 Part 1 of Exeter by Sidney Heath This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Readers note, this book was published by Blackian Sun Limited in the beautiful England series in 1912. The printed volume includes 12 illustrations by E. W. Hazelhurst. The City Just as the five cities of Colchester, Lincoln, York, Gloucester and St. Albans stand on the sites, and in some fragmentary measure bear the names of five Roman municy palaties, so Iscadum non Jordum, now Exeter, appears to have been a cantonal capital developed out of one of the great market centres of the Celtic tribes. And as such, it was the most westerly of the larger Romano-British towns. The legendary history of the place, both temporal and ecclesiastical, goes far back to the days when, for a late posterity, it is difficult to separate facts from fable. It is, however, quite established that here was the capital of the Dumnonii, the British tribe whose dominions included both Devonshire and Cornwall, and who named their capital, Kerwisk, the city of the waters. With the coming of the Saxons, the river, the Roman Isca, became the Exa, and the city was called Exincesta, modified in due course to Exeter. In point of position, on a mound rising from the river, it was a splendid site for a fortress in the days of hand-to-hand warfare, and the military value of the site lends support to the statement of some writers that the Romans utilised the British fortifications and built a castle. In few places of its size can one see so clearly the extent of the Old Wall town, while the disposition and formation of its outer ring of houses on the lower slopes of the mound show very clearly the limits of the mural circumvalation before the city burst asunder its tight-fitting belt of stone, within which, for the safety of its populace, it had been imprisoned for centuries. Climb the higher parts for a bird's-eye view of the city, and the scene is entrancing. We look down upon the calm flowing ex, threading its way through the valley till it debouches at Exmouth. On the riverside beneath us is the key, with coasting schooners and barges moored alongside, and sundry bales of merchandise heaped upon the wharf, as though the people were playing at commerce to remind the world at large that Exeter was once an important port, although some ten miles from the river's mouth. But the ex in a quiet way has much to boast of in the nature of beauty and romance, particularly where it flows past the wooded grounds of Powderham Castle, the Devonshire seat of the great Courtney family. Truly there is much to redeem modern Exeter and make it interesting over and above its historical atmosphere, yet with comparatively few vestiges of age, the city has an historical past. In both a religious and a military sense, she has played a part in the annals of England, and more than one ancient document in the Library of the Dean and Chapter bears testimony to her honour, her valour and her glory. It is a city which has the impress of many ages, and many minds stamped upon it. Here, each influence, military from the Roman legions, ecclesiastical from the Saxon prelates, feudal from the Norman lords, has sunk deeply into the land, and has affected the general plan of the numerous buildings, as it has moulded the slowly succeeding phases of the civic and the religious life. It is no mere dream of the early ages, no sentimental reverie of medievalism. It is enough to go through the streets, noting the remnants of the ancient walls, the brutal strength of the surviving fragments of the castle, the sheltered position of the tidal basin, the many churches dedicated to the honour of Saxon saints, the proud beauty and massiveness of the cathedral, if one would realise, not the fancies of the artist and the poet, but the hard facts of history that made the ancient days so great, and which have caused our own days to be so full of their memories. As compared with the sister counties of Cornwall and Dorset, Devonshire is not particularly well represented in memorials of the Roman occupation, although an immense number of Roman coins have been unearthed at various times. Points, however, unless found with definite structural remains, indicates presence rather than a settled occupation. The large quantities of the Roman coinage must have continued in circulation, long after the last of the legions of Imperial Rome that departed from British shores. The few Roman antiquities of Exeter that have been found are important in a comparative sense, although they contrast poorly in structural character with those of our other Roman-O-British towns. It has been held that not only were the foundations of the city walls Roman, but part of the existing remains of the Rougemont Castle have also been assigned to this period. Mr. L. Davidson was of opinion that the old church tower of St. Mary Major, now removed, exhibited traces of Roman work and foundations presumed to be Roman were noted by him as having been found at the corner of Castle Street and High Street, in St. Mary Arch's Street, Bedford Circus, Market Street, South Street and the Mint Lane. In 1836 more definite structural remains were found in High Street, consisting of a family sepulchral vault, seven feet square, arched over and containing five coarse, sinerary urns arranged in niches around its interior. This was discovered behind the three tons in and during the same year, at a great depth below the site of the county bank, a low arched chamber was found in which were a quantity of bones of men and animals. No exonian find, however, exceeds in interest the discovery in 1833 of a bath and tessellated pavement behind the denary walls in South Street. The walls were of heavy-tree stone and brick. The original pavement was of black and white tessary set in concrete. The associated remains of a 13th century encaustic tile pavement indicates the use of the old Roman bath a thousand years or so after it had been made. Several other tessellated pavements are recorded as having been found in Pancras Lane on the site of Bedford Circus and on the north side of the cathedral near the speak chapel. In 1836 a small bronze figure of Julius Caesar, now in the British Museum, about three inches in height, was dug up during the removal of some walls in the west gate quarter of the city. The only recorded find of a military weapon is the bronze hilt of a dagger on earth in South Street in 1833. This is of more than passing interest as it bears the name of its owner i me fiti eio fris, which has been read thus servi o marchi me fiti tribuni equitum frisiorum servius o murchius me fitus tribune of the Frisians. The antiquary Leland mentions two Roman inscriptions as built into the city wall near Southern Hay, but they are gone, and besides the inscribed dagger we have only a seal of Severius Pompeius and Sandris Grafiti of Unereal Pottery in the way of literary relics of Roman Exeter. The poverty of Devonshire in memorials of the Roman period is shown by the fact that outside Exeter there are not a dozen places in the county which have yielded Roman vestigia other than coins. In 926 the Britons were driven from Exeter by Athelstan who banished them into Cornwall and fixed the river Teimar as their boundary. Athelstan was one of the greatest benefactors the city has had for, in addition to increasing the fortifications by means of a massive wall flanked by towers, he built a castle on the Red Mount now known as Rougemont Castle. Although very little of this now remains, a portion of the ruins is generally known as Athelstan's tower and has a window with a triangular head which is certainly of Saxon style and date. In 932 Athelstan rebuilt the monastery of Our Lady and St. Peter staffing it with monks of the Benedictine Order and presenting them with the reputed relics of St. Sidwell, a saint who is still somewhat of a puzzle to ecclesiologists. A few years later the monastery was plundered by the Danes when the monks beat a hasty retreat but returned in 968 on the entreaty of King Edgar. A mint was sharply established here wherein the first coins were struck naming Athelstan King of England. The Danes made continuous raids in the neighbourhood but were decisively defeated by the West Countrymen in 1001 at Pinhoe a few miles from Exeter. From that time until the treacherous massacre of the Danes in Wessex upon St. Price's Day in 1002 by Athelred. This part of the country was comparatively free from their inroads but Gunn Hilda, the sister of Swegen, King of Denmark, being among the slain, this king came to avenge her death. He sailed up the ex, burning and plundering the villages on its banks and for four years his army marched in every direction across Wessex and was at length induced to withdraw on being paid a wear-geld, war tax, which was the first levied on Exeter. After the battle of Hastings, Geitha, the mother of Harald, took refuge in Exeter and Leofric the bishop offered to render homage to William as royal suzerain but the conqueror would have no half-hearted submission so Exeter closed its gates to the Normans. It held out for 18 days when the military science of the Normans and particularly the skill they showed in undermining the walls caused it to surrender. The resistance won the besiegers' respect and brought unusually good terms from so ruthless a victor as William. The lives of the garrison were spared. Geitha was allowed to seek safety by sea and it has been said that the victorious troops were withdrawn from the city gates to prevent them from claiming the licentious privileges so generally granted to their followers by the Norman kings. As is fitting for its county town, the first entry in the Devonshire doomsday deals with Exeter in which city it is