715 



DEVONSHIRE. 



DEVONSHIRE. 



of an old castle and the weather-beaten church. Lidford castle was 

 formerly used as the stannary prison for the Devonshire mining dis- 

 tricts. A bridge extends by a single arch of only a few feet span over 

 a dark and deep chasm, under which the river Lid is heard falling 

 50 or 60 feet beneath. There is also a very beautiful waterfall at Lid- 

 ford, 200 feet in height, and the scenery in the neighbourhood is very 

 grand. Linton, or Lynton, 48 miles N.N.W. from Exeter, population 

 1059, a beautiful and picturesque watering-place, celebrated for its 

 magnificent scenery ; it is situated on the Lynn Cliff, and has a fine 

 view of the sea. There is a small pier at Linton, and fishing is carried 

 on to some extent. The Valley of Rocks, a spot celebrated for its 

 picturesque beauty, is about a mile north- west of Linton. Lynmouth 

 is situated at the mouth of the streams East and West Lynn, which 

 form a pretty cascade a little to the east of Linton. The view of the 

 sea is very extensive. The neighbourhood of Lynmouth and Linton 

 is much frequented by anglers : the Lynn abounds with trout. Otter- 

 ton, 11 miles S.E. from Exeter, population 1231 ; the village, which is 

 situated on an elevated site on the left bank of the river Otter, is 

 principally composed of cob-built cottages. The church is very ancient, 

 with a tower at the east end ; it has been partly restored : adjoining 

 to it is the Mansion, a part of an old religious house, belonging to the 

 abbey of St. Michael in Normandy : it was founded by King John. 

 The manufacture of pillow-lace is carried on here. Paignton, 23 

 mile* S. by W. from Exeter, population 2746, a small but rapidly 

 increasing watering-place. Before the Conquest the manor belonged 

 t : > 1 see of Exeter, and some slight vestiges of the bishop's palace 

 are still to be seen. The church is spacious and very ancient ; it 

 contains a curious stone pulpit carved and painted ; on the exterior of 

 the tower is an arch with a zigzag moulding. In the churchyard are 

 the steps and shafts of an ancient cross. Paignton is celebrated for 

 an early cabbage Bent to all parts of the kingdom. Cider is made here 

 in large quantities. The beach is excellent ; a pier was constructed 

 in 1838, at which vessels of 200 tons burden can load. Prince Town, 

 25 miles S.W. from Exeter, a very small hamlet on Dartmoor. Near 

 Prince Town is the government prison, built in 1806, for the confine- 

 ment of prisoners of war : the prison consists of seven buildings, each 

 300 feet long, and 50 feet wide, capable of holding together 9600 men. 

 Attached to the prison is a neat chapel to contain 500 pel-sons. This 

 place is the field of an important experiment on the application of 

 convict labour. In the autumn of 1850 a number of convicts were 

 sent down here to be employed in the reclamation of a portion of the 

 moor and other useful works. The prison being of such extent, and 

 so well constructed as to afford abundance of room, security, and 

 facility of supervision, and the situation, though bleak and dreary, 

 being healthy, while it is sufficiently removed from any populous 

 neighbourhood, the experiment is made under very favourable con- 

 ditions. In 1852 the available accommodation was raised from 

 1000 to 1274. On December 31st, 1852, there were in the prison 

 1133. The average number for the year was 1027. In the course of 

 the year 339 were sent with tickets of leave to Van Diemeu's Land 

 and Western Australia, and 37 received free pardons. The total 

 expense for the year ending March 31st, 1853, was 30,042Z. ; the total 

 value of the labour applied in and about the prison, and for making 

 roads, reclaiming lands, &c. was estimated at 15,473t Seventy acres of 

 land were reclaimed from the waste in 1852. There are now under 

 cultivation 98 acres, well drained, and surrounded with stone walls. 

