Milton Damerel is a parish, commonly thought to be a village, made up of many tiny hamlets with the parish covering 7 square miles (18.1 km²) in the district of Torridge

Torridge

Torridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Bideford. Other towns and villages in the district include Holsworthy, Great Torrington, Hartland and Westward Ho!. The Island of Lundy is administratively part of the District...

, 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...

. The parish has a population of around 450 and is about 5 miles (8 km) from Holsworthy

Holsworthy, Devon

Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...

 and 18 miles (29 km) from Bideford

Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...

. The A388 is the main road through the parish.

History

Roughly a thousand years ago people known as the Saxons

Saxons

The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...

 started to inhabit the area that is now called Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

. In Milton Damerel three small Saxon communities were formed. These were:

• Giddescotta, Now named Gidcott. This was the farm or cott of a man named Gidde.
• Mideltona, Now named Middle Town.

and...

• Wonforda, Now named West Wonford. The original name meant, simply, the ford sutiable for heavy wagons.

When William the Conqueror conquered 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...

 in 1066 he repaid his knights. He gave Milton and Gidcott and thirteen other manors, in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, to a man named Robert de Alba Marla.

West Wonford was granted, along with twenty-eight other manors in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, to a man named Ruald Adobed.

The parish has a Grade II* listed Holy Trinity Parish Church that dates back to, in parts, the 13th century! The church holds weekly services and other events in the old school room.

Buildings and facilities

The parish has no schools, though the children in the parish normally go to Bradworthy Community Primary, Bradford Primary, Holsworthy C of E Primary, Holsworthy Community College, which really is a high school, and North Devon College. Below are the shops Milton Damerel has:

• Garage (MOT as well)
• Shop with a Cashpoint (ATM
  Automated teller machine
  An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
  
  )
• Farm Shop
• Tea Room
• Pub
• Restaurant

Milton Damerel has many small businesses that serve the local community. The parish doesn't have a post office, although there are ones in Bradworthy

Bradworthy

Bradworthy is a village in Devon, England. The village is close to the site of the first Wind turbines in Devon, put up in 2005.****...

, Holsworthy

Holsworthy, Devon

Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...

 and a part-time one in Shebbear.

The parish has a parish hall that is used for community events. Interestingly, It has a Skittle alley attached, with skittle league matches taking place there during the winter months. The hall and skittle alley are both available for private hire.

There is a mobile library that visits the parish every two weeks. There is a permanent library in Holsworthy

Holsworthy, Devon

Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...

.

Public transport

There is a bus service that travels 4 times a day, in each direction, along the A388 between Holsworthy

Holsworthy, Devon

Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...

 and Bideford

Bideford

Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...

 and then on to 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...

. On Saturday mornings a bus goes to Launceston, Tavistock and Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

with a return service later in the day.