recorded the king had 285 houses rendering customary dues. The generally debased character of the coinage of the time led to various expedients being adopted by the exchequer for securing approximately accurate payment of a specified sum of money. Among other things the entries in doomsday state that in the total this city of Exeter renders 18 pounds per annum of these Baldwin the sheriff has 6 pounds by weight and assay and Colvin has of them 12 pounds by tail for the service of Queen Edgith. This entry is significant for 1 pound or 20 shillings meant 1 pound or 12 ounces Troy of Silver and when money was payable by weight 20 shillings were not taken as the equivalent of 1 pound unless they fully weighed 1 pound. In this instance it is observable that the portion of the customary dues rendered for the 285 houses which went to the exchequer was collected by the sheriff under the strictest rules of weight and assay whereas the portion allotted to the widow of Edward the Confessor was received by the tail only. The authorities took care that the sheriff collected the full amount due to the crown but did not trouble themselves about the exqueens share. It has been affirmed that it was by the Normans that the fares of England were moulded into the shape with which we are most familiar. At Exeter in 1276 in reply to a writ of Quo Waranto it was satisfactorily shown that the rights of the city its fee farm rent and its farms dated from pre-conquest days. The privileges and emoluments attached to fares in large towns were very great during the time allotted to them the citizens were often debarred from selling anything whereas strangers could vend their wares during the fare but at no other period of the year. In Kossin's reminiscences of Exeter 1877 we are told how at Exeter on the occasion of the Lamas Faire a procession yet perambulates the city one man bearing a pole with a gigantic stuffed glove at the top of it the latter being subsequently hung out at the guild hall. Many of England's reigning sovereigns have visited the city among them being Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII came wither on 7th October 1497 on the suppression of Perkin Warbeck's rebellion when that rebel had attempted to capture the city. The rebels were brought here before the king their headed and with halters round their necks and after they had pleaded for mercy Henry pardoned them. On his departure the king presented the civic authorities with a sword and cap of maintenance both of which are still carried before the mayor and corporation on occasions of state. The citizens of Exeter have always been noted for their staunch loyalty to the reigning house with the consequence that many rights and privileges have been granted to it. The city motto, Sempe Fidelis was conferred by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of the contributions both of men and money made to the fleet that vanquished the Spanish Armada. That the motto was merited is evident when we recall the fact that with the exception of Frobisher and Cavendish practically the whole of the leading seamen who chased the Spanish ships along the channel were born in the land of the Tema, the Tevi and the Dart. During the early part of the Civil War the citizens were divided in their sympathies some supporting the parliament and others the king but the city soon fell into the hands of the former. In 1643 however, Sir Ralph Hopton the famous royalist general marched on Exeter with a force made all the more formidable for siege purposes by the cannon he had previously captured at Halton. The immediate capture of the city by the royalist forces was expected. The mercurious Orlius of 1st June 1643 remarking that if the old observation of any credit that cats and mice do commonly forsake a ruinous and decaying house that city Exeter is not like to continue long in the rebels hands. The proud and rebellious city was assaulted and captured by the royalist forces under Prince Morris on 4th September 1643 after a siege lasting 16 days and a full account of its fall appeared in the issue of the mercurious Orlius of 8th September. In May 1644 Queen Henrietta Maria took up her abode in the city at Bedford House where on 16th June of the same year the princess Henrietta was born. In the following month Charles I came to see his little daughter and again in September when he appointed Thomas Fuller, vicar of Broad Windsor in Dorset as chaplain to the princess. The queen who had retired to Exeter as a safe place for her confinement soon afterwards had to leave there suddenly on the approach of a parliamentary army in command of the Earl of Essex. Her Majesty's easiest way to France was by sea and to prevent this Cromwell had sent a fleet to Torbay to intercept her should she attempt to leave England by that route. Finding this road closed she made for Falmouth from which port she got safely away During the siege by Fairfax the inhabitants of the city suffered considerably owing to the food supplies being intercepted. One day a flight of larks came into the town which were, says Fuller, as welcome as quails in the wilderness. The birds were so numerous that notwithstanding the prevailing famine they were sold for tuppence a dozen. This miraculous event wrote Fuller I was not only an eye but a mouth witness. The city capitulated on 13th April 1646 among the conditions of surrender being that the cathedral should be spared and the garrison accorded the honours of war. After the landing of William of Orange at Bricson in 1688 he marched through the county to Exeter and entered the city by its western gate. He proceeded direct to the cathedral and took his seat in the bishop's throne with his chaplain Burnett near him. A few of the Prevenderis and Choristers attended the service but when Burnett began to read the Prince's declaration after the singing of the Tedeum they hurriedly departed. The bishop, Thomas Lamplew had proceeded to James on hearing that the duch had landed and was rewarded with the archbishopric of York. He afterwards assisted at William III's coronation. The Dean of Exeter had also left the city and the Deenery was prepared for the Prince's reception. George III was the last English sovereign to stay in Exeter and he also resided at the Deenery. Although the cathedral is the main attraction what an Exeter has to offer to the tourists a walk through the historic Old City will reveal the fact that, in addition to some highly interesting old churches it possesses a not inconsiderable number of ancient buildings. At the same time there has been an appalling amount of destruction some of it apparently of an unnecessary kind as the recent dismantling of the beautiful old courtyard in the rear of Bampfield House the city residence of the Pultimo family. The visitor who arrives at Exeter either by the Great Western or the South Western Railway the station of the latter being the more central of the two can soon reach the busy and picturesque High Street by way of Queen Street one of the broadest thoroughfares in the city. The most interesting building in High Street and one that in this respect ranks next to the cathedral is the Guild Hall with a portico projecting over the pavement. It is probably one of the oldest municipal buildings in the country for in 1330 we find that the Guild Hall was again in a ruinous condition and it was then rebuilt. Again in 1464 it was built up anew in a more commodious and efficient manner while the building as we see it today with its facade is the result of still further alterations in 1592. The entrance porch is separated from the inner hall by a massive oak doorway and the hall itself 60 feet long and 25 feet wide is paneled throughout in oak with a freeze consisting of shields charged with the arms of former mayors, older men, recorders and of the city companies. Curious brackets of figures bearing staves support the roof. The judge's chair is of carved oak and bears the name and date of the donor Christopher Ball Esquire 1697 On the walls hang six large portraits among them those of George III and General Monk the latter by Sir Peter Leely and over this picture hang the colours of the Fourth Devons a regiment raised in the city by the general in 1681. Another portrait here by Leely is of the Princess Henrietta concerning which the old record states that in 1671 the King Charles II in order to keep his promise made the last year when he visited this city in person and as a signaled testimony of his love towards the same was pleased to send hither the effigy of portraiture at length and richly framed of his dear sister the Duchess of Orleans lately deceased a princess born within this city and for beauty was esteemed to be one of the fairest in Christendom which said picture being placed in a fair case of timber richly adorned with gold is erected in the open guild hall of the said city there to remain as a perpetual monument of his Majesty's high favour towards this is truly ancient, loyal and honourable city of Exeter the upper room is known as the Mayor's Parlor where are many more portraits and the city's sword and cap of maintenance the scabbard of the sword which is the one presented by Edward IV is still draped in crepe as it used to be for the processions on King Charles Martyr's day 30th of January the cap of maintenance presented to the city together with his sword by Henry VII was sent up to London to be repaired the cost for sarcanet, damask and pin lace amounting to four guineas the original cap still remains within its covering and it appears to consist of two pieces of black felt sewn together during the 15th century the chapel of Saint George and Saint John was built over the guild hall with an apartment above for the priest