EXETER. 
118 
the fame roll, that he broke out the two great windows 
which light the tranfept, in the oppofite walls of the 
towers : he therefore formed the tranfept, though he-did 
not build all the walls from the ground. During this 
long period no taftelefs or vain prelate interfered with the 
regular and elegant plan of the founder. Though the 
ta ; fte_in architcthire was continually changing, fo fcrupu- 
lous was the adherence to the original defign, that the 
church feems rather to have been created at once in its 
perfect hate, than have (lowly grown to its confummatc 
beauty. Even Grandifon, who, if we may judge from 
his fcreert, at the weftern entrance, had a florid tafte in 
the extreme in architecture, chaftiz'ed his ideas within 
the church, and felt the (imple grace of Qgrivil’s defign.” 
The thin fine pillars which fill up the angles,or make cluf- 
ters round the larger columns, in this and moft of our cathe¬ 
drals and collegiate churches, have been commonly iiio- 
pofed to be an artificial compofition : but it appears that 
this is not the cafe, and that they are a kind of marble 
which was brought from Corfe in tlie Me of Purbeck, dug 
out of quarries which have been long lince ex.haufted. 
Bifhop Littleton, to put this point out of all difpute, 
gives an extraCt from the fabric rolls of 1331 and 1332, 
containing an eftimate delivered to the dean and chapter 
of Exeter, by William Canon, of Corfe, for the fupply 
of this marble for that ex prefs- purpofe. 
This cathedral has a ring of twelve of the largeft bells 
in England. In 1763, the whole church was repaired, 
beautified, and new paved ; when, in removing the old 
pavement, was found the leaden coffin of bifhop Bitton, 
who died in 1307 ; the top of which, being decayed, af¬ 
forded an opportunity of viewing the ikeleton lying in its 
proper form : near the bones of the finger was found a 
fapphire ring fet in gold ; the (lone confiderably large, 
but of no great value on account of feveral flaws. Near 
it flood a (mall chalice and patten of (liver gilt, but the 
damp had deflroyed the greateft part of the gilding. In 
the centre of the patten was engraved a hand, with the 
two fore-fingers extended in the attitude of benediction. 
The top of the crozier was found alfo, but totally decay¬ 
ed. A moll beautiful modern painted-glafs window was 
erefted at the weft end of this cathedral in 1766,the eaftern 
end having before a remarkable fine antique one. In the 
other windows there is much fine ancient painted-glafs. 
The altar is remarkable for its beautiful defign and exe¬ 
cution. On the left hand fide of it there yet remains the 
feat where Edward the Confeffor and his queen fat and 
inftalled Leofricus, his chancellor, the firft biftiop of Exe¬ 
ter ; and in the Couth crofs-aifle is the monument of the 
fame Leofricus, who died in 1073, which at the time of 
his interment was a part of the church-yard, but, by the 
enlarging of the church by his fuccelfors, became nearly 
the center of the building. The bi(hop’s fee of this 
weftern diocefe hath feveral removes ; for it was firft at 
Bodmin in the county of Cornwall, and after that at 
Taunton. Afterwards both were joined, and placed at 
‘Crediton. And laftly, about the year 1094, king Edward 
the Confeffor and his queen Edyth enthroned Leofricus, 
as above-mentioned, (who had been three years bifhop of 
Crediton,) into the fee of Exeter, in the following folemn 
manner: “ I kynge Edward, taking Leofrike bye the 
ryghte haunde, and Edythe my queen bye the lefte, doe 
inftalle hym the fyrfte and moft famous byfehoppe of 
Exon, wythe a grate defyre of aboundance of blelfynges 
to all fuch as (hall finder and encreafe the fame ; but 
wythe a fearful and execrable curfe on all fuch as (hall di- 
minilh or take any thynge from it.” The weft end of the 
church is moft magnificently adorned with the ftatues of 
the patriarchs, &c. The chapter-houfe was built in 1439. 
The beautiful throne for the biftiop was conftru&ed about 
1466, and is (aid to be the grandeft of the kind in Eng¬ 
land. The great north tower was completed in 1485, 
which contains a bell that weighs 17,472 pounds; and 
exceeds the great Tom of Lincoln very confiderably. Dr. 
