Little Torrington is a village and a civil parish near Great Torrington, in the Torridge district, north Devon, England. In 2001 the population of the civil parish of Little Torrington was 420 and in 2011 it was 376, according to census data. Little Torrington has the Church of St Giles and the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene. In the 1870s, Little Torrington was described as follows:"A bridge over the river Torridge, at Taddyport village, connects the parish with Great Torrington. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £397. Patrons, the Heirs of Lord Rolle and others. The church is ancient but good." History Little Torrington was originally a Saxon settlement called Toritona, held by Edmer Ator during the reign of Edward the Confessor between 1042–1066. At the time of the Norman Invasion of England in 1066, Alweard the Red was lord and tenant. By 1086 Little Torrington was considered a large settlement for its time with 33 households. It had a new overlord, Count Rotbert of Mortrain, the uterine half-brother of William the Conqueror. The local tenant-in-chief was also from the Norman elite, Aluredus le butuiller (Alfred the Butler). The first vicar for the church was recorded in 1259, although the current church of St Giles was created in the 15th century. Renovations have taken place on the church throughout its time. The first major renovation took place in 1755, when it was re-roofed in a Georgian style. In 1857, the nave and south aisle were restored, the western gallery removed, and the chancel rebuilt and enlarged. Finally, in 1898, restoration work was carried out on the tower, and a tower screen and new pews were added to the interior of the church. Little Torrington, along with Great Torrington, had a significant role in the English Civil War; the Battle of Torrington in 1646 marked the end of Royalist resistance in the region. The population of Little Torrington fluctuated between 1801 and 2011 according to census data. In 1801 it was 449, and from then the population continued to grow, reaching a peak of 623 residents in 1851. The population then fell and reached its lowest recorded level of 281 in 1961. The population in 2011 had recovered to 376 people. Industry The first census divided the working men into two different categories, those "chiefly employed in agriculture" and those "chiefly employed in trade, manufacturers or