Iddesleigh is a village and civil parish in the county of Devon, England. The settlement has ancient origins and is listed in the Domesday Book. The village lies on the B3217 road, roughly central in its parish of around , about north of the town of Okehampton. Iddesleigh has been described as an attractive small village, with good views of Dartmoor to the south. Its church is a Grade I listed building and there are a number of other listed buildings in the parish. Toponymy and early history The name Iddesleigh derives from the Old English personal name, Ēadwīġ (or perhaps Ēadwulf), and lēah, a wood or clearing. The first documentary evidence of the settlement appears in the Domesday Book (1086), where it is referred to twice, as Edeslege and as Iweslei. By the 13th century its name was recorded as Edulvesly and in 1428 as Yeddeslegh. Domesday Book shows that in 1086 the majority of the manor of Iddesleigh (under the name of Edeslege) was owned directly by the king, but a small part of it (one virgate recorded as Iweslei) was held from the king by William of Claville. The pre-conquest owner of this land is unclear: two women's names – Alware Pet and Aelfeva Thief – are recorded. The overlord is recorded as Brictric son of Algar. By the 13th century the lands had passed to the de Reigny family as part of the honour of Gloucester. Geography The village is north-east of Hatherleigh and north of Okehampton. It is roughly in the centre of its parish, on the B3217 road that runs from Okehampton to Atherington, near the A377. The parish, which covers about on the Culm Measures, has its southern border along the River Okement and its western along the River Torridge. Clockwise from the north, it is bordered by the parishes of Dowland, Winkleigh, Broadwoodkelly, Monkokehampton, Hatherleigh and Meeth. In 2001, the population of the parish was 198, down from 335 in 1901, and 441 in 1801. The village The landscape historian W. G. Hoskins, writing in 1953, described the village as "an excellent example of a cob and thatch village, most attractive to explore", and in 1973 S. H. Burton wrote that it gave the appearance of being "thatchier" than anywhere else in Devon. Situated on a south-facing slope, the village has good views of northern Dartmoor, including its highest point, High Willhays.