Kentisbury is a rural civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in North Devon

North Devon

North Devon is the northern part of the English county of Devon. It is also the name of a local government district in Devon. Its council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth...

, England, bordering the Exmoor National Park, consisting of three small hamlets, Patchole, Kentisbury Ford and Kentisbury, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) north east of Barnstaple

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...

. The population at the 2001 census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 was 266 people.

Parish Church

The Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 parish Church of Saint Thomas’s is part of the benefice

Benefice

A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...

 of Shirwell.

Early history

There is evidence of an Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

 enclosure on Kentisbury Down

Kentisbury Down

Kentisbury Down is the location an Iron Age enclosure or hill fort situated close to Blackmore Gate on the edge of Exmoor in Devon, England. The enclosure - a simple 'round' is situated on the southeast slope of the Down above the ancient crossroads at approx 320 Metres above Sea Level....

. Kentisbury is mentioned in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, shown as Chentesberia.

Local amenities

The nearest public house

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

 is the Old Station House Inn, which, as its name suggests, was opened in the Station House of the former Lynton & Barnstaple Railway following its closure in 1935. A project is in existence to re-open the railway as a tourist attraction.

A school has existed in the village since 1876, the existing Primary School building dating from 1929.

External links