Morchard Bishop’s story
54 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Morchard Bishop’s built-up area.
45% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Morchard BishopDevon
A village of 1,041 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Dr Duncan Pepper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,041
Census 2021 · Mid Devon council
Median home
£340K
36 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.8
30% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Morchard Bishop a good place to live?
Morchard Bishop has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A+): 5.9 violent and sexual offences and 1.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is schools (C+): primary results beat 42% of towns in England. The median home sold for £340,000 in the last three years, 6.6 times what households in the Mid Devon council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
What makes Morchard Bishop stand out
The 3 things Morchard Bishop does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
45% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
99%of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Safety
of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
How Morchard Bishop grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Morchard Bishop is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyA+Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.1 for men, 84 for womenB+Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 42% of towns in EnglandC+Open →Cost of livingrent £878 a monthC+Open →WalkabilityC+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £54,211; 2.1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryA+Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 2.6 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsBOpen →Civic life5.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Morchard Bishop.
Safety
Morchard Bishop has less crime per resident than 99% of UK towns
Violence came to 5.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Devon’s towns (21.5) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 16 crimes inside Morchard Bishop’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 69% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
5.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 99% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
5.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
16
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
SchoolsC+
Results at Morchard Bishop’s schools trail 61% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
C+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morchard Bishop Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 101 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Morchard Bishop is rich in listed buildings: 519 per 10,000 residents, more than Devon’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Morchard Bishop sits above both Devon’s towns (104) and England’s towns (39) on this measure. Morchard Bishop’s listed buildings include Church of St Mary, Grade I. Morchard Bishop has 54 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
54listed buildingsA+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II53
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
45%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
519
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Just 3.9% of people in Morchard Bishop say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Morchard Bishop below both Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Morchard Bishop has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 4.5 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
80%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Morchard Bishop | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
82.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C+
Morchard Bishop is a town of owners: 81% of households own their home, above Devon’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Morchard Bishop is above both Devon’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). 6% of households live in social housing.
£340Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Morchard Bishop£340K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £414,975 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £280,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £235,000 | 13 |
81%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£878
average private rent a month, Mid Devon council area
£2,579
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Fewer commuters in Morchard Bishop work nearby than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 14% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Morchard Bishop comes below both Devon’s towns (51%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 12% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot9%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 41% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Morchard Bishop skews older, with 30% of residents 65 or over, more than Devon’s towns or England’s towns
For Morchard Bishop, that is above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 9.5% of the town. Morchard Bishop has a median age of 52.8.
52.8median age
Morchard BishopDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Morchard Bishop | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Morchard Bishop
14pages on Morchard Bishop
The big questions
SafetyA+5.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC+Median home £340K · rent £878 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Old Rectory GardensSchoolsC+1 state schoolHealthB+Life expectancy 82.1 (men), 84 (women)Work & commuteC+60% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Morchard Bishop
3 notable people were born in Morchard Bishop.
Morchard Bishop’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CopplestoneWitheridgeBowCreditonChulmleighNorth TawtonWinkleighMorchard Bishop
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morchard Bishop | 1,041 | — | — | C+ | A+ | B+ |
| Copplestone | 1,475 | 3 | — | B | B+ | B |
| Witheridge | 1,306 | 4.6 | — | C | C− | B |
| Bow | 1,122 | 4.8 | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Crediton | 7,971 | 5.9 | C+ | B | C− | C+ |
| Chulmleigh | 1,232 | 6.7 | — | C | B | B |
| North Tawton | 1,785 | 7.5 | — | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Winkleigh | 1,342 | 8.5 | — | D | A− | B |
Copplestone, Witheridge, Bow, Chulmleigh, North Tawton and Winkleigh have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Morchard Bishop
How many listed buildings are there in Morchard Bishop?
That is 21.3 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary.
Does Morchard Bishop flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Morchard Bishop
Village in Devon, England
Morchard Bishop is a built-up area of 1,041 people, in the Mid Devon council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 1,041 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006500
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.