Burrator

{{short description|Grouped parish council in Dartmoor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Burrator Dam (north side).jpg|thumb|Burrator Dam, with the tor of Burrator itself covered in trees to the left]] '''Burrator''' is a locality in the [[civil parish]] of [[Sheepstor]] in [[Devon]], England. The name was originally given to a granite [[Tor (rock formation)|tor]], and was subsequently also used for a nearby farm, wood and waterfall. In the 1890s the [[Burrator Reservoir]] was built to supply drinking water to [[Plymouth]] and surrounding areas. The two dams which form the southern end of the reservoir stand either side of the tor itself. The reservoir straddles the three parishes of [[Meavy]], Sheepstor, and [[Walkhampton]]. These three parishes now share a [[grouped parish council]], called Burrator Parish Council.

==Tor== Burrator (sometimes "Burra Tor") is a [[granite]] [[Tor (rock formation)|tor]] that is exposed from the field to the woodland by the dam; located at Grid Reference 553679<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dartmoorsartplymouth.org.uk/how-help/organised-dartmoor-walks/burrator-perambulation/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150728093431/http://www.dartmoorsartplymouth.org.uk/how-help/organised-dartmoor-walks/burrator-perambulation/|archive-date=28 July 2015|title=Burrator Perambulation|website=Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Plymouth}}</ref> at the southern end of the reservoir and about halfway between its two dams blocking the outlets to the [[River Meavy]] and the Sheepstor Brook.

==Grouped parish council area== The three parishes served by Burrator Parish Council have a combined area of 59.45 km<sup>2</sup> (23 sq miles), which is generally sparsely populated. The population count in 2001 found that 1,540 people lived in the area. Since 1976, Burrator has been [[twin town|twinned]] with the municipality of [[Mathieu, Calvados|Mathieu]], in [[Normandy]], France.<ref>{{cite news |title=Burrator Mathieu Twinning Association celebrates 40 years of twinning with French village |url=https://www.tavistock-today.co.uk/news/burrator-mathieu-twinning-association-celebrates-40-years-of-twinning-with-french-village-414280 |access-date=10 October 2025 |work=Tavistock Times Gazette |date=10 October 2025}}</ref>

Burrator Parish Council holds the ownership of the Royal Oak Inn at Meavy, which dates back to the 16th Century. The Inn is leased to a tenant publican and the council's ownership and administration of the Inn is managed by its Royal Oak Inn committee, composed of Meavy parish councillors.

[[James Brooke]], the first white [[Rajah of Sarawak]], died in Burrator.<ref>Barley, p. 228.</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== *Barley, Nigel. ''White Rajah''. London: Time Warner, 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-316-85920-2}}.

==External links== *[http://www.burrator.gov.uk Burrator Parish Council]

[[Category:Dartmoor]] [[Category:Local government in Devon]] [[Category:Tors of Dartmoor]]