 Flax, barley, oats, turnips, mangold-wurzel, and carrots are grown, 

 but potatoes have not hitherto succeeded. Sixty cows are kept, and 

 the grass-land furnishes pasture and hay sufficient for them. A con- 

 siderable number of pigs are also kept. In the garden within the 

 prison there are vegetables grown for the use of the prisoners. Belts 

 of forest-trees have been planted. Peat is dug for fuel, and is also 

 used for the manufacture of gas. The sewerage is used for manure. 

 In the yearly report the governor bears testimony to the general good 

 conduct of the prisoners. Men who have received sentences for short 

 periods, whose crimes have not been heinous, and who have behaved 

 well, are selected for special service, such as looking after the cattle, 

 driving carts, &c., without being in charge of an officer. Of such 18 

 have been employed outside the prison walls, and 35 within them : 

 the dress of this class of men is blue instead of brown, and those 

 employed outside the prison have in addition a red collar to their 

 jackets. Salcomlie, 38 miles S. by W. from Exeter, population of the 

 ecclesiastical district 1656, is a very picturesque town, pleasantly situ- 

 ated, and so sheltered by high lands as to be one of the warmest in 

 the kingdom. Myrtle-trees grow along the shore, and lemon and 

 orange-trees in the gardens. The harbour is sheltered, but it has a 

 bar at low water, and sunken rocks at the mouth, which render the 

 entrance dangerous. Salcombe was a few years back celebrated for 

 its white ale, a beverage peculiar to this part of Devonshire. Slieep- 

 VHU/I, or iikiptcath, population of the parish 525, on the north bank of 

 the Torridge, 30 miles W. by N. from Exeter, had a considerable 

 market in the middle of the last century, but is now a place of no 

 consequence. Silverton, 6J miles N. from Exeter, population of the 

 parish 1376, was formerly a market-town. Besides the church there 

 if an Endowed school. This place suffered much from a fire in 1837, 

 which destroyed nearly half the houses. Sir Thomas Fairfax quar- 

 tered with his army here in 1645. About one mile to the right is 

 Silverton Park, a seat of the lato Earl of Egiemont. Starcrosi, 8 miles 



S. by E. from Exeter, population 936, is in some repute as a watering- 

 place. It derives its name from a cross that formerly stood near the 

 landing-place on the bank of the river. A district chapel was built 

 here in 1826 ; there is also a chapel for Wesleyan Methodists. Star- 

 eross is celebrated for its oysters and cockles. There is a station here 

 of the South Devon railway, also a good stone pier for the use of 

 steam-vessels. North Tawton, 21 miles W. by S. from Exeter, popu- 

 lation of the parish 1906,' was anciently a borough and market-town, 

 and still boasts of its portreeve. The market has been long discon- 

 tinued ; the woollen manufacture, which it formerly possessed, is 

 gone, and the place is of no importance. 



Divisions for Ecclesiastical and Legal- Purposes. From the intro- 

 duction of Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons to the year 703, the 

 southern part of England, from Kent to Cornwall, was under one 

 bishop. Upon the ecclesiastical division which took place in 703, 

 Devonshire became part of the diocese of Sherbourne. About 910 

 Devonshire formed a diocese of itself, the see being at Crediton. 

 About the year 1040, in the reign of Harold I. or Hardicanute, Corn- 

 wall, which had previously formed the separate diocese of St. Germans, 

 was united with Devonshire, and the see was soon afterwards (1050) 

 removed to Exeter, where it has ever since continued. That part of 

 the diocese which is in Devonshire is divided into three archdeacon- 

 ries Exeter, Barnstaple, and Totues which are subdivided into 

 23 rural deaneries. 



