Lapford

Lapford is a village and civil parish in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon. It had a population of 993 in 2001, reducing to 867 at the 2011 census. Lapford is part of Taw Valley ward whose population at the above census was 1,629.ChurchesThere are three churches in the village. St Thomas of Canterbury C of E church, Yeo Valley Christian Fellowship and Lapford Congregational church.Originally a Norman chapel, the church of St Thomas of Canterbury is listed Grade 1 and mainly dates back to shortly after the murder of Thomas a Becket (1170), having been almost completely rebuilt, extended and then re-dedicated on the orders of King Henry II by William de Tracey, one of the assassins. de Tracey was lord of the manor of Bradninch, which then included most of what is now Lapford. The wall paintings and plasterwork were lost at the time of the Reformation and the original 12th-century chancel was rebuilt in the late 19th century.It contains a very fine late 15th-century carved screen, uniquely carved on both sides, and still almost complete. Like many Devon churches, it has a fascinating series of intricate carved pew ends, variously dating from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.The villageThe nearby Bury Barton is the site of a Roman fort, thought to be a large pre-Flavian fort that was succeeded by a smaller one that in turn was abandoned early in the Flavian period.