Sampford Spiney

Sampford Spiney is a small village in the Walkham valley on the western side of Dartmoor, about 4 miles south-east of Tavistock in West Devon. Open moor begins above it, running up to Pew Tor. The civil parish includes the hamlet of Woodtown and borders Walkhampton, Whitchurch and Horrabridge. In 2011 the parish had 117 residents, and it has 26 listed buildings.

The Domesday Book of 1086 has it as Sanford, the sandy ford on the Walkham. The Spiney family held the manor in the 13th century and gave it the second half of its name. Horrabridge was separated from the parish as its own parish on 1 October 1950. A post-Roman inscribed stone, thought to be about AD 600, has been found in the parish.

St Mary's church is Grade I listed, with a Perpendicular granite tower, a 16th century granite font and Victorian restoration in the 1860s. It began as a manor chapel. One source gives 1250 for the first record of worship on the site and another 1257. The Godden Mausoleum in the churchyard, a granite structure of 1887 to 1888, was built by the mining engineer John Godden. The old manor, former national school and rectory stand close to the church.