[Illustration: EXETER FROM THE CANAL]

EXETER

Described by Sidney Heath

Pictured by E. W. Haslehust

[Illustration]

BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED LONDON, GLASGOW AND BOMBAY 1912

Beautiful England

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 OXFORD THE ENGLISH LAKES CANTERBURY SHAKESPEARE-LAND THE THAMES WINDSOR CASTLE CAMBRIDGE NORWICH AND THE BROADS THE HEART OF WESSEX THE PEAK DISTRICT THE CORNISH RIVIERA DICKENS-LAND WINCHESTER THE ISLE OF WIGHT CHESTER YORK THE NEW FOREST HAMPTON COURT EXETER

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Beautiful Ireland

 LEINSTER ULSTER MUNSTER CONNAUGHT

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

 Page

 Exeter from the Canal _Frontispiece_

 The Quay 8

 Guildhall Porch 14

 Mol's Coffee House 20

 Rougemont Castle 26

 St. Mary Steps 32

 The Cathedral from the Palace Grounds 38

 The Sanctuary, Exeter Cathedral 42

 Old Courtyard in the Close 46

 The Abbot's Lodge 50

 The Exe at Topsham 54

 Countess Weir 58

 Plan of Exeter Cathedral 4

[Illustration: Plan of Exeter Cathedral

 A. Lady Chapel. B. Choir. C. Screen. D. North Transept. E. South Transept. F. Chapter House. G. Nave. H. North Porch. I. Bishop's Throne. ]

[Illustration: EXETER]

THE CITY

Just as the five cities of Colchester, Lincoln, York, Gloucester, andSt. Albans, stand on the sites and in some fragmentary measure bear thenames of five Roman municipalities, so Isca Dumnoniorum, now Exeter, appears to have been a cantonal capital developed out of one of thegreat market centres of the Celtic tribes, and as such it was the mostwesterly of the larger Romano-British towns. The legendary history ofthe place, both temporal and ecclesiastical, goes far back to the dayswhen, for a late posterity, it is difficult to separate fact from fable. It is, however, quite established that here was the capital of theDumnonii, the British tribe whose dominions included both Devonshire andCornwall, and who named their capital _Caer-uisc_, the city of thewaters. 

With the coming of the Saxons, the river, the Roman Isca, became theExa, and the city was called Exanceaster, modified in due course toExeter. 

In point of position, on a mound rising from the river, it was asplendid site for a fortress in the days of hand-to-hand warfare, andthe military value of the site lends support to the statement of somewriters that the Romans utilized the British fortifications and built acastle. In few places of its size can one see so clearly the extent ofthe old walled town, while the disposition and formation of its outerring of houses, on the lower slopes of the mound, show very clearly thelimits of the mural circumvallation before the city burst asunder itstight-fitting belt of stone, within which, for the safety of itspopulace, it had been imprisoned for centuries. 

Climb the higher parts for a bird's-eye view of the city, and the sceneis entrancing. We look down upon the calm-flowing Exe threading its waythrough the valley till it debouches at Exmouth; on the riversidebeneath us is the quay, with coasting schooners and barges mooredalongside, and sundry bales of merchandise heaped upon the wharf, asthough the people were playing at commerce to remind the world at largethat Exeter was once an important port, although some ten miles from theriver's mouth. 

But the Exe, in a quiet way, has much to boast of in the nature ofbeauty and romance, particularly where it flows past the wooded groundsof Powderham Castle, the Devonshire seat of the great Courtenay family. Truly there is much to redeem modern Exeter and make it interesting overand above its historical atmosphere. Yet with comparatively few vestigesof age the city has an historical past. In both a religious and amilitary sense she has played a part in the annals of England, and morethan one ancient document in the Library of the Dean and Chapter bearstestimony to her honour, her valour, and her glory. 

