Dean Prior is a village and civil parish near the A38 road, in the South Hams district, in the county of Devon, England. It is located near the town of Buckfastleigh and north of South Brent. Dean Prior has a church called St George the Martyr, where the seventeenth-century poet Robert Herrick was vicar from 1629 to 1646 and 1660 to 1674 and is buried in an unmarked grave.
In the 1870s, Dean Prior was described as “a parish in Totnes district, Devon; on the verge of Dartmoor, near the river Dart, 3 miles N of Brent r. station, and 6 NW of Totnes.” According to the 2011 census, there were 94 males and 107 females living in the parish; a total population of 201 people.
Traditionally, Dean Prior’s population were predominately working in agriculture, trade or manufacturing; reflected by the 1801 census that divided its population into these 3 categories. This was contrasted by the census of 1841 which didn’t divide the population into these groups and instead focused on occupational data and social status. The first census to report on how well people were housed was that of 1891, but the only statistics gathered were on the number of rooms and the number of people in each household. Dean prior’s population has gradually risen based on the census, with a fairly even, but slightly male-dominated population. Its greatest infant mortality rate was recorded to be at 150 per 1000 in 1860 (today it is recorded at 2).
There has always been a heavy agricultural presence in the Parish of Dean Prior, as well as consumer services and manufacturing. However, contemporary statistics state that the area is now much more service-based, e.g. business, consumer and public. Traditionally the unemployment rate has stayed low but the percentage of people with university degrees or equivalent has risen to 35 (2010). Living conditions have also massively improved over the years. Industrial Britain meant that overcrowding in housing was common, however as Britain has developed this is no longer a problem; this is echoed in Dean Prior.
The Rural Settlement of Dean/Dean Prior comprises two discrete settlements. Lower Dean and Higher Dean lie half a mile south of Buckfastleigh, either side of the A38 trunk road on the south eastern boundary of the National Park. The second settlement, Dean Prior lies another half mile south of Lower/ Higher Dean, again straddling the A38. Between them, there are few community facilities other than the Church (Dean Prior) and village hall (Lower Dean). However, there is relatively good access to the Local Centre of Buckfastleigh, which compensates for lack of local facilities.
The settlements grew on the returns from agriculture, particularly wool production, which in the Middle Ages and later provided most of the wealth of the country. Agriculture is still an important part of the local economy. Lower Dean has seen a little development in recent years, including four affordable homes. There is a small amount of local employment; a busy forge and solid fuel stove manufacturer operates in the village.