River Yeo, Barnstaple prone to flooding both when in spate, but also from the sea. A plan has been put forward to divert the river through a channel in Pilton Park in Barnstaple to alleviate extreme flooding events. River Yeo, Barnstaple The River Yeo is a tributary of the River Taw in Devon, England, sometimes known as the Barnstaple Yeo, which enters the Taw at Barnstaple. It is one of several rivers of the same name in Devon, including another tributary of the Taw, the Lapford Yeo. The Barnstaple Yeo rises on Berry Down, south of Combe Martin, and flows south through the
Barnstaple Bay. The name is first recorded in the 10th century and is believed to derive from the Old English "bearde", meaning "battle-axe", and "stapol", meaning "pillar", referring to a post or pillar set up to mark a religious or administrative meeting place. The belief that the name derives from "staple" meaning "market", indicating that there was a market here from the foundation of the settlement, is incorrect, because the use of "staple" in that sense is not recorded in England before 1423. Barnstaple was formerly referred to as "Barum", from a contraction of the Latin form of the name (ad