The name Sheepwash is first documented in 1166 (as Schepewast) and means, as it sounds, a place where sheep were washed before shearing.[2][3]
The parish church, which is in the village, is dedicated to St Lawrence. It was completely rebuilt in 1880 and was described by W. G. Hoskins in 1954 as "dull".[4] Other buildings worthy of notice in the parish are Newcourt Barton, about a mile north-east of the village, which dates from the late 16th century with 18th-century and later alterations;[4] and Totleigh Barton which mostly dates to the 16th and 17th centuries, but has surviving medieval features. It once had a private chapel.[5]
The Half Moon Inn in the village is a traditional fishing inn with rights to the fishing on several miles of the River Torridge.[6]