Coldridge Explained

Country:England
Region:South West England
Shire County:Devon
Shire District:Mid Devon
Official Name:Coldridge
Population:498
Population Ref:(2011 UK Census)
Coordinates:50.8534°N -3.8517°W
Post Town:Crediton
Constituency Westminster:Central Devon
Static Image Name:Coldridge Church - geograph.org.uk - 1053664.jpg
Static Image Alt:Coldridge Church
Static Image Caption:St Matthew's Church, Coldridge

Coldridge or Coleridge[1] is a village and parish in Devon, England. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Colrige, which is thought to mean ‘the ridge where charcoal is made’.[2] It has a church dedicated to St Matthew dating from the 15th and early 16th century which is a Grade I listed building.[3] [4]

In 2021, investigations started as to whether John Evans, a medieval lord of the manor buried in the church, may in reality have been the missing Edward V, one of the princes in the Tower, whose mother Elizabeth Woodville travelled to Devon in 1484 and whose son Thomas Grey owned land at Coldridge. The church contains an unusual stained glass portrait of Edward V, and other alleged clues. The investigations have been set up by writer and historian Philippa Langley, and follow suggestions originally made in the 1920s by local historian Beatrix Cresswell.[5] [6]

The name "Coleridge" is borne (among others) by a number of people associated with Eton College, including

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of Coldridge in Mid Devon. Vision of Britain. 19 September 2019.
  2. Web site: Coldridge, Devon. Rootsweb. 1 November 2016.
  3. Web site: Coldridge . https://web.archive.org/web/20161103235452/http://www.devon.gov.uk/historiccoldridge. 3 November 2016. Devon County Council. 1 November 2016.
  4. Web site: St Matthew, Coldridge . A church near you . 1 November 2016.
  5. https://exeter.anglican.org/devon-church-holds-clues-to-princes-in-the-tower-mystery/ "Devon church holds clues to Princes in the Tower mystery", Diocese of Exeter, 4 January 2022
  6. https://www.visitmiddevon.co.uk/visit-mid-devon-listings/st-matthews-church/ St Matthew's Church, VisitMidDevon
  7. https://catalogue.etoncollege.com/coll-vp-03
  8. https://catalogue.etoncollege.com/object-fda-e-509-2013