The number of benefices in the county is given by Messrs. Lysons's 

 'Magua Britannia' at 471, of which 258 are rectories, 130 vicarages, 

 42 donatives or curacies, and 41 parochial chapelries. There are 

 several chapels of ease. The diocese of Exeter is in the ecclesiastical 

 province of Canterbury. According to the ' Census of Religious 

 Worship,' taken in 1851, it appears that there were then in the county 

 1297 places of worship, which belonged to the various religious socie- 

 ties in the following proportions : Church of England, 549 ; Methodists 

 (four sections), 379 ; Independents, 142 ; Baptists, 112; Brethren, 36 ; 

 Unitarians, 12 ; Quakers, 8 ; Roman Catholics, 8 ; other bodies, 51. 

 The total number of sittings provided was 334,372, of which the 

 Established Church provided 191,710. 



Devonshire is included in the western circuit : the assizes and 

 quarter sessions for the county are held at Exeter, which city is a 

 county of itself, having been made so by statute 2 & 3 Edward VI. 

 The stannary laws [COUNWALL] have been in force from a very early 

 period in the mining district in the south-west part of the county. 

 The stannary towns are Ashburton, Chagford, Plymptou, and Tavi- 

 stock. County courts arc held at Axmiuster, Barnstaple, Bideford, 

 Crediton, Exeter, Holsworthy, Honitou, King's-bridge, South Molton, 

 Newton Abbot, Okehamptou, Plymouth, Tavistock, Tiverton, Tor- 

 rington, and Totnes. 



The county returns four members to Parliament two for the 

 northern and two for the southern division. The city of Exeter 

 returns two members, as do the following boroughs : Barnstaple, 

 Devouport, Honiton, Plymouth, Taviatock, Tivertou, and Totnes. 

 The boroughs of Ashburton and Dartmouth return one member 

 each ; making the total number of members for the county, city, and 

 boroughs, 22 four less than before the Reform Act. Exmouth and 

 Teiguinouth sent representatives to the great councils for maritime 

 affairs. 



History and Antiquities. The earliest ascertained inhabitants of 

 this county were the Damnonii (Richard of Cirencester), or Dumuonii 

 (' Itin. Antoninus '). The many ancient encampments in Devon '-hiro 

 mark it as the scene of early encounters : some of these camps are 

 evidently Roman. After the Roman conquest Devonshire was 

 included in the province of Britannia Prima. 



Of this remote period there are many remains. Circular inclosures 

 formed by low stone walls occur in various parts of Dartmoor. 

 Grimpspound, as it is called, about three miles from the village of 

 Manaton, on the east side of the moor, is a circular inclosure of four 

 acres : it has two entrances directly facing the north and south : at 

 these points the wall, which appears to have been about 12 feet high, 

 was the thickest. In the inclosure are several circles of stone of 

 12 feet diameter, especially near the south side of the inclosure. At 

 Gidleigh Park, near Scorhill Tor, Dartmoor, is a very remarkable 

 stone circle known as the Scorhill Circle. " The two principal 

 columnar masses in this granite peristyle stand at nearly opposite 

 points of the circle ; the highest rising nearly 8 feet from the surface, 

 and the other standing upwards of 6 feet. The lowest are about 

 3 feet high ; several have fallen, but twenty of these time-worn 

 obelisks still maiutaiu their erect position, and circumscribe an area 

 of about 100 feet in diameter." (Rowe's ' Dartmoor.') There are in 

 the parish of Bratton Fleming, between South Molton and Ilfracombe, 

 six upright stones, the remains apparently of an ancient circle. Near 

 Merivale Bridge, on the Walkham, are ' hut circles,' as they are called, 

 and other aboriginal remains, which indeed, as before mentioned, 

 abound in different parts of Dartmoor. The granite tors of Dartmoor 

 are natural. There are some sepulchral stones on Haddock's Down 

 (south of Combe Martin), and a very fine cromlech at Drewsteiguton, 

 or Drew's Teignton, between Exeter and Okehampton. Numerous 

 barrows, or tumuli, occur on Haldon and other downs, particularly in 

 North Devon, and some cairns or piles of stones. Roman antiquities 

 have been found in some barrows when opened. 



