History of Shirwell

Archaeologists don't seem to be much attracted to North Devon, so knowledge about the distant past is rather limited. I've done my best but any additional information would be welcomed!. People in Shirwell are a long lived lot - many of them have memories of a Shirwell which was quite different to what we know today.

I got an email a while ago from someone whose family originally came from Shirwell, and wanted to know whether anyone remembered his distant relatives, or anything else about the village then. In response, a number of people in the village came up with a collection of rumours, memories, and even the odd fact.

Some time after that, I got an email from Francis Wilkey, who grew up in Shirwell in the 20s and 30s. He has not only told me that the mysteriously named 'Wilkey's Corner' is named after his uncle, a Mr Wilkey who ran the shop in the 1930s, but has kindly allowed me to copy his old school photograph and given me some other good details about Shirwell between the wars.