Brentor
Encyclopedia
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its population in 2001 was 423. The village is dominated by the hill of Brent Tor
Brent Tor
Brent Tor is a tor on the western edge of Dartmoor, approximately five miles north of Tavistock, rising to 1100ft above sea level. The Tor is surmounted by the Church of St Michael, the parish church of the village of Brentor, which lies below the Tor.-Geology:Brent Tor is a unique example of an...
, topped by the village's church.
The origins of the name Brentor are old Devonian
Southwestern Brythonic language
The Southwestern Brythonic languages are the Brythonic Celtic tongues spoken in Southwestern Britain and Brittany since the Early Middle Ages. During the period of their earliest attestation, the languages appear to be indistinguishable, but eventually they evolved into the Cornish and Breton...
, a Brythonic Celtic language related to Cornish, Welsh and Breton and spoken in Devon until the early middle ages 'Bryn' and 'tor' meaning 'hill of the rock tower'. Interestingly, there is a farm near Brentor, which is named Brinsabach, from 'Bryn' and 'bach', meaning 'small hill' (named after the Tor).
The village was formerly part of Tavistock Hundred. Brentor railway station
Brentor railway station
Brentor railway station was on the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway's line from Lydford to Plymouth, between Lydford and Tavistock. It opened on 2 June 1890 and closed on 6 May 1968.-References:...
served the village. The topographer William Crossing
William Crossing
William Crossing was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and at Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth.-Early life:...
was for part of his life resident at Brentor.