as a royal manor. By 1270 the manor house of Strashleigh was the home of the Strashleigh family,[5] also written Stretchleigh, until the heiress Christina Stretchleigh in 1560 married Sir Christopher Chudleigh, grandfather of the adventurer SirJohn Chudleigh.[6] Nearby Strode was inhabited by the Strode family from 1238 and probably earlier. Although, since the 15th century, their principal residence has been inPlympton. In the 14th century, its church, named afterSaint Peter, was constructed and was later enlarged in the 15th century.[7]
Ermington's only school is Ermington Community Primary School. It is a state-fundedprimary school (ages 5–11) following theNational Curriculum. The school was first opened in 1879 and has been extended in 1997 and a double classroom was also extended in 1999.[8] The school uniform colours are navy and grey, it has about 150 students, who are transferred toIvybridge Community College, located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north, for secondary education at the end of year 6.[8] Ermington Primary School is one of only four primary schools in the county ofDevon to achieve 100% pass rates (level four and above according to the National Curriculum) in English, Maths and Science at the end of year 6National Curriculum assessment "SATs".[9]The village also has a small pre-school located within the primary school's grounds.
Ermington istwinned with:
