Halwell
 |
| Halwell | |
|---|---|
 The village of Halwell as seen from nearby Moreleigh | |
  Halwell Location within Devon | |
| OS grid reference | SX776531 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TOTNES |
| Postcode district | TQ9 7 |
| Dialling code | 01548 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Halwell is a village, former parish and former manor in Devon, South West England. It is presently administered by the civil parish of Halwell and Moreleigh, itself administered by South Hams district council.
Location
It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Totnes, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Kingsbridge and 8 miles (13 km) west of Dartmouth, on the junction of the A381 and A3122 roads serving the three towns.
History
During the Saxon era Halwell was one of the four burhs, or fortified settlements, established in Devon by King Alfred the Great (d.899), King of Wessex from 871 to 899, to defend against invasion by Vikings.[1] At that time the other three were Exeter, Pilton (near Barnstaple) and Lydford.[2] Halwell had its own mint and issued its own coinage. According to the Burghal Hidage (an early 10th Century document describing all burhs then functioning), Halwell's town wall was 1,237 feet long and the garrison consisted of 300 men who could be drawn from the surrounding district in the event of an invasion. However by the close of the 11th century[3] its status as a burh had been transferred to Totnes, 5 miles to the north and situated on the River Dart, probably because it was better placed for trade at a time when the Viking threat had diminished,[citation needed] after which the significance of Halwell greatly decreased.
References
- ^ Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first publish1ed 1954), p.104
- ^ Hoskins, p.104
- ^ Hoskins, p.104 "within a century" of the 10th century