Belstone is a village in Devon, England best known for the Nine Maidens stone circle. It lies within the West Devon local government district. Devon is a county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. ...

There are several explanations of the derivation of its name, including Baal's Ton (the hill of the Phoenician sun god Baal), Belle's Ham (Belle's enclosure) and Belle Stan (Bell Rock). In the Domesday Book the village is listed as Bellestam. Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... Baal (בַּעַל / בָּעַל, Standard Hebrew Báʿal, Tiberian Hebrew Báʿal / Báʿal) is a northwest Semitic word signifying The Lord, master, owner (male), husband cognate with Akkadian Bēl of the same meanings. ... Domesday Book (also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester), was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror, that was like a census by the government today. ...

Early history

The Nine Maidens stone circle comprises the remains of the outer wall of a Bronze Age burial chamber. Along with other erected granite stones on the nearby moor, it is the earliest evidence of human habitation near Belstone. The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Granite - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath. ...

It is possible that Fatherford, in the north west of Belstone parish, was one stage in a Romans extension of the Fosse Way road from Exeter to Launceston. Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England, UK. It is located at 50° 43′ 25″ N 3° 31′ 39″ W. In the 2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. ... Launceston (pronounced Lanson, Larnson or Lawnson by the Cornish, but Lawnston by most other people) is a town in the north of Cornwall, England, with a population of approximately 7,000. ...

The Domesday Book provides the first written record of Belstone, describing a small settlement of about 50 to 60 people. Domesday mentions that the village was held by the Saxon Osfer under Edward the Confessor, and passed to Baldwin de Brionne after the Norman Conquest, along with 4 cattle, 40 sheep and 10 goats. One side of Baldwin's family held Belstone until 1420, when it passed to another branch of the family. In 1600, two thirds of the manor passed to the Rolle family; in about 1750 the remaining third passed to the Rev. Joshua Hole. In 1887 Charles Woolcombe took control of the Rolle family holdings, which stayed with the family until Jack Reddaway bought them in 1990.-1... Edward the Confessor (c. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), secured in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... This article is about the animal, sheep; for other meanings of Sheep, see Sheep (disambiguation). ... Categories: Animal stubs ...

The first recorded priest, William de Speccot, was appointed to Belstone's church, St. Mary the Virgin, in 1260, but there is evidence that the church predates this. Parts of it date from the 14th and 15th centuries, and much of it was restored in 1881. Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan Emperor Kameyama ascends to the throne of Japan September 3 - Mongols defeated by Mameluks at Battle of Ain Jalut Samogatians and Curonians defeats Teutonic knights in Battle of Durbe Births Maximus Planudes, Byzantine grammarian and theologian Deaths Monarchs/Presidents...

Industry and agriculture

From at least the 13th century, villagers were granted Venville rights in exchange for paying rent to the Duchy of Cornwall, which owned the Forest of Dartmoor. These rights covered "all things that may do them good except vert (green oak) and venison". In practice this meant rights over turf, rushes, bracken, fishing, shooting, burning, sand, gravel, stone and, probably most importantly, pasture. Some of these rights exist today, under the control of the Dartmoor Commoners Council (set up in 1965) and the Dartmoor National Park Authority. Rent can refer to: a payment made for the temporary use of something owned by someone else. ... The Standard of the Duke of Cornwall. ... Dartmoor is a National Park in the centre of the English county of Devon. ... This article is about oaks (Quercus desert-oak is unrelated, and instead belongs to the genus Allocasuarina. ... Venison is most often associated with the meat of deer, but it also includes the meat of moose, elk, caribou, and antelope. ... Turf may refer to Sod, the surface layer of ground consisting of a matt of grass and grass roots, sometimes used as a construction material AstroTurf, or any variety of artificial turf made to resemble grass A colloquialism for the world of horse-racing Slang for territory claimed by a... Genera Andesia Distichia Juncus - Rush Luzula - Woodrush Marsippospermum Oxychloë Prionium Rostkovia The Juncaceae, or the Rush Family, is a rather small monocot flowering plant family. ... Fishing from a Pier Fishing is both the recreation and sport of catching fish (for food or as a trophy), and the commercial fishing industry of catching or harvesting seafood (either fish or other aquatic life-forms, such as shellfish). ... Patterns in the sand Sand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. ... Gravel Gravel is rock that is of a certain size range. ... Stone can refer to any of the following: A rock. ... Pastureland Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulates as part of a farm or ranch. ...