It is a city which has the impress of many ages and many minds stampedupon it. Here each influence--military from the Roman legions, ecclesiastical from the Saxon prelates, feudal from the Normanlords--has sunk deeply into the land, and has affected the general planof the numerous buildings, as it has moulded the slowly succeedingphases of the civic and the religious life. It is no mere dream of theearly ages, no sentimental reverie of mediævalism. It is enough to gothrough the streets, noting the remnants of the ancient walls, thebrutal strength of the surviving fragment of the castle, the shelteredposition of the tidal basin, the many churches dedicated to the honourof Saxon saints, the proud beauty and massiveness of the Cathedral, ifone would realize, not the fancies of the artist and the poet, but thehard facts of history that made the ancient days so great, and whichhave caused our own days to be so full of their memories. 

As compared with the sister counties of Cornwall and Dorset, Devonshireis not particularly well represented in memorials of the Romanoccupation, although an immense number of Roman coins have beenunearthed at various times. Coins, however, unless found with definitestructural remains, indicate presence rather than a settled occupation, for large quantities of the Roman coinage must have continued incirculation long after the last of the legions of imperial Rome haddeparted from British shores. The few Roman antiquities of Exeter thathave been found are important in a comparative sense, although theycontrast poorly in structural character with those of our otherRomano-British towns. It has been held that not only were thefoundations of the city walls Roman, but part of the existing remains ofRougemont Castle have also been assigned to this period. 

Mr. L. Davidson was of opinion that the old church tower of St. MaryMajor (now removed) exhibited traces of Roman work, and foundationspresumed to be Roman were noted by him as having been found at thecorner of Castle Street and High Street, in St. Mary Arches Street, Bedford Circus, Market Street, South Street, and Mint Lane. 

[Illustration: THE QUAY]

In 1836 more definite structural remains were found in High Street, consisting of a family sepulchral vault, 7 feet square, arched over, andcontaining five coarse cinerary urns arranged in niches around itsinterior. This was discovered behind the "Three Tuns" inn, and duringthe same year at a great depth below the site of the County Bank, alow-arched chamber was found in which were a quantity of bones of menand animals. 

No Exonian find, however, exceeds in interest the discovery, in 1833, ofa bath and tesselated pavement behind the Deanery walls in South Street. The walls were of Heavitree stone and brick, and the original pavementwas of black-and-white tesseræ set in concrete. The associated remainsof a thirteenth-century encaustic-tile pavement indicates the use of theold Roman bath a thousand years or so after it had been made. Severalother tesselated pavements are recorded as having been found in PancrasLane, on the site of Bedford Circus, and on the north side of theCathedral near the Speke Chapel. In 1836 a small bronze figure of JuliusCæsar (now in the British Museum) about three inches in height, was dugup during the removal of some walls in the Westgate quarter of the city. The only recorded find of a military weapon is the bronze hilt of adagger unearthed in South Street in 1833. This is of more than passinginterest, as it bears the name of its owner--E. MEFITI. [=E]O. FRI[=S]. --which has been read thus: "Servii or Marcii Mefiti TribuniEquitum Frisiorum"--Servius or Mercius Mefitus, tribune of the Frisians. 

The antiquary Leland mentions two Roman inscriptions as built into thecity wall near Southernhay, but they are gone, and besides the inscribeddagger we have only a seal of Severius Pompeyus, and sundry graffiti orfunereal pottery, in the way of literary relics of Roman Exeter. Thepoverty of Devonshire in memorials of the Roman period is shown by thefact that, outside Exeter, there are not a dozen places in the countywhich have yielded Roman vestigia other than coins. 