who served it the chapel being probably connected with the religious guild the junction of north and south streets with four and high streets was formerly known as the Carfua or Carfax Catrava, ii four ways where at one time many executions took place here also stood the ancient conduit which supplied the city with water but this was removed to south street in 1779 at the corner, looking down four streets was a fine 14th century life-size figure of Saint Peter holding a model of a church in his right hand and a book in his left his feet trampling on a demon this has been removed from its original position and placed high up in a niche over a shop close by on the opposite side of high street is Saint Petroc's church at one time almost hidden from sights by the adjacent buildings it is a curious little church of which portions have been assigned to the Saxon period the parish of Saint Petroc is in the centre of the city and was one of the oldest and most important being one of the 19 churches to which William I ordered the provost to pay a silver penny yearly the church was enlarged on the south side during the 15th century and in the following century the Jesus Isle was added when Thomas Chard acting as Bishop Oldham's suffragan reconsecrated the church the chancel is now towards the east in what was once an Isle the original chancel being where the north Isle is now with the consequence that the interior of the church has a very curious appearance farther up high street on the same side are some picturesque houses with Elizabethan gables the interiors of many of them are dawned with fine specimens of oak carving in situ the building now occupied by Messers Green as a drapery establishment was at one time the new inn and it is mentioned in this capacity so early as 1456 in a lease relating to the building in which it is referred to as the new inn in 1554 the cloth mart was established here and early in the 17th century the new inn hall was used as the exchange where the cloth merchants met to transact their business the house was rebuilt towards the close of the century and the Apollo room was added as a banqueting hall for the judges on circuits this is now used as a showroom but it still retains its elaborate plaster ceiling bearing the date 1695 and the original oak paneling the frieze consists of a series of wreaths upholding shields charged with the armorial bearings of many county families together with the royal arms and those of the city farther up the street is the church of St Stephen mentioned in doomsday the original church was destroyed by the Commonwealth in 1658 and rebuilt in 1664 Stephen's bow, the adjacent archway was always a part of the church and above it rises the tower beneath the church is an ancient crypt a turning to the right close by leads to Bedford Circus with the statue of the Earl of Devon at the entrance in the 13th century a Dominican convent was founded in this part of the city and occupied the southern portion of the circus together with Chapel Street and the adjoining muse in 1558 the convent was dissolved at Bedford house the west country residence of the dukes of Bedford was erected here Henrietta Maria held her court and here the little princess was born the dukes of Bedford ceased to use this residence in the 18th century and in 1773 it fell into the builders hands when the eastern side of the circus was built the western side not being begun until 1826 the place today possesses no attractive features and only the memories of its past history remain the earlier excavations brought to light a great number of skulls, bones and fragments of sculpture while during the later building operations especially those conducted on the site of the conventual church a large number of carved stones were unearthed which had evidently formed part of the Dominican house some of these fragments were richly ornamented with painting and gilding another discovery was the life-sized stone head of an effigy with a hood of closely set ring mail this is now preserved in the cathedral cloisters returning to High Street Bampfile Street lies a little higher up a great portion of this street is occupied by the front of Bampfile House built by Sir Amir Spampfile at the end of the 16th century in later years this became the townhouse of the Baltimore family although shamefully modernized the house has retained a few interesting features in the hall is seen a narrow window filled with old glass on which armorial bearings are displayed while the broad staircase leads to a fine apartment paneled in oak and having an elaborate plaster ceiling the mantelpiece is a good piece of work and bears the arms of the polymores in its centre there are one or two other good rooms and some deep cupboards and one of very small apartments is said to be a genuine 18th century powdering closet the beautiful old courtyard at the back will no longer be recognized by those who knew it a few years ago it has been restored the church of St. Lawrence is situated on the north side of High Street and dates from 12002 it was sold during the Commonwealth and bought by the parishioners for £100 on the south side and slightly farther up is St. John's Hospital situated near to where the old east gate formerly stood the hospital was founded circa 1225 by Gilbert and John Long Bishop Grandison was a great benefactor to it as in addition to increasing the number of inmates in clergy he added a master of grammar and 12 scholars the foundation was suppressed in 1540 but in 1620 this restoration was planned by Hugh Crossing and carried out after his death by his widow the institution was re-founded in 1629 when only the school was revived and is now known as the Blue Boys School the playground is partly bounded by a piece of the old city wall whence one can look down on the Southern Hay Gardens and obtain a good impression of the strength of the ancient fortifications the seal of St. John's Hospital is an interesting one of 13th century date on which is depicted the exterior of St. John's Chapel which is shown as having a shingled roof and gable crosses also an external arcade and circular arches another interesting seal of the same century is that of the Hospital of St. Alexius founded in 1170 this foundation and the hospital of the bishops formerly on the site of the present bickers college were afterwards united with the hospital of St. John at the east gate the seal shows the hospital with gable crosses an arcaded clarestry and three quatrafoil openings in its wall beneath is an arcade of six arches high street merges into Sidwell Street St. Sidwell's was one of the 19 old city parishes although without the walls the site of St. Sidwell's church is said to be on the spot where a saint of this name suffered martyrdom she is one of those half mythical British saints said by tradition to have been beheaded by a scythe whilst praying beside a well a church is said to have been built in her honour so early as 749 the present building has undergone repeated restorations but some ancient pillars still remain with sculptured capitals and there is also a representation of St. Sidwell or Sidwella whose attributes are a well and a scythe so the monastery he had founded Athelstan presented some reputed relics of the saint at the top of Sidwell Street is St. Anne's arms house one of the most interesting foundations in the city it was originally a hermitage but little is known about it until 1418 when it was newly constructed and in 1561 Oliver and George Manoring founded a hospital for eight poor people the chapel is a small building that has retained its piscina and two niches for holding figures the arms house was fortified by Fairfax during the Civil War and for many years the chapel was in a ruinous condition but it was restored early in the 19th century St. Anne's Day 26th July has been observed regularly by the inmates of the charity since its foundation retracing our steps to the beginning of High Street and proceeding up Castle Street we reached the highest point of the city the Red Mount crowned by the gateway and ruin towers of an ancient castle the fortress formed as part of the fortifications erected by Athelstan and the Red Tower with its triangular headed window may be confidently assigned to the Saxon era during the Norman period the castle was rebuilt by Brian de Molis in Stephen's reign it was besieged and taken from Earl Baldwin de Redvers who was banished until the following reign when his possessions were restored the castle belonged to the de Redvers and Courtney families until 1231 when Henry III presented it to his brother Richard as part of the earldom of Cornwall in 1537 Henry VIII granted Exeter a charter giving the city the privilege of being a county with its own sheriffs accepting Rougemont Castle which still belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall in 1774 a large portion of the castle ruins were cleared away when several interesting buildings were destroyed among them the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin to make room for the presence of size court a plain building with no pretensions to architectural beauty on the right of the castle yard is a little path leading to the top of the walls when a comprehensive view of the city and the neighbourhood can be obtained looking straight across the valley beyond the county jail one can see the site of the ancient camp of the Danes against whom Athelstan built his fortifications now occupied by the reservoir at the foot of the wall are the northern hay gardens a favourite resort with youthful exonians from northern hay the old walls can easily be traced westwards and crossing Queen Street we may proceed down the narrow Maddox Road to find the wall