Modbury

The name Modbury is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon name, Moot burgh from 'Moot' meaning either 'Mud' or 'meeting' and 'bury' meaning 'fortified enclosure'.

Modbury is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.[4] It has had permission to hold a weekly fair since before 1199.[3] The population of the town was greatly reduced as a consequence of the Black Death in the 14th century.

The manor of Modbury was held from the time of the Domesday Book of 1086 by the Vautort family, and passed successively to the families of Okeston and Champernowne. In the Domesday Book is listed as two separate parts;[5][6] the principal one as Motbilie, one of the holdings of Robert, Count of Mortain,[7] half-brother of William the Conqueror. Robert's tenant was one of his important Anglo-Norman followers, Reginald I de Vautort.[8][9] Later, Sir Roger de Vautort granted the manor, together with Bridford, to Sir Alexander de Okeston, of Okeston (alias Oxton), Devon,[10] the second husband of Joan de Vautort, widow of Ralph de Vautort, Sir Roger's elder brother.[11] Joan de Vautort was the mistress of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1209–1272), second son of King John. By Okeston she had a son Sir James Okeston, who before he died childless named as his heir the son of his half-sister Joan, daughter of Earl Richard and wife of Richard Champernowne of Clyst Champernowne, near Exeter, Devon.[12] The Champernown family was thenceforth seated at Modbury. Sir James Okeston (son of Sir Alexander de Okeston) granted Bridford to Richard Champernowne, as evidenced in a deed dated 1314[13]

The manor house, last occupied by the Champernowne family and known as "Court House", was situated on the north side of the parish church of St George, on or near the site of Modbury Priory, founded in the 12th century by the Vautort lords of the manor. It was destroyed during the Civil War (1642–1651) and the remnants were sold for building materials in 1705.[14]

The parish Church of St George is Grade 1 listed.The main body of the church is fourteenth century and is constructed of coursed rubble with granite dressings beneath slate roofs. The tower has angle buttresses and a broach spire believed to have been struck by lightning in AD 1621 and rebuilt as a copy of the original. The nave has a wagon roof, as do the aisles and transepts, the Lady Chapel, the Vestry, and the chancel. Dendrochronological analysis suggest the church was reroofed in the sixteenth century.[15] The church was placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register in 2013 with concerns about roof damage and damp. A 2015 Heritage Lottery Fund grant led to a extensive programme of roof repairs and restoration.[15]

The exterior and interior of Modbury's parish church of Saint George.

In April 2007 local traders declared that for environmental reasons, they would no longer give customers plastic bags.[17][18][19] This initiative led to other communities, such as Ilam in Staffordshire and Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, pursuing similar enterprises.[20]

Modbury has a recreation field with a football pitch, tennis courts and a tarmac all-weather surface used mainly for skateboarding. This is the home of Modbury Rovers, who are managed by Alex Pitcher and compete in the Plymouth and West Devon Combination League.

• Katherine 'Kat' Ashley née Champernowne (? – 1565) governess to Elizabeth I was probably born in or near the village.
• Sir George Baker, 1st Baronet, FRS, FSA (1 January 1722 – 15 June 1809), physician to King George III, was born in the town.
• William Battie (sometimes spelt Batty), president of the Royal College of Physicians in 1764 was born in the town.

• Modbury Priory

• Visit Modbury – Shops and Businesses
• Modbury Heritage
• Modbury Information
• Modbury News
• Aerial photo of Modbury in 1930, part of a series