In 926 the Britons were driven from Exeter by Athelstan, who banishedthem into Cornwall, and fixed the River Tamar as their boundary. Athelstan was one of the greatest benefactors the city has had; for, inaddition to increasing the fortifications by means of a massive wallflanked by towers, he built a castle on the Red Mount, now known asRougemont Castle. Although very little of this now remains, a portion ofthe ruins is generally known as "Athelstan's Tower", and has a windowwith a triangular head, which is certainly of Saxon style and date. In932 Athelstan rebuilt the Monastery of Our Lady and St. Peter, staffingit with monks of the Benedictine Order, and presenting them with thereputed relics of St. Sidwell, a saint who is still somewhat of a puzzleto ecclesiologists. A few years later the monastery was plundered by theDanes, when the monks beat a hasty retreat, but returned in 968 on theentreaty of King Edgar. A mint was shortly established here, wherein thefirst coins were struck naming Athelstan "King of England". 

The Danes made continuous raids in the neighbourhood, but weredecisively defeated by the West Countrymen in 1001, at Pinhoe, a fewmiles from Exeter. From that time until the treacherous massacre of theDanes in Wessex upon St. Brice's Day in 1002 by Ethelred, this part ofthe country was comparatively free from their inroads; but Gunhilda, thesister of Swegen, King of Denmark, being among the slain, this king cameto avenge her death. He sailed up the Exe, burning and plundering thevillages on its banks, and for four years his army marched in everydirection across Wessex, and was at length induced to withdraw on beingpaid a _wergeld_ (war tax) which was first levied on Exeter. 

After the Battle of Hastings, Gytha, the mother of Harold, took refugein Exeter, and Leofric, the bishop, offered to render homage to Williamas Royal suzerain; but the Conqueror would have no half-heartedsubmission, so Exeter closed its gates to the Normans. It held out foreighteen days, when the military science of the Normans, andparticularly the skill they showed in undermining the walls, caused itto surrender. The resistance won the besiegers' respect and broughtunusually good terms from so ruthless a victor as William. The lives ofthe garrison were spared, Gytha was allowed to seek safety by sea, andit has been said that the victorious troops were withdrawn from the citygates to prevent them from claiming the licentious privileges sogenerally granted to their followers by the Norman kings. 

As is fitting for its county town, the first entry in the DevonshireDomesday deals with Exeter, in which city, it is recorded, the king had285 houses rendering customary dues. The generally debased character ofthe coinage of the time led to various expedients being adopted by theExchequer for securing approximately accurate payment of a specified sumof money. Among other things the entries in Domesday state that in thetotal--

 "This (city of Exeter) renders 18 pounds per annum. Of these Baldwin the Sheriff has six pounds by weight and assay, and Colvin has of them 12 pounds by tale for the service of Queen Eadgyth". 

This entry is significant, for one pound or twenty shillings meant onepound or twelve ounces troy of silver; and when money was payable byweight twenty shillings were not taken as the equivalent of one poundunless they fully weighed one pound. In this instance it is observablethat the portion of the customary dues rendered for the 285 houses, which went to the Exchequer, was collected by the sheriff under thestrictest rules of weight and assay, whereas the portion allotted to thewidow of Edward the Confessor was received by the tale only. Theauthorities took care that the sheriff collected the full amount due tothe Crown, but did not trouble themselves about the ex-queen's share. 

It has been affirmed that it was by the Normans that the fairs ofEngland were moulded into the shape with which we are most familiar. AtExeter, in 1276, in reply to a writ of _quo warranto_, it wassatisfactorily shown that the rights of the city, its fee-farm rent andits farms, dated from pre-Conquest days. The privileges and emolumentsattached to fairs in large towns were very great. During the timeallotted to them the citizens were often debarred from selling anything, whereas strangers could vend their wares during the fair, but at noother period of the year. In Cossin's _Reminiscences of Exeter_ (1877)we are told how "at Exeter, on the occasion of the Lammas Fair, aprocession yet perambulates the city, one man bearing a pole with agigantic stuffed glove at the top of it, the latter being subsequentlyhung out at the Guildhall". 

Many of England's reigning sovereigns have visited the city, among thembeing Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII came thither on 7 October, 1497, on the suppression of Perkin Warbeck's rebellion, when that rebelhad attempted to capture the city. The rebels were brought before theking, bareheaded and