pierced by the only archway now remaining continuing westwards we cross North Street where the old north gate stood until it was demolished in 1769 entering Bartholomew Street East we are on the ramparts again and from the bastion near all Hallows on the walls church we may look down upon the old Bartholomew burying ground consecrated in 1639 and used as the principal city cemetery for nearly 200 years the church of all Hallows on the walls is a modern one that stands on the site of a more ancient edifice from this point one can see the tapering spire of St Michael's Church in the grounds of Mount Dinham where are the arms houses erected and endowed in 1860 by John Dinham here are 40 free cottages and Episcopal charity schools the latter founded originally in 1709 by Bishop Offspring Blackhall continuing along the bastion the limit of the northern wall is soon reached many of the old streets in this quarter of the city are worth visiting for in the narrow thoroughfares are some interesting old houses in St Mary Arch's Street is the church of the same name shut in by houses it is one of the old parish churches of Exeter and one that takes part of its name from the fine Norman pillars and arcade of the nave which is the oldest in the city in the south isle is a chantry containing the altar tomb of Thomas Andrews mayor in 1505 and 1510 and who died in 1518 Mint Street as its name implies was associated with the Mint established there by permission of William III the coinage minted there may be recognized by the letter E placed beneath the king's head Bartholomew Street brings us to 4th Street a narrow and very steep thoroughfare within which is the fine front of the Tucker's Hall belonging to the incorporated guilds of weavers fullers and sheer men chartered in 1490 close at hand are steps leading down to X Island which was for many years a subject of disputes between the ills of Devin and the citizens but on the attainment of Henry Marquis of Exeter in 1558 the property reverted to the crown on the conclusion of the prayer book riots the island was granted to the city by Edward VI as a reward for the services it had rendered the authorities many of the old portions of the island have been destroyed many of them in recent years but an interesting specimen of a Tudor house remains with the covering of slates somewhat resembling scale armor shields appear in the ornamentation one of them bearing the Tudor rose at one time this style of wall covering was very common in Exeter but the example in Ex Island is the only one now remaining on the south side of 4th street stands St Olav's church where, according to Doomsday a church with the same dedication existed before the conquest it is said traditionally to have been built by Geifer Harold's mother in order that masses might be said for the souls of her son and Earl Godwin William I gave the church to the monks of Battle Abbey in whose possession it remained until the Reformation more than a century later St Olav's was lent to the French Huguenot refugees many of whom settled in Exeter where they established an important woollen industry the present church bears few indications of antiquity beyond some Norman arches and a little early carving in the tower at the lower end of 4th street is West Street marking the western limits of the old walls a right hand turn leads to St Edmund's church built in the 13th century at one end of the old bridge when it was known as St Edmund's Super Pontem in 1831 the original structure was pulled down and the present building begun it is said to stand upon some of the arches of the ancient bridge turning eastwards we reach the foot of Stepcoats Hill and the church of St Mary Steps a remarkable exterior feature is the old clock and figures known locally as Matthew the Miller the dial is enriched with basso reliefos representing the four seasons and in a niche just above is a small effigy of Henry VIII in the sitting posture who nods his head as each hour is struck on each side is a military figure their morians crowned with feathers javelins held in their right hands and small hammers in their left hands with which they alternately strike the quarter hours on two small bells at their feet the name of Matthew the Miller is said to have originated from the punctuality of a Miller of that name who was so regular in going to and from his mill that people set their clocks by him the church contains a fine chancel screen with 28 panels of painted saints which was removed from the church of St Mary Major the font is a good one of Norman date just opposite St Mary Steps stood the west gate of the city which was taken down in 1814 the west gate quarter formed part of the Manor of Ex Island and was inhabited chiefly by weavers, fullers, dyers and those whose occupations required a copious supply of water the whole of this district is intersected with narrow lanes and passages beneath and around which are many streams diverted from the river to work the mills a few old gabled houses with overhanging upper stories still remain in this district but they are in a very dilapidated condition as will be noticed by anyone who traverses one of the numerous byways that leads to south street at the lower end of which is Magdalen Street where are two very interesting hospitals Wynards and the Magdalen the former was founded in 1430 by William Wynard sometime recorder of the city for the habitation of a priest and 12 poor men the attached chapel was dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the hospital was called God's House the founder left many lands and tenements to provide funds for the establishment the master might not be absent more than once or twice in the year and his total holidays in the twelve months were never to exceed three weeks and three days he was also required to teach from three to nine boys starting them with the alphabet and going on to the great Salter of the Holy David the foundation passed eventually into the possession of William Kenoway who built a vault within which he was buried the hospital today is one of the secular buildings of Exeter most worth visiting with its gabled houses dormer windows and garden plots an archway leads into the courtyard around which on three sides are grouped the houses of the twelve pensioners the chapel occupies the fourth side of the quadrangle the Magdalen or Lepa hospital just without the south gate was founded sometime before 1135 for in 1136 we find that Bishop Bartholomew permitted a continuance of the ancient rite by which the lepers were allowed to collect food twice a week in the market and arms on two other days to all of which the healthy members of the community naturally objected in 1245 Bishop Breuer resigned the guardianship of the leper hospital to the corporation and was given in its stead the mastership of the hospital of Saint John one of the mayors of Exeter Richard Orange was a great patron of the Lazar house and when he himself contracted leprosy he took up his abode in the hospital where he died and was buried in the chapel even so late as the 16th century there would appear to have been lepers in Exeter for we find that in 1580 no one was to be admitted to the Magdalen hospital except sick persons and the disease of leprosy in South Street is College Hall or the Hall of the College of Priest Vickers or Vickers Coral a fine oak panel department the original hall was built by Bishop Brantingham about 1388 and access was then gained to it from the close the houses of the priest vickers being arranged on each side of a green all this has now disappeared with the exception of the hall which was rebuilt in the 15th century at one end is a gallery upon the upper panels of which are paintings representing former bishops of the diocese beginning with Leo Frick on the carved mantelpiece is the date 1629 and the owls which constitute the punning or elusive arms of Bishop Oldham near the hall a road leads into the close passing the church of Saint Mary Major a modern building replacing a beautiful old one which appears to have been needlessly destroyed on the eastern side of the close is a picturesque Elizabethan building known as Mall's Coffee House at the time of the Armada it was a private residence in 1596 the original house was pulled down and the present building erected on the introduction of coffee into England it was opened as a club and coffee house by a fine Italian named Mall as such it was a well known and popular resort with the citizens of Exeter and the squires of the neighbourhood until 1829 it is now used as a shop by a firm of fine art dealers but the fine Armada room upstairs is willingly shown to all visitors who express a wish to see it it is a good panelled room with low windows and an elaborate freeze of shields and columns of many ancient Devonshire families among them being those of Sir Francis Drake Sir Walter Raleigh and General Monk the joining Mall's Coffee House is the very small church of Saint Martin now but rarely used for defined service on the Catherine Street side of the church is a building formerly an arms house which has an attached chapel of much interest dedicated to Saint Catherine which has been built by the Andoella Monks whose college originally stood on the site of Mall's Coffee House where traces of it may still be seen in the cellars the narrow passage of Saint Martin's Lane known to the present day citizens as Luxury Lane on account of its shops leads directly from the busy high street to the cathedral close End of Part 1 Part 2 of Exeter by Sydney Heath this Librivox recording is in the public domain the Cathedral the present Cathedral church of the diocese of Exeter may be said to be the third building that has stood on the site nothing