Sampford Courtenay


Sampford Courtenay is a village and civil parish in West Devon in England, most famous for being the place where the Western Rebellion, otherwise known as the Prayerbook rebellion, first started, and where the rebels made their final stand. It has a population of around 600.
The Church of St Andrew is mainly built of granite and has an elegant tower.
It was served by the nearby Sampford Courtenay railway station at Belstone Corner. This station still operates as a halt on the Dartmoor Railway summer weekend service between Okehampton and Exeter.

Literature

Sampford Courtenay is the area author M.R. James had in mind for his short ghost story Martin's Close published in More Ghost Stories in 1911. The New Inn featured in this story is also a real place and a grade II listed old coaching inn originally built in the 16th Century