From the Venville rights arose Belstone's major industries: farming, mining and woollen cloth. The earliest mention of a tinner in the village comes in the 15th century, while weavers are first mentioned in 1524, with a wool factory opening in 1782. Cleave Mill was reopened after a fire in 1810; a copper mine opened in 1823; and there was a granite works in the village from 1875. Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, AR Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. ... A variety of fabric. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 5, p Density, Hardness 7310 kg/m3, 1. ... Genera Many:see text The Weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. ... The term mill, when used by itself, can refer to: Mill (factory) - a place of business for making articles of manufacture, e. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8920 kg/m3, 3. ... Granite - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...

But agriculture was the most important occupation. There were 50 acres (200,000 m²) under cultivation at the time of Domesday; by 1811 this had risen to 800 acres (3.2 km²), employing 97% of Belstone families. In 1841 60% of the land was used for wheat, barley and oats, 5% was woodland, 1% orchards, and the remainder was pasture and homesteads. But following an agreement over venville rents, cattle and sheep farming grew in popularity. A survey in 1921 found 1700 sheep, 425 bullocks and 100 horses in Belstone. There are still 725 acres (2.9 km²) farmed today, but hedge removal, modern machinery and changing farm practices mean that there are fewer, larger farms with fewer workers. There are currently five farms with an average of 148 acres (599,000 m²) each. An acre is a measure of land area in Imperial units or U.S. customary units. ... Tillage (American English), or cultivation (UK) is the agricultural preparation of the soil to receive seeds. ... Species T. boeoticum T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat (Triticum spp) is a grass that is cultivated around the world. ... Species Hordeum arizonicum Hordeum brachyantherum Hordeum bulbosum Hordeum californica Hordeum depressum Hordeum intercedens Hordeum jubatum Hordeum marinum Hordeum murinum Hordeum pusillum Hordeum secalinum Hordeum spontaneum Hordeum vulgare References ITIS 40865 2002-09-22 Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a major food and animal feed crop, and a member of the grass... Species References ITIS 41455 2002-09-22 Oats are the seeds of any of several cereal grains in the genus Avena. ... Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... An orchard is an intentional planting of trees maintained for food production. ... The word hedge is used in three quite different contexts: In gardening and agriculture, a hedge or hedgerow is a boundary formed by growing plants so that their limbs intertwine. ...

Pilgrims to America

Shortly before the English Civil War, which saw Cromwell's soldiers march through the village, some of Belstone's residents left to help populate America. For example, Thomas Bliss and his family settled in Boston and Connecticut, where some of their descendants remain today. The English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, specifically to the first (1642–1645) and second (1648–1649) civil wars between the supporters of King Charles I and the supporters of... Unfinished portrait miniature of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, 1657. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... Alternative meanings: Boston (disambiguation) The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. ... State nickname: The Constitution State Other U.S. States Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Governor M. Jodi Rell Official languages English Area 14,371 km² (48th)  - Land 12,559 km²  - Water 1,809 km² (12. ...

Population

Belstone's population has changed and decreased since the 1960s. Of over 200 inhabitants in 1851, 52% were born in the parish and only 4% came from outside Devon. In 1901 this figure dropped to 38% with 17% outside the county. Now, only 15% of the inhabitants were born in the parish.

References

• The Book of Belstone by Chris and Marion Walpole, 2002