remains of the Saxon church elevated to the dignity of a cathedral when the bishopric was removed from crediton and of the Norman church erected by Warelwast and a few of the conqueror only the two massive towers are standing the remainder of the building belonging almost entirely to the late decorated style of which it is one of the most beautiful examples we possess the city of Exeter does not appear to have been divided into parishes until the year 1222 in pursuance then no doubt of Archbishop Langton's constitution of the same year the cathedral itself was first constituted a parish by being placed under the charge of a single dignitary, the Dean by Bishop Brewer in 1225 four years after he ascended the throne in 1042 Edward the Confessor gave the united bishopric of crediton and Cornwall to his chaplain Leo Frick who observing that crediton was an open town difficult to fortify against the Danish raiders obtained from Pope Leo IX permission to remove the Episcopal See to Exeter when the Benedictine Minister of Saint Mary and Saint Peter became the Cathedral Church of the Diocese although no part of this church remains an ancient seal of the cathedral is of special interest as showing some of the architectural features of the Saxon Church it depicts the west front with two towers the northern square and the southern circular the lattice amounted by a cross by three round openings in the walls there are two porches one in the centre the other in the north tower and the walls show indications of characteristic Saxon masonry on the central roof is a large flesh or turret of two stages carrying a weathercock on a very tall shaft of the succeeding church the only contemporary pictorial representations we have are those on early and somewhat imperfect seals dating from the end of the 11th century the first has a church with cresting of fleur de lice on a hit and tiled roof two gable crosses flanking pinnacles an arcaded cleristry and a double door with ornamental hinges on each side of which is a catrofoil opening the second seal shows an arcaded building standing on a stone plinth of four courses and flanked by towers with conical roofs and ball finials the roof is surmounted by a large fleur de lice and exhibits an unusual form of tiling a third seal 1194-1206 shows the west front of the cathedral with two western towers and a central porch and a large roof turret another view of the west front occurs on the seal of the Archdeacon's official 1267 in this example there are three pointed towers the central one carrying a cross the others being capped with flag veins in the doorway stands a figure of the official the two Norman transeptal towers still standing give the cathedral a unique appearance this arrangement being found nowhere else in England save at the highly interesting and not far distant collegiate church of Otteress and Mary having thus briefly sketched from pictorial evidence the architectural characteristics of the predecessors of the present cathedral we may begin our tour of the building Exeter is known as a cathedral of the old foundation as in pre-Reformation days it was served by secular cannons and as such it was not refounded by Henry VIII so that there has been no break in the continuity of its ecclesiastical history since its original institution in the days of Lea Frick with the exception of Carlisle which was served before the Reformation by Augustinian or Austen cannons all the cathedrals of the old foundation were served by secular cannons it must be remembered that although nearly the whole of the architectural merit of the cathedral lies in the interior and particularly in the magnificent stone vaulting of the roof as the high watermark of vaulting on a large scale in England there are several portions of the exterior that are worth noting externally the great defect of the building is the low elevation of the body and the want of a central tower to counteract the heavy effect produced by solid square towers at each transects the west front with its low embattled screen of figures is not a very happy architectural addition and is not to be compared to the west fronts of Lincoln and Peterborough where the figure sculpture is earlier and better executed than a texita the one redeeming feature of an otherwise unimposing west front is the decorated tracery of the great window now filled with modern and not very satisfactory glass in memory of Archbishop Temple who was Bishop of Exeter from 1869 to 1885 the elevation of this front consists of three stories the basement screen containing three portals above this is the west wall of the nave and above this again is the nave gable in which is inserted a smaller window of the same character as the larger one the apex of the gable has a canopyed niche within which is a much restored effigy of St. Peter the sloping walls built on each side is if purposely to conceal the buttresses of the nave and its aisles give this portion of the church an awkward perspective and tend to diminish the apparent height of the whole facade the screen itself was the last important addition to be made to the fabric by Bishop Brantingham 1370 to 1394 and it is little more than a low stone scaffolding for holding the rows of figures of saints, kings and other distinguished persons which fill the niches an attempt to identify these 65 individuals with the aid of early drawings and still earlier documents may be said to have established the identities of the majority of the effigy although they have suffered so much from rough treatment, restoration and weathering that many of the saintly emblems and regal attributes are difficult to decipher at the present time two of the figures which were broken with falling were replaced by new and very indifferent figures by Mr. E. B. Stevens some years ago it was found that the whole of this embattled screen was merely a stone veil erected for the purpose of protecting the original west front one or two stones were removed a little to the right of the north door of the west entrance and the inner mouldings exposed within the thickness of the wall is a little chapel dedicated to Saint Radigrand in which Bishop Grandison prepared his tomb the north side of the cathedral can be viewed in its entirety from any part of the well kept lawns beneath which lie the bones of the citizens of seven centuries but no stones mark their resting places the most noticeable feature on this north side is the sturdy Norman tower corresponding to its fellow on the south side the original purposes of which are still a matter of much discussion among antiquaries built by Bishop Warelwas in the 12th century they stood as two distinct and independent towers until Bishop Quivel during the rebuilding of the cathedral in 1280 to 1291 ingeniously opened up the inside walls supporting the remaining portions of the walls upon arches thus forming the interiors of the towers into transepts the exterior of the northern tower is plain walling for part of its height when it is divided into four stages by horizontal bands each stage containing elaborate Norman arcading ornamented with zigzag moulding it is surmounted with an embattled parapet with a turret at each angle in the north wall a fine decorated window was inserted by Quivel for the purpose of lighting his newly made transepts to make way for this window a portion of the arcading of the first stage was cut away the towers are similar to each other and they were formally capped with spires in 1752 the spire on the north tower was taken down that on the south tower having been removed at a much earlier date just below the window on the face of the north tower are the mason remarks of the gable of a house this was the old treasurer's house wherein Henry VII was lodged when he came to Exeter to put down Perkin Warbeck's rebellion near the north tower is the projecting north porch with its embattled parapet on the eastern side of the interior are the fragments of what was once a calvary and on the central boss of the roof is a representation of the Agnes Day an apartment above is known as the dog whippers room a relic of those days when an official was appointed whose duty it was to keep stray dogs out of the sacred building on the exterior of the clericery wall immediately above the porch is a projection which marks the minstrel's gallery and is lighted by a window along the whole length of the cathedral from the west end of the nave to the east end of the choir are the flying buttresses that counteract the thrust of the heavy roof faulting of the interior at the extreme eastern end of the cathedral the Lady Chapel and its sister chanteries can be seen to great advantage with their windows filled with tracery the great perpendicular east window is partially hidden by the more easterly portions of the fabric but it contains some fine old glass on which are full length representations of 19 saints and patriarchs and many arboreal bearings the full beauty of the glass can only be seen from the interior the south side of the cathedral is very similar to the northern one except that the portion east of the tower is hidden from view by the Episcopal Palace once inside the nave which should be entered by the western portal the dullest eye cannot fail to perceive the uniform character of the work a quality which gives to this cathedral a congruity of structural forms and an architectonic value that is lacking in buildings which exhibit the styles of various periods here we see the complete architectural expression of one mastermind although the edifice was erected under the supervision of successive bishops the present cathedral was begun by bishop Broniskem 1258-1280 to whom is due a portion of the Lady Chapel his successor Quivel 