Sandford is a village and civil parish in the Mid Devon district, within Devon, England. The parish, which includes the hamlets of East Village and Newbuildings, had a population of 1,268 at the 2021 census.
The village has its own community-owned shop and post office, two pubs, a Primary school, a church, St Swithuns with a font of Caen stone, and minor football and cricket teams.
It is linked by cycle/foot path to nearby Crediton through the Millennium Green – a wild flower meadow with herb garden, example of cob walling, and a large pond. An annual pumpkin growing competition is held there in late September.
The actors Luke and Harry Treadaway were raised in the village.
Near the village is Fordy Wood Copse a woodland owned and managed by the Woodland Trust.
History The Grade II listed school main building dates from 1825, and is notable for its classical Greek architecture and cob walls, thought to be the highest of their kind in the country.
The area surrounding the town of Crediton is particularly well populated with important historic estates. Those within the parish of Sandford include Dowrich, Creedy, Ruxford and West Sandford.
Dowrich (anciently Dowrish) was the seat of the ancient gentry family of Dowrish (originally de Dowrish) between the 12th century and 1717.Hoskins, p.473 The family built a castle keep on the site.Vivian, p.289 A 15th century gatehouse survives there today, next to the ancient mansion house.Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.276 An elaborate monumental brass survives in Sandford Church to the wife of Walter Dowrish, namely Mary Carew (1550–1604).
Creedy Park was long the seat of the Davie Baronets and their heirs the Ferguson-Davie Baronets, influential in the life of the parish of Sandford, to many members of which family survive monuments in the parish church. Sandford School was built in 1825, in the form of a classical Greek temple, by Sir Humphrey Phineas Davie, 10th Baronet (1775–1846).
The estate of Ruxford is recorded in a charter dated 930 in which a large estate was granted to the canons of Crediton Church.Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, 1959, p.473 The existing farmhouse known as Ruxford Barton was rebuilt in 1608 by the Chichester family, as is evidenced by a strapwork cartouche in plaster-work displaying the arms of that family with initials and date 1608.Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, 1959, p.473; Pevsner & Cherry, The Buildings of England: Devon, 2004, p.719 In 1618 Ruxford Barton was purchased from by Emmanuel Davie, a "clothier of Crediton". In about 1620 a plaster escutcheon was affixed inside the house showing the de Via arms of the Davie family impaled with the arms of Northcote,Information on armorials as given by Ferguson-Davie, Sir Michael, 8th Baronet, author of The Davies of Devon in posting the arms of the family of his first wife Katherine Northcote (d.1620).Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.272
West Sandford was a very large mansion about 2 1/2 miles north-west of Crediton, near the estate of Ruxford, of which a watercolour painting was made in 1797 by the Devon topographer John Swete. Swete wrote of West Sandford in his Travel Journal in 1797:
Lady Chichester was Frances Quicke, daughter of Andrew Quicke (1666–1736) of Newton St. Cyres, to whose second husband, Sir John Chichester, 4th Baronet (1689–1740) of Youlston Park,Burke's Genealogical & Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of GB & Ireland (Quicke of Newton St Cyres), where Francis Hall is stated as of "West Sandford" Vivian, Heraldic Visitations of Devon, 1895, pp.854-5, Quicke of Newton St CyresCruickshanks the estate of West Sandford appears to have descended. The large house had already been demolished by 1822 as reported by Lysons, who stated the estate was then owned by John Quicke, Esq.Lysons, Magna Britannia, Vol.6, Devonshire, 1822, Parishes: Salcombe Regis - Silverton, pp. 430-451.
Governance Sandford Parish Council is the lowest form of local government that covers this rural parish.
For elections to Mid Devon District Council, Sandford is in the electoral ward named Sandford and Creedy.
For elections to Devon County Council, it is in Creedy, Taw and Mid Exe electoral division.
Demographics
+ Census population of Sandford, Devon parish Census Population Female Male Households Source 2001 1,346 676 670 519 2011 1,391 711 680 537 2021 1,268 647 621 547
References
External links
Sandford Community Website Sandford School Sandford Parish Councill