I recently posted in the History of King’s Tamerton series, in which I provided an overview of King’s Tamerton during the Saxon period. I mentioned how Sellman’s map – published in his book Aspects of Devon History (1985) – seemed to suggest that the hamlet was active during this era:

Intriguingly, Sellman’s book provides a map in his section about Saxon England (p.15). It includes an indication of ‘some larger early villages’, with such notable places of Exeter and Plympton mentioned. The area around Plymouth is empty, as is to be expected, however, the place-name of ‘Tamerton’ is noted. The placement is not entirely clear, however, it is highly likely that Sellman meant this ‘Tamerton’ to be Tamerton Foliot, rather than King’s Tamerton. Although it does the raise question: what was happening to our hamlet during these centuries.

How about a comparison of both of these maps? The first map refers to what I have mentioned above, the ‘Western limit of English settlement: some larger early villages indicated’ (p.15):

The second map (p.29) refers to ‘Medieval Boroughs’, with Tamerton Foliot clearly marked:

In the previous post I suggested that it was ‘highly likely’ that Sellman was referring to the same location in both maps, and that this location is Tamerton Foliot, rather than King’s Tamerton. This is based on Tamerton Foliot being the larger and more notable of the two settlements.

However, the difference in location on both maps does make me question further. Perhaps Sellman made an error in the placing of ‘Tamerton’ on the first map, or perhaps he was actually referring to two different locations. It is entirely possible that the two different locations refer to two different settlements, and it is also entirely possible that ‘Tamerton’ (meaning our King’s Tamerton) was the more notable of the two, before paling in significance to Tamerton Foliot in the medieval period. And if so, it does mean that our ‘Tamerton’ was a far bigger “player” in Devon than I have previously given it credit for.

As with everything in historical research: verification is needed. I cannot simply base a thesis of the history of King’s Tamerton based on the possible mention on one single map. As such, I will need to find other evidence that supports this. In the meantime, I stand by my initial suggestion that Sellman is actually referring to the same place in both maps; but I hold out hope that I can find something more concrete to link King’s Tamerton into the Saxon past.