1280-1291 which designs for the entire rebuilding of the church and how faithfully his successors adhere to these plans is proved by the fact that a great deal of this decorated building was erected at a time when the perpendicular style was in full swing all over the country with the exception of the great east window which is of the perpendicular period the whole of the interior is of the purest decorated work and is the finest as it is the most complete example of this style on a large scale in the country exception has been taken to the lack of height in the nave due to the low spring of the vaulting and there is some justification for the criticism the vaulting however is exceedingly beautiful and the long line of unbroken roof stretching from the west end of the nave to the east end of the choir is so charming a feature that when inside the building the longer regrets the absence of a central tower the bosses that unite the vaulting ribs represent a variety of subjects the last but one near the west window depicting the martyrdom of Becket corbels from which the vaulting shafts spring are mostly sculptured heads of the Plantagenuts those on each side of the minstrels gallery depict Edward III and Queen Philippa the gallery cuts into the triforium on its north side and contains niches in which are sculptured angels with musical instruments until the middle of the last century it was customary for the surpliced choir to sing the Gloria in excelsis from the gallery on Christmas Eve the gothic arches of the nave large and beautiful rest upon massive clustered piers of perbec marble the development of these piers as the building progressed westwards is clearly seen between the Lady Chapel and the choir is a pier of four shafts then one of eight which eventually develops into one of 16 shafts repeated throughout the length of the nave although the tracery of the Isle windows is very varied in design each window on the north side has its counterpart on the south side and some of the tracery of these windows has a marked tendency to the flamboyance in the lateness of much of the work at Exeter for what is called the flamboyant style is contemporary in France with our perpendicular work which is a purely English style and known on the continent the choir screen was put up by Bishop Stapledon 1465 but its height and defectiveness are sadly marred by the great organ placed upon it until comparatively recent years an altar stood on each side the great west window of the nave the beautiful tracery of which has already been alluded to was due to Bishop Grandison 1327 to 1369 the font at the western end of the south nave isle was made specially for the baptism of Princess Henrietta while the nave pulpit erected in 1877 to the memory of Bishop Paterson of Melanesia his says the Reverend Bering Gould much of a piece with the stuff turned out by clerical tailors and church decorators who furnish us with vulgar designs in illustrated catalogues the transeps as we have seen were bored by quivel through the two Norman towers built by Warelwasd and in consequence are of small dimensions in the north tower is the great bell called Peter which was brought from Klandaf by Bishop Courtney towards the end of the 15th century at which weighs £12,500 the only heavier bell in this country being great Tom of Oxford the weight of which is £17,000 Peter was rung formally by the united exertions of 24 men using two ropes and double wheels but it was cracked on 5th November 1611 from a two violent ringing in commemoration of the gunpowder plot in 1752 the bell was placed in the lower part of the tower and so fixed in a massive framework of timber that it cannot now be rung it is however used as a clock bell and the sound of its deep notes can be heard at a great distance the old clock in the same transept has been regarded as the gift of Bishop Courtney but this is doubtful as from entries in the fabric rules it seems that the clock was constructed more than a century before that prelate presided over the sea if so the clock would date from about 1317 this ancient clock is very remarkable being constructed upon the idea that the earth and not the sun was the centre of the solar system it shows the hour of the day and the age of the moon the dial is about 7 feet in diameter and on it are two circles from 1 to 30 for the age of the moon the other numbered from 1 to 12 twice over for the hours in the centre of the dial a semi-globe is fixed representing the earth around which a smaller globe indicating the moon revolves monthly and by turning on its axis as it revolves shows the various lunar phases between the two circles is a third globe representing the sun which points to the hours as the ball revolves around the earth in 1760 more works were added to show the minutes which are painted in a circle the works of the clocks have been renewed many times and are now placed in the disused chantry of Chanta Silk situated in the northeast corner of the transept just below the ancient clock on the eastern side of this transept is St Paul's Chapel used as a vestry the south transept that corresponds with the northern one is formed from the lower part of the south tower which contains a fine set of bells although only 10 of them are now rung there are some interesting monuments in this transept here are the great Courtney tomb originally occupying a place in the nave the Elizabethan tomb of Sir John Gilbert brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and half brother to Sir Walter Raleigh and the monument to Sir Peter Karoo the niche and the wall holds a few fragments of sculptured stone saved from the tomb of Leofric first bishop of Exeter who was buried in the crypt of his own church a marble slab against the south wall is believed to be the resting place of Bishop John the Chanta 1186 to 1191 a small door in this transept with a chapel of the Holy Ghost and to the chapter house on the roof of the south choir isle are bosses carved with representations of the heads of Edward I and Queen Eleanor this isle contains many interesting effigies among them two of those of unknown knights considered to commemorate Sir Humphrey de Bohem and Sir Henry de Raleigh the body of the latter knights was the cause of a contention in the chapter of the cathedral and the Dominican friars in the year 1301 the quarrel was a bitter one and lasted for five years the dean and the chapter affirmed that from time immemorial and by special arrangements with the friars they had the right to have all bodies which were intended to be buried in the Dominican church with the exception of those which belong to the convent brought to the cathedral with the usual wax and the first mass the friars refused to allow Sir Henry Raleigh's body to be taken to the cathedral and they claimed the wax and offerings after a lengthy dispute the executors and friends of the knight took his body to the cathedral where the usual mass was celebrated after which the body with the beer and Paul belonging to the friars was carried back to the convent doors the friars now refused to admit the body upon which the executors took it again to the cathedral and after keeping it for a day and a night and the friars still refusing to receive it they carried it to be buried in the cathedral as it could not be left longer unburied owing to the stench Fetare on the south side of the isle is the chapel of St. James which was built by Bishop Marshall and restored by Quivel the vaulting and the windows are similar to those of the choir isles over it was formerly the muniment room but in 1870 the archives were removed to the chapter house for greater safety during some excavations a crypt was found beneath the chapel with a finely groined roof the crypt now contains the machinery used for blowing the organ the next chapel on the south side is the Chantry of Bishop Oldham or St. Saviour's chapel richly decorated with carvings among which the owl of the bishop forming part of the rebus of his name is prominent his armorial bearings are also charged with the three owls the effigy of the prelate rests beneath an og arch and is lavishly coloured although the original work has been restored by Corpus Christi College Oxford in memory of Bishop Oldham who contributed 6000 marks to the collegiate foundation on the south side of the Lady Chapel is St. Gabriel's chapel built by Bishop Broniscombe in honour of his patron saint here lies the effigy of the bishop in a carved and richly gilded tomb the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene originally built by Broniscombe was altered by Quivel it has a perpendicular screen and some 15th century glass in the east window close by on the north side of the North Choir Isle is Sir John Speaks Chantry or St. George's chapel of perpendicular work and containing the effigy of the night when the cathedral was divided into two parts in Puritan days a doorway was made where the altar now stands leading into East Peters on the north side of the Choir Isle is St. Andrew's chapel corresponding with that of St. James on the south by the North Wall is the large 16th century monument of Sir Gawain Karoo his wife and his nephew Sir Peter Karoo 1571 the effigy of the last named is cross-legged and so late an example of this disposition of the lower limbs supports the now generally accepted archaeological fact that the cross-legged attitude had no particular reference to the tragic wars of the Crusades other interesting monuments in this isle are the cross-legged effigy of Sir Richard to Stapledon half brother to the Bishop and that of Bishop Stapledon the latter although in the choir is seen to better advantage from below a story runs to the effect that while Sir Richard was riding