DOCUMENTS at the Devon Records Office have revealed a fascinating insight into the history of Okehampton, following a visit to the facility by the town mayor and town clerk.

Mayor of Okehampton Cllr the Rev Mike Davies and town clerk Don Bent recently visited the Devon Records Office to view the many hundreds of items relating to the town held in its archives.

Among the items viewed were the various Royal Charters granted to Okehampton, including those granted by Edward I, James I and Charles II.

The charters made comment on the Courtenay family, who rebuilt Okehampton Castle. King Henry VIII seized all the family's land and had Henry Courtenay executed by decapitation at Tower Hill in 1539 for treason.

The charter granted by Charles II mentions a list of Okehampton's MPs, which is held in the town hall. One noteworthy name is William Pitt the Elder, who held the post of Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768. He was the MP for Okehampton for one year, from 1756 to 1757. Whether he ever came to the town is unclear, but he did spent a lot of time in the West Country.

The charters also declare that the town and borough of Okehampton grant the town mayor two fairs in Okehampton, one upon the second Wednesday in March, and one on the first Wednesday in September. Each fair was to last three days.

Mayor Mike Davies said: 'As mayor I have been invited to several ancient fairs in Devon. It will be interesting to find out why the Okehampton ancient fairs ceased, yet continued in other towns such as Tavistock's Goose Fair, Barnstaple and South Molton's Summer Fair.

'As a town, Okehampton is the gateway to Dartmoor. It would be great if we could also build on its historical relevance and hopefully attract further tourism not based on our future, but our past.'