Okehampton began as an Anglo Saxon settlement.
The name Okehampton had evolved by the 10th century and derives from the town’s river ‘Okement’. The first record of the town in 980AD states that slaves were freed at the crossroads, suggesting that Okehampton was a place of hope for early settlers.
All Saints Parish Church (despite being rebuilt several times) has stood in the same place since its original creation in Anglo-Saxon times, presumably around the same time as the founding of ‘Ocmundtune’.