one day in London with his brother a cripple laid hold of his horse by one of the four legs following both horse and rider to the ground and causing the knight's death hence the name cripple gate Bishop Stapledon was treasurer to Edward II and held London against Queen Isabella the Bishop was taken prisoner and condemned to death at a mock trial he was beheaded at cheap side and his body cast on a rubbish heap whence it was eventually taken to Exeter and accorded an honourable burial no examples of misery carvings are known in English churches before the 13th century and the set at Exeter are probably the earliest we have the character of their foliage denoting the early English period they are thought to have been the gift of Bishop Brewer 1224 to 1244 the complete set numbers 49 and among the subjects represented are a merman and a mermaid an elephant and a knight slaying a leopard choir stalls carved to illustrate the Benedictite the pulpit and the Reredos are all modern having been erected from designs by Sir Gilbert Scott the lofty tapering bishop's throne an essential feature of every cathedral church is the most remarkable of the choir fittings it has been ascertained from the fabric rolls that it was a gift of Bishop Stapledon 1465 and the exact sum paid for the work and timber was just under 13 pounds a considerable sum of money when its modern equivalent is calculated the throne consists of a series of pinnacles and niches rising in diminishing tears until the crowning pinnacle almost reaches to the clarestry window there is not a single nail in the whole of this canopied seat although it rises to a height of more than 60 feet from the choir floor it has been taken to pieces on at least two occasions once by the son of Bishop Hall when it was hidden away during the civil wars to save it from Cromwell's troopers and a second time by Sir Gilbert Scott for the purposes of cleaning it is highly probable that the oak of which it is made came from Chudley some 10 miles away where the bishops of Exeter had a palace remain in Palace Farm the beautiful stone Cedilia was due to staple them above the seat are three arches 10 feet in height surmounted by elaborately designed tabernacle work the arches spring from three carved heads reputed to be those of St. Edward the Confessor Leofric and Edith the Lady Chapel is at the eastern end of the choir from which it is separated by a broad ambulatory and within it are the tombs of Bishop Stafford, Broniscombe Simon of Apulia and Bartholomew as well as the tomb of Sir John Dodderidge a plain slab marks the resting place of Bishop Quivel the stone bearing an incised cross and around it is the inscription Petra Tegit Petrum Nihil of Ikyat Sivitetrum the large number of interments in the Lady Chapels was due to the strictly natural desire of our forefathers to be laid to rest in the chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin the cloister stood formally on the south side in front of the chapter house they were so sadly mutilated by the Cromwellian troopers that houses were erected and a weekly market held on the site in 1887 a portion of the ruinous cloister was restored so that a new cathedral library could be placed above it for the purpose of housing the valuable libraries bequeathed to the cathedral no more space being available in the chapter house an interesting manuscript preserved in the library of the Devenin Exeter Institution contains many references to the city which have not been recorded by other historians with reference to the cloisters the unknown author of this manuscript says 1657 the cloisters near to Peter's church was converted into the Surge Market which was before in Southgate streets 1660 the wall which divided east and west Peter's was taken down in December and in the month following the Surge Market was removed out of the cloisters and carried again into Southgate streets where it was before although the uniting of several parishes into one was again made void and each parish to enjoy her own privileges and liberties as before when Daniel Defoe visited Exeter in 1723 it had the largest Surge Market in England next to Leeds although the close has not succeeded in retaining any of its gates it is interesting by reason of the few old houses that still surround it whilst behind their gabled roofs rises the double-towered cathedral completing the picturesqueness of a really charming scene of which the prevailing tone is a dark grey stained and almost blackened by weathering and by age in the 14th century the close at Exeter was enclosed with walls and until comparatively recent times it was built over the well-kept close is peculiar to England the Bishop's Palace dates from about 1381 as opposed to her being either built or enlarged by Bishop Courtney it was in a very ruinous condition when Bishop Philpot set to work to restore it when many old fragments of masonry were let into the new work the fine archway leading into the Cloisters was put up at this time and the large orial window of the library came from another old house in Exeter within the hall of the palace is an ancient chimney piece from about 1486 upon which are sculptured the Courtney arms and badges the arms of England and the emblem of Saint Anthony during the Commonwealth the palace came into the possession of a sugar baker and the succeeding bishop was content to leave him undisturbed the next occupant of the sea however turned the sugar baker out of the house which he occupied himself several traces of the sugar refinery were discovered when the palace was restored by Bishop Philpot the palace gardens are very extensive and are bounded on the south side by the remains of the city wall upon which is now a pleasant walk near the centre of the wall is a curious building generally known as the Lollards prison although whether is ever was used for this purpose is a matter of conjecture one of the finest views of the cathedral is that obtained from a corner of the lawn in the palace gardens end of part 2 part 3 of Exeter by Sydney Heath this Librivox recording is in the public domain the X after leaving the peaceful atmosphere of the cathedral the noise and distractions of the modern city great upon us the return to the 20th century commonplace after the 14th century refinement is too sudden there being no intermediate stage between the one and the other between the gloom of the great church and the glare and feverish hurry of a prosperous city this being so we cannot do better than seek a measure of quietude and repose along the banks of the X a river which rising on Xmore gives name to Exeter, Xminster and Xmouth although rising in some set the river may fittingly be claimed as a canyon one as it enters the county a little below Dolverton where it receives the waters of the barl at the beginning of its career the X flows through a country of great beauty and a much romantic interest which has been immortalised by R.D. Blackmore in Lorna Doon this land of Xmore is a heathery plateau that rivals in everything but extent the sister moorland which gives birth to that prince of English rivers, the Dart Dartmoor is larger, wilder and grander in the bold contours of its cloud cap tours but the wildness of Xmore is blended with a sweet and gentle charm which is all its own it presents us with a panorama of misty woods gleaming water and glowing heather a coom furrowed moorland clothed with scrub oaks and feathery larches after leaving this forest shrine the X enters Devonshire where after flowing through richly wooded and fertile valleys its sweeps past the ancient town of Tiviton where it is swelled by the waters of the lumen three miles from Tiviton it reaches Bickley Bridge beyond which it is the recipient of the coom the largest of all its tributaries along the greater part of its course to this point its silver streams thread their way between sloping hills crowned with hanging woods and by scenery in the true Devonian order at Cowley Bridge two miles above Exeter the river is joined by the creedie which coming from the north west flows through and gives name to creediton or crediton the course of the X from its source on Xmore to the sea at Xmouth is estimated at about 70 miles it is a pure pelucid stream until joined by the creedie which imparts to it a reddish colour as the latter flows the importance of the river to Exeter especially before the waterway was obstructed by Isabella de Fortibus Countess of Devon cannot be overestimated and in old books many of the now flourishing ports on the south coast are described as creaks under Exeter from ancient records it seems certain that an arm of the sea extended to the very walls of the city and from the facility thus afforded to the commerce Exeter at a very early period became the great trading port of the west country of the various trades carried on here those of the woollen and its allied industries were the most numerous it was also one of those favoured English ports to which licenses were granted in 1428 for the embarkation of devout persons and pilgrims who were visiting the great continental shrines and particularly that of St. James at Compostella before they were permitted to leave this country these medieval devotees were required to swear a solemn oath that they would not take with them anything prejudicial to England nor to reveal any of its secrets nor carry out with them any more gold or silver than what would be sufficient for their reasonable expense as civilisation increased trade and commerce both foreign and domestic faiths with the growth of the city and in the reign of Elizabeth the wool merchants of the county and the wool staplers of its capital had risen to fame and opulence in the year 1560 Queen Elizabeth