"Molton" redirects here. Or see Molten or Moulton.

Coordinates: 51°01′N 3°50′W / 51.02°N 3.83°W / 51.02; -3.83

South Molton
South Molton  South Molton shown within Devon
Population	4,093 (2001 Census)
District	North Devon
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SOUTH MOLTON
Postcode district	EX36
Dialling code	01769
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	North Devon
List of places: UK • England • Devon

South Molton is a small town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093.

The town was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835. It retained this status as a municipal borough until 1967, when it became a rural borough in the South Molton Rural District.^[1]

On 14 March 1655 Sir John Penruddock was captured after a three-hour street fight in South Molton by soldiers of the New Model Army under the command of Captain Unton Crook. With his capture the Penruddock uprising came to an end and so did the 1655 plans of the Sealed Knot to restore King Charles II to the throne of England.

It is a small, well built market town trading mostly in sheep and cattle. Situated on the southern side of Exmoor just off the North Devon link road.

[edit] Education

There are good local educational facilities, South Molton College^[2] which is a state secondary school rated as a specialist technology college and West Buckland School^[3] a co-educational independent school just outside the town.

South Molton Primary School was one of the schools studied in the 1950s by Iona and Peter Opie.^[4]

[edit] Sport

There are clubs in South Molton for badminton, bowls, football, gymnastics, judo, rugby, running, table tennis and tennis. There is a local public swimming pool^[5] & climbing wall.^[6]

[edit] References

1. ^ Vision of Britain
2. ^ South Molton Community College website
3. ^ West Buckland School website
4. ^ Opie, Iona & Peter (1959) The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ South Molton Pool
6. ^ The Mill Adventure

[edit] See also

• South Molton (UK Parliament constituency) (1885–1950)

[edit] External links

• South Molton community website
• Genuki South Molton
• South Molton Tourist Association