General history: Religious houses, boroughs, markets and fairs

Monasteries, Colleges, and ancient Hospitals.

The Benedictine monks had a priory at Exeter; a mitred abbey at Tavistock; a cell at Pilton, near Barnstaple; an alien cell at Cowick, near Exeter; and another at Modbury. The nuns of this order had a priory at Polesloe, near Exeter. The Austin canons had monasteries at Frithelstock, Hartland, and Plympton; a cell at Marsh, near Exeter; an alien priory at Otterton; and, according to Leland, cells at Axmouth and Sidmouth. The nuns of this order had priories at Canonleigh and Cornworthy. The Cistertians had abbies at Buckland Monachorum, Buckfastleigh, Dunkeswell, Ford in Thorncombe, (removed from Brightley, in Oakhampton,) and at Newenham in Axminster. The Cluniac monks had priories at Barnstaple, and at Carswell in Plymtree, and an alien priory dedicated to St. James, near Exeter. The Premonstratensians had an abbey at Tor. The Austin friers had priories at Barnstaple and Tavistock; the Dominicans had a priory at Exeter; the Franciscans, or Grey friers, had convents at Exeter and Plymouth; the White friers one at Plymouth; and the Trinitarians one at Totnes: Tanner mentions a priory of the latter order at Blakedon. In the year 1331 Sir Richard Stapeldon had the King's licence for founding a Carthusian monastery on any of his estates in the bishopric of Exeter (fn. n1) : but it does not appear that such foundation was effected.

There are said to have been some monasteries at Exeter, destroyed at an early period, and priories at Churchill in East Downe, Townstall, Dartmouth, and Indio in Bovey Tracey; but the existence of some of these is doubtful, and no particulars are known of any of them. The Knights Templars had a preceptory or hospital at Clayhanger.

The churches of Axminster, Beer Ferrers, Chulmleigh, Clovelly, Crediton, Haccombe, South Molton, Ottery St. Mary, Plympton, Slapton, and Stoke in Teignhead, were formerly collegiate. There was a collegiate chapel within the castle at Exeter. The only collegiate bodies remaining are the dean and chapter, and the vicars choral of the church of St. Peter Exeter, unless we reckon under this head Tiverton, which, having four portionists, has sometimes been deemed a collegiate church.

Some of the ancient hospitals, founded before the Reformation, still remain, as St. John's, St. Mary Magdalen's, and God's House, founded by William Wynard, at Exeter; the ancient hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, at Honiton, endowed by Abbot Chard; that of St. Margaret at Pilton, near Barnstaple, and Greneway's and Waldron's almshouses at Tiverton.

There were ancient hospitals, now demolished or disused, at Barnstaple, Clist Gabriel, Crediton; St. Alexis' cell, and Lord Bonville's almshouse at Exeter, and ancient hospitals at Plympton, Tavistock, Teignmouth, and Totnes.

Borough and Market Towns.

Besides the two county members, Devonshire sends 24 members to parliament; two for Exeter, and two for each of the following boroughs: Ashburton, Barnstaple, Beer Alston, Dartmouth, Honiton, Oakhampton, Plymouth, Plympton, Tavistock, Tiverton, and Totnes. The following boroughs formerly sent members to parliament: Bradninch, Crediton, Fremington, Lidford, Modbury, South Molton, and Great Torrington. The ports of Exmouth and Teignmouth sent representatives to the great councils for maritime affairs. It has often been said that what are called the disused boroughs, which formerly sent members to parliament, ceased to send them in consequence of having been excused, under the plea of poverty, from what was considered as a burden, since the boroughs paid the expenses of their members during their attendance in parliament. I have never found any record in confirmation of this tradition, except in the instance of Great Torrington: a copy of the record is given in the note. (fn. n2) It seems that the burgesses of Torrington, to get rid of the burden of which they complained, did not scruple in their statement to deviate a little from the truth, since they represent it as a new burden imposed on them by the sheriff, they never having been summoned to send burgesses to parliament till the 21 of Edw. III. It is even stated that they had searched the rolls to prove this fact. Yet the burgesses for Torrington are regularly entered from the 23d of Edw. I. to the 15th of Edw. III. It appears therefore that they did not carry their researches back beyond the 16th. It is clear that the sentiments which the burgesses of Torrington express were by no means universal at that period, for about the same time we find their neighbours at Barnstaple claiming the right of sending burgesses to parliament, as an important privilege.

The editor of the Magna Britannia (1720) enumerates 40 markettowns in this county; Bradninch is reckoned among them; Moreton Hampstead and others are omitted. Among Mr. Chapple's Collections is an imperfect list of market-towns, dated Oct. 1775, amounting to 40, including Bow, Bradninch, Dodbrook, Hartland, Lifton (fn. n3), Sheepwash, Thorncombe, and, with a query, Beer Alston: at all these there are now no markets. He refers to a list, which he calls Thorn's list, which had omitted the markets of Beer Alston, Bradninch, &c. Mr. Chapple says, that Teignmouth had then lately assumed a market, although he does not insert it in his list; he observes, that the market-towns of Devon had generally been reckoned at forty.

The principal corn-markets are Exeter, Tavistock, Totnes, Barnstaple, Plymouth, and Kingsbridge.

A market is about to be established at Torquay.