Brendon is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Brendon and Countisbury, in the North Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is close to the border with Somerset within the Exmoor National Park, the village is southeast of Lynton and west of Minehead in the East Lyn Valley. It is located just off the A39 and is on two long distance footpaths, the Coleridge Way and the Samaritans Way South West. The Church of St Brendon is from the village and was built in 1738, possibly with building material brought from another site. In 2001 the parish had a population of 159.
The village is located just off the A39, the parish of Brendon is roughly square in shape and is defined by the East Lyn River to the north, the Hoaroak Water to the west and the Badgworthy Water to the east; a tributary of the latter, the Hoccombe Water defines part of its southern boundary. Brendon Common occupies a part of the moorland area which characterises the south of the parish. Badgeworthy Water is crossed by the 17th century Packhorse bridge Malmsmead Bridge.
White's Devonshire Directory (1850) describes Brendon as follows:
A small village 1½ miles SE of Lynton & 15 miles W of Minehead is in a picturesque valley of the river Lyn, has in its parish 271 souls & 6733 acres of land including Leeford hamlet & a large tract of moorland on the borders of Somersetshire where the rivers Exe, Lyn and Barle have their sources. F. W. Knight Esq. is the Lord of the mannor owner of most of the soil, and patron of the rectory ... valued in 1831 at £148. The Rev. T. Roe of Oare, Somerset is the incumbent, and has 57a, 2r, 22p, of glebe. The parsonage is a small cottage, and the church St. is an ancient structure with a tower and 4 bells.
Brendon is home to the Exmoor Folk Festival, and is both on the route of the Coleridge Way and the Samaritans Way South West.
On 1 April 2013 the parish was abolished and merged with Countisbury to form "Brendon and Countisbury".
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