Buckland In The Moor
Buckland in the Moor is a picture postcard Dartmoor village. The parish church at Buckland is famous for its unusual clock face. The clock does not have numbers to indicate the hours, but letters which spell out the words 'My Dear Mother'.
Above the village on Buckland Beacon are the Ten Commandment Stones, two large tablets inscribed with the words of the Ten Commandments.
HISTORY
The village is one of the prettiest in Dartmoor, with thatched cottages and a picturesque setting. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Bochelande', and the name probably comes from the words 'book land'; that is, land held by charter.
The estate passed to Torre Abbey in the 13th century, and later formed part of the manor of Stoke in Teignhead.
Buckland became a separate manor by 1578, and in 1614 it was purchased by the Bastard family. The Bastards held the manor for the next 300 years and built neighbouring Buckland Court as their family seat.
BUCKLAND CHURCH
St Peter's church stands on a rise of ground at the north-west end of the village, beside Buckland Court. The first church here was built in the 13th century, but the present building dates to the late 15th or early 16th century. It boasts a beautifully carved Norman font and a vividly painted 14th-century screen. In front of the altar is the tomb of Ralph Woodley, lord of the manor in 1593.
There is a very good wagon roof, an 18th-century wooden pulpit, and a coat of arms to George II dated 1745. Under the tower arch are a series of medieval glazed tiles.
The most famous feature of Buckland Church is the striking clock face. Like the village's other famous oddity, the Ten Commandment Stones, the clock face was the work of the Lord of Buckland Manor, William Whitely. In 1931 Whitely had the clock built as a memorial to his mother, who had died shortly before. At the same time, he gave a ring of 3 bells. The clock chimes 'All things bright and beautiful' every quarter hour.
At the bottom of the churchyard stands a delightful thatched vestry; the only one in England still in use.
Read MoreAbove the village on Buckland Beacon are the Ten Commandment Stones, two large tablets inscribed with the words of the Ten Commandments.
HISTORY
The village is one of the prettiest in Dartmoor, with thatched cottages and a picturesque setting. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Bochelande', and the name probably comes from the words 'book land'; that is, land held by charter.
The estate passed to Torre Abbey in the 13th century, and later formed part of the manor of Stoke in Teignhead.
Buckland became a separate manor by 1578, and in 1614 it was purchased by the Bastard family. The Bastards held the manor for the next 300 years and built neighbouring Buckland Court as their family seat.
BUCKLAND CHURCH
St Peter's church stands on a rise of ground at the north-west end of the village, beside Buckland Court. The first church here was built in the 13th century, but the present building dates to the late 15th or early 16th century. It boasts a beautifully carved Norman font and a vividly painted 14th-century screen. In front of the altar is the tomb of Ralph Woodley, lord of the manor in 1593.
There is a very good wagon roof, an 18th-century wooden pulpit, and a coat of arms to George II dated 1745. Under the tower arch are a series of medieval glazed tiles.
The most famous feature of Buckland Church is the striking clock face. Like the village's other famous oddity, the Ten Commandment Stones, the clock face was the work of the Lord of Buckland Manor, William Whitely. In 1931 Whitely had the clock built as a memorial to his mother, who had died shortly before. At the same time, he gave a ring of 3 bells. The clock chimes 'All things bright and beautiful' every quarter hour.
At the bottom of the churchyard stands a delightful thatched vestry; the only one in England still in use.
