Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for EXMOUTH

EXMOUTH, a town, a chapelry, and a sub-district in St. Thomas district, Devon. The town is partly in the parish of Littleham, partly in that of Withycombe-Rawleigh; and stands at the left side of the mouth of the Exe, and at the terminus of the Exeter and Exmonth railway, 10 miles by road and 10¾ by railway SSE of Exeter. It was anciently called Exanmouth. It made resistance to the Danes in 1001; and had then a castle, which has disappeared. It sent two members to a parliament at Westminster, in the 14th year of Edward III.; and furnished 10 ships and 193 men towards that monarch's expedition against Calais. It was the place where the Earl of March, afterwards Edward IV., went on ship-board after the defeat of the Yorkists at Ludlow. It was occasionally held by both the royalists and the parliamentarians during the civil war, and was finally taken by the latter in 1646. It afterwards fell into decay; and, about the middle of last century, was only a poor fishing-town; but it rose into notice as a sea-bathing resort, in consequence of one of the Judges of the Circuit having gone to it an invalid, and returned from it in health: and it now ranks as the oldest and best frequented watering-place in Devon. It is well sheltered from NE and SE winds by some high hills, which rise almost close behind it, and supply it with excellent water; and it enjoys a fine climate, and has a convenient bathing-beach. The old part of it occupies the river-side and the skirt of a hill; while the new part ascends the hill in terrace over terrace, and displays handsome houses, among clumps and lines of trees. Beacon hill, with Beacon terrace, has many of the best houses, and commands extensive brilliant views over both sea and land; while Louisa terrace and Trefusis terrace are better sheltered, and also have excellent views. Walks and a shrubbery are on the slope of Beacon hill; and a promenade, 1,800 feet long, lies along the strand. The harbour is spacions, deep, and good; a recently erected battery commands its entrance; and docks were formed in 1865-9, at a cost of £60, 000. A hotel, at a cost of £8, 000, and a new market, at a cost of £6, 000, were erected in 1869. The town is a sub-port to Exeter, and a coast-guard station; and it has a post office‡ under Exeter, a railway station with telegraph, a ferry across the Exe, three chief inns, a good bathing establishment, a market house, libraries, assembly rooms, a church, two Independent chapels, three other dissenting chapels, and a national school with endowment of £40 a year. The church was built in 1824, at a cost of £12, 000, and afterwards enlarged; and is a noble structure in the Gothic style. One of the Independent chapels was rebuilt in 1867. A weekly market is held on Saturday; fairs are held on 26 April and 28 Oct.; a regatta takes place in August and Sept.; and two weekly newspapers are published. The town gives the title of Viscount to the family of Pellew. Pop., 5, 228. Houses, 1, 106. -The chapelry includes the Littleham part of the town, and is annexed to the vicarage of Littleham; and a new chapel has been built for the Withycombe part.—The sub-district contains the parishes of Littleham, Withycombe-Rawleigh, and Lympston. Acres, 7, 668. Pop., 7, 171. Houses, 1, 522.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a chapelry, and a sub-district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: St Thomas RegD/PLU       Devon AncC
Place names: EXANMOUTH     |     EXMOUTH
Place: Exmouth

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