Woolfardisworthy, Torridge


Woolfardisworthy is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district in the English county of Devon. The village is accessible via the A39 road, from the village.

Name

The name of the village is a local curiosity, as its pronunciation differs from what one might expect. On local signs, the village is sometimes marked as Woolsery alongside the original name. This is due to the pronunciation of the village's name being. The name also provides evidence for the power of the written word in conserving place-names: the shortened pronunciation is known to have been in use since the 17th century.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names, the origin of the name is probably "Wulfheard's homestead". The element "worthy" is from Old English worþig, one of several words used by the Anglo-Saxons to denote a homestead, farmstead or small settlement.

All Hallows Church

In the parish church dedicated to All Hallows is the large monument with effigy to Richard Cole of Buckish within the parish, also of Slade in the parish of Cornworthy, Devon. It is a Grade 1 British Listed Building.

Organisations

The Centre for Fortean Zoology is based here.