Alured Clarke, who was promoted to the deanery of this 
church, anno 1740, was a great benefactor to it, as well 
as to the city and county, by fetting on foot a fubferipiion 
for erecting' the infirmary, now called the Devon and 
Exeter Hofpital, built on the model of the public infir¬ 
maries in London and Weftminfter. Exeter was'firft in¬ 
corporated by king John ; and eredted into a county by 
Henry VHI. It is governed by a mayor, twenty-four al¬ 
dermen, four bailiffs, a recorder, chamberlain, iheriff, 
town-clerk, &c. It is one of the few places in Great-Bri- 
tain which, in parliamentary language, is called an open 
city, from its not being under the influenceof a nobienian 
or any other individual. It fends two members to the 
imperial parliament ; and the (lieriff is the returning offi¬ 
cer. Here was anciently a mint ; and in the reigns of 
William III. and queen Anne many pieces of iilver money 
were coined, which have the letter E. under the buff. 
All pleas and civil caufes are tried by the mayor, recor¬ 
der, aldermen, and common-council ; but criminal caufesj 
ana thofe relating to the peace, are determined by eight 
aldermen, who are juftices of tiie peace. 
Exeter confifts of four principal ftreets, all terminating 
in the centre of the city, which is therefore called CorJ'ox , 
from tiie old Norman word Ouatrc voix, i. e. the four 
ways. - Near it is a conduit, lately removed from the 
centre to tiie fide of the principal ftreet, which was firft 
ereCted by William Duke, mayor of the city, in the reign 
of Edward IV.-and there are others well (applied with 
water brought in pipes from the neighbouring (prings. 
On the north-eaft fide of the city, are the remains of 
an ancient caftle, called Rougemont, from the red foil 
it (lands on ; fuppofed to have been built by tire Weft 
Saxon kings, and that they redded here ; as did after¬ 
wards tiie earls and dukes of Cornwall. Tiie caftle was 
ftrong botli by nature and art. Tiie outward (tone-facing 
is in tolerable repair ; but the infide, being but earth, is 
gradually crumbling down. Here yet remains the ancient 
chapel, built in 1620, and kept in good repair, where 
prayers are read and a fermon preached in feflions weeks. 
The city of Exeter is healthy, and pleafantly fituated 
on the fides of a hill, having other hills to its north-weft 
and Couth, by which it is flieltered from the force of ftorms. 
An elegant feflions-houfe is eredted, where the affizes, 
quarrer-fellions, and county-courts, are held. In the city 
and fuburbs are prifons both for debtors and malefactors ; 
a work-lioufe, alms-houfes, charity-fchools, a free-gram- 
mar-fchool, and a free-fehool for writing, &c. for the Ions 
of poor freemen, called the blue-fchool. In the fouth- 
eaft quarterof the city was an ancient manfioncalled Bed- 
ford-houfe, wherein the queen of Charles I. was deliver¬ 
ed of a princefs. Tliis having been taken down, an ele¬ 
gant circus is built on the (pot, with a theatre adjoining 
to it ; and, for the conveniency of the inhabitants, -a paf- 
fage has been made through the town-wall to Southern 
Hay, on which green ftands the infirmary, or connty-hofi- 
pital. The guildhall is a fpacious and convenient build¬ 
ing, firft eredted in 1330, to which its prefent front was 
rebuilt in 1593, and repaired in 1720. The portico is in 
ftyle that would do honour to any royal palace. The bridge 
over the Ex, which is new and handfome, ceft 20,000!. 
In Dr. Mulgrave’s garden, a head of the emprefs Julia 
Domna, of a coloffhl fize, was dug up. The head-drefs 
is fuitable to thofe times; and neither the coftume nor 
fculpttireare defpifable. It has aninferiptionof Camillas. 
The trade of Exeter confifts principally in the exporta¬ 
tion of coarfe woollen goods, manufactured in the counties 
of Devon, Cornvyail, and Somerfet ; thefe goods the mer¬ 
chants of Exeter buy rough from the loom, mill, dye, and 
finifn them for ufe, and afterwards export them ; they 
chiefly confift of druggets, duroys, kerfeys, and everlaft- 
ings, which find a ready (ale in Italy, Spain,Germany, HoJ- 
land, France, and Portugal, to the annual amount of more 
than half a million fterling. Betides this, the Eaft-India 
company take off a quantity of long-ells, amounting to 
the annual value of about 105,000!. of which about a 
fourth part are (hipped at Exeter ; the remainder at Dart¬ 
mouth and Plymouth. For making thefe woollens, about 
4000 bags of wool are imported at Exeter from Kent. 
The 
