John Van der Kiste - The Little Book of Devon

THE

LITTLE

BOOK

OF

DEVON

JOHN VAN DER KISTE

First published 2011

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2013

All rights reserved

John Van der Kiste, 2011, 2013

The right of John Van der Kiste to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 5394 8

Original typesetting by The History Press

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I can claim to be a Devonian not by birth, as my mother was, but by virtue of having lived in the county since I was barely three years old. Some half a century after being brought here, in assembling the present volume I have thoroughly relished the task of trawling through a variety of sources including books, pamphlets, old newspapers and journals, websites, and last but not least my admittedly less than perfect memory.

I would like to acknowledge my debt in particular to Brian Moseleys Plymouth Data, Derek Taits Plymouth Local History, Tim Sandless Legendary Dartmoor, and David Cornforths Exeter Memories, all online; the vast collection of books I have used in my researches, particularly W.G. Hoskins magisterial Devon, a title no county enthusiast should be without; my wife Kim, for her ever-helpful reading of the draft manuscript prior to publication; and to my publishers at The History Press.

In conclusion, this book is dedicated to Kim and to the memory of my parents Kate and Guy.

John Van der Kiste, 2011

ROYALTY & POLITICS

ROYAL DEVON

William the Conqueror

William I came to Exeter in or around March 1068. The city had been the home of Gytha, mother of King Harold who had been defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the people rebelled against William, not only because of their allegiance to her, but also because the Normans were demanding high taxes to which they objected. When the king and his army arrived at the city gates they found their way barred, and they laid siege to it for eighteen days until the citizens gave in and agreed to make peace. The king conceded, and allowed Gytha to go into peaceful exile. As part of the settlement he built Rougemont Castle, so named because of the hill of red earth on which it stood. Exeter and Okehampton, also the site of a castle, were left in charge of his henchman Baldwin de Redvers, whom he appointed Sheriff of Devon.

Catherine of Aragon

As far as historical records show, Princess Catherine of Aragon was the next member of royalty to visit Devon. In October 1501 she sailed from Spain to England to become the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King Henry VII. She landed at the Barbican, and in the words of one effusive contemporary scribe, had she been the saviour of the world, she could not have had a more enthusiastic welcome. She went to St Andrews Church to give thanks for the safe ending of a stormy and unpleasant voyage, then stayed in a local merchants house before going to London for her wedding in November. Prince Arthur had always been sickly and he died in April 1502 of what was referred to as the sweating sickness. She remained in England as a widow, and a few weeks after the new Prince of Wales ascended the throne as King Henry VIII, they were married. Her one surviving daughter later became Queen Mary (Bloody Mary), but after she repeatedly failed to give the king a living son and heir, Henry divorced Catherine and she died in 1536.

Princess Henrietta Anne

Henrietta Anne, youngest daughter of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, was the only child of a reigning English sovereign ever born in Devon. In the summer of 1644, during the Civil War, the queen had been in Oxford, but parliamentary forces were building up in the area and it was thought advisable for her to seek safety elsewhere, especially as she was expecting a child. In May she reached Exeter and stayed at Bedford House, where the princess was born on 16 June. In order to avoid capture, the queen left the city two weeks later for France, leaving the child in the care of a lady-in-waiting, Lady Dalkeith. The princess was baptised in Exeter Cathedral on 21 July. King Charles arrived in the city later that week, and the city fathers made large gifts of money to him, the Prince of Wales and various royal officials as an expression of loyalty. A grateful king knighted the mayor, Hugh Crocker.

Charles II

During the reign of King Charles II, the Royal Citadel at Plymouth was built. Unlike most of the West Country, Plymouth had been strongly pro-Cromwell during the Civil War, but their disillusion with the Commonwealth set in after Cromwells death and an acute shortage of money which resulted in the seamen not being paid. However, the restoration of the monarchy was seen as a possible return to better times for the town. This coincided with disputes between Holland and France, and in 1665 it was decided to construct a fortress on Plymouth Hoe for defence purposes. The kings main reason for building the Citadel was ostensibly because he recognised the strategic importance of Plymouth as a coastal town when it came to war on Englands enemies, though it was believed for some years that he had been angered by the towns unfriendly attitude towards his father and therefore sought some kind of revenge, or at least wished to overawe the town as well as his foes across the Channel, although there is no firm evidence to support this view.

The king paid at least one visit to the area during its construction. Above the gateway in Hoe Road is the royal coat of arms supported by a lion and a unicorn, and the date 1670, with a tablet inscribed, Carolus Secundus Dei Gratiae Magnae Britanniae Franciae at Hiberniae Rex (British sovereigns did not formally relinquish the style of King of France until the Act of Union in 1801). It had always been intended that a statue of the king would be placed there, but there is some doubt as to whether such a work of art was ever completed.

William III

During the Glorious Revolution, William, Prince of Orange, landed at Brixham on 5 November 1688, an invasion which culminated in he and his wife Mary replacing her unpopular father, King James II, on the throne. On their first night there, some of his soldiers found billets in the local cottages, though he himself made do with a mattress on the floor of a fishermans hut. After spending a night at Paignton, they entered Exeter on their march towards London on 9 November. Four weeks later James abdicated, throwing the Great Seal into the Thames as he fled into exile, and William and Mary became joint sovereigns in his place.

George III and his family

Since the reign of King George III, every British sovereign has visited Devon at least once, though in some cases not necessarily after they ascended to the throne. George III, Queen Charlotte and their eldest daughters, Princesses Charlotte, the Princess Royal Augusta, and Elizabeth, came to Plymouth in the summer of 1789. They stayed at Saltram House, and during their few days in the area they visited the towns new theatre in George Street, named the Theatre Royal in the kings honour. He also visited a new dock which was then under construction, the Citadel and the Victualling Office. The most spectacular event of their visit was a review of the fleet and a mock naval battle in the Sound, with about a hundred ships taking part.