granted the traders of Exeter a charter of privileges and letters patents were issued forming them into a company under the name of a society of merchant adventurers of the city of Exeter the possession of the charter induced citizens to commence the spirited undertaking of cutting a canal to Topchum a work that was begun in 1564 and which constitutes one of the earliest examples of canal navigation in the country but why it might be asked did the need for cutting a canal arise when the river flowed up to the heart of the city this need arose in consequence of the obstruction of the natural waterway near Topchum by Isabella de Fortibus of Devon with the results that no ships could proceed beyond Countess Weir at Topchum 4 miles below Exeter the first obstruction was placed in the river by Isabella de Fortibus about the year 1284 owing to a dispute she had with the merchants of the city concerning various dues the merchants appealed to Henry III who ordered the obstruction to be removed but so powerful were the earls of Devon that no steps were taken to restore the navigation of the waterway in 1312 the river was still further obstructed by Hugh Courtney Earl of Devon the first member of the Courtney family to hold the earldom tradition states that the motive for the earls action was the displeasure he felt towards the mayor and citizens of Exeter on the following occasion his steward was sent into the city to buy fish and the bishop steward having been sent with the same purpose the two servants met in the market on a day when there were only three kettles of fish for sale each of the stewards wanted the whole of the supply and after a quarrel the mayor was sent for to decide the issue which he did by giving each of the stewards one basket and retaining the third for the use of the citizens the mayor was in the service of the earl who hearing of the decision visited the city and sent for the mayor the latter summoned the citizens to meet him at the guild hall where he explained to them the cause of the earls displeasure and requested them to accompany him according to Tyach the Exeter historian being come to the earls house the mayor was conducted to his lodging chamber and the door closed on him and finding that none of his speeches would satisfy the earl who stormed at him he took off an outer coat he then wore the earls livery and delivered it to him again at which the earl fell into a greater passion the commons attending at the door doubting the mayor's safety knocked and demanded their mayor being several times denied they attempted to break open the door which the earl apprehending and fearful of what might ensue and treated the mayor to pacify the people which was soon done and they all peaceably returned although the earl then to avoid the fury of the people seemed pacified he could never afterwards show a good countenance to the city in order to revenge himself on the citizens he built a key at Topcham and compelled all merchants and captains of ships to unload their cargo and convey them by wagon to the city to the inconvenience of the merchants and his own profit he also took from the citizens fishing in the river and oppressed them in various ways some years later Edward Courtney, nephew of Hugh still further blocked the waterway by erecting two other weirs under the pretext of building some mills many complaints were made to the king and various rits were issued against the earls but no one dared to enforce them for four hundred years the feud continued over what was apparently the destination of a kettle of fish although in later days there is no doubt that the earls motives were to increase the income of their own port of Topcham at the expense of Exeter on the receipt of Queen Elizabeth's charter in 1560 the citizens at length decided to construct a canal to Topcham this was begun in 1564 and completed in 1697 and it is one of the earliest examples of canal navigation in the country Topcham is now a little port whose shipping trade is confined to small coasting schooners and fishing smacks the church of Saint Margaret is very large and with the exception of the tower has been almost entirely rebuilt near Topcham the ex is joined by the little river Clist and just below the confluence the ex expands until it is more than a mile in width from the Clist many villages take name as Clist Saint Lawrence, Roard Clist Honissin Clist, Clist Saint Mary and Clist Saint George the last two are near Topcham and were the scene of a struggle during the prayer book riots in Devon the insurrection started on Witt Monday 1549 at Samford Courtney the day following that on which the act altering the church service came into force the people of the village insisted on the priest saying the usual mass instead of the prayers given in the appointed book of common prayer the rebellion spread rapidly and a thousand men marched on Exeter with a good sprinkling of old Devon families in their ranks but they were undisciplined and were quickly dispersed by Lord Grey and Russell although demoralized the rebels assembled at Clist Saint Mary which they fortified from here they sent word to the king demanding the continuance of their former church services but the king's reply was an army under the command of Lord Russell and after a brief resistance Clist Saint Mary was burned to the ground and the rebels scattered to be again beaten and their leaders taken on Clist Heath the vicar of St. Thomas's church Exeter at that time situated outside the walls one of the leaders was hanged from his own church tower on the west bank of the ex almost opposite Topcham at Powderham Park and Castle the latter supposed to have been built originally by Isabella de Fortibus it has been conjectured and is indeed highly probable that a fortified building or earthwork of some kind occupied the site at a much earlier date possibly as early as the Danish invasions in later times the manner belonged to the Bohans and it came into possession of the Earls of Devon through the marriage of Margaret de Bohan with Hugh Courtney, the Third Earl in 1645 the castle was besieged unsuccessfully by Fairfax but in the following year it was taken by Colonel Hammond until about the middle of the 18th century it remained strongly fortified but at that time it was subjected to many alterations the oldest part of the present castle dates from the time of Richard II but the whole fabric has undergone so many restorations that it presents a great variety of architectural styles the fine modern hall contains a fireplace which is a replica of the one at the Palace Exeter the park is a delightful stretch of green suede studded with ancient oaks and it extends for many miles around the building in one corner of the park there is a little church of St. Clement a perpendicular building of red sandstone and within which are several memorials of the courtesies these include a recumbent effigy popularly supposed to represent the renowned Isabella although this lady is known to have been buried at Bromnor Priory Wilts it is the opinion of some authorities that this monument is a cenotaph to Elizabeth, daughter of Edward I and wife of Humphrey de Bohan whose daughter Margaret married Hugh Courtney on the highest ground of the park is the Belvedere erected in 1773 a triangular tower with a small hexagonal turret at each corner it is 60 feet high and from the summit the view comprises the city of Exeter the broad estuary of the ex the village of Limpstone and the little town of Topcham where the spars of the ships appear to mingle with the trees on the river's banks looking inland we may see the well-wooded country stretching away in the succession of hills and cooms until the view is bounded by the stone-capped heights of Dartmoor in the far distance the parish of Woodbury on the east bank of the river contains several small villages and a large stretch of common Woodbury Castle is a well-known earthwork on the top of a high hill probably prehistoric in origin although afterwards occupied by the Romans the church of Saint Swithern at Woodbury has a chancel in the decorated and a tower in the perpendicular styles the beautiful screen has been modernized and consequently spoiled but some good monuments may still be seen Notwell Court overlooking the estuary is a modern mansion on the site of a castle which had been converted into a dwelling-house so early as the reign of Edward IV it is now the home of the Drakes of the same family as the famous sailor of Elizabethan days among the relics preserved here are the cups given to Sir Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth on his return from the memorable voyage round the world in the Pelican here also is a portrait of Sir Francis by Zuckero Exmouth although a modern watering place with new points of interest being one of the oldest seaside resorts on the south-west coast in the time of King John it was an important port and it supplied 10 ships and 193 seamen for Edward III's expedition to Calais the principal part of the present town is very modern but it is very pleasantly situated the greater part of the town is included in the parish of Littleham whose church dedicated to St Margaret and St Andrew is of early English and perpendicular architecture the Spratshays Isle was probably built by the Drakes of Spratshays the screen dating from about 1400 has richly undercut corny spans the Stafford and Wake knots being freely introduced among the carvings there are many delightful walks around Exmouth both along the coast and inland the view from Beacon Hill being very fine and including a large strip of the eastern and the western coastlines that's bordered the blue waters of the English Channel End of Part 3 End of Exeter by Sydney Heath