There are two parts, Higher and Lower Compton named after two farms and now distinguished by their respective public houses.

Around 800 AD, the Manor of Compton was appearing on maps, Coombe (a wooded valley) Ton (the Saxon word for farm).

Around 1596 for example, the town criers of Plymouth, Thomas Edwarde and Vincent, were recorded as relocating lame men, beggars and other undesirables to Compton, Plympton and Plymstock, an effective way of removing the problem!

It is recorded that Prince Maurice advanced from Compton village around the head of Lipson Creek, but after some bloody fighting, was defeated by the Roundheads and the tide.

At this stage there were not many buildings, of these The Compton Inn is probably the oldest, with walls up to four feet thick, it was an old farmhouse, then a granary, a tanners and a cobblers shop.

In around 1850, horse trams were now using Henders Corner as a terminus, and by 1870 the Anglican parish of Emmanuel, Compton Gifford was born.

At the turn of the century the bustling little village was still mainly agricultural, with cows, market gardens, sheep, goats, pigs and horses still in evidence.

It was a popular pastime for Plymothians to take a stroll out to Compton, to take tea at one of the many places offering some refreshment from their front gardens or parlours.

Granny Daw, who lived in Beckham Place, built a reputation for being able to cure most ailments with her remedies, and a little help from the water.

However the deed was done, and Plymothians lived to regret it, as it cost a great deal of money to bring Compton up to the Borough's standards.

There was terrible poverty during this time, and she managed to obtain some boots for the children who had none, but she had to punch holes in the uppers, so that the parents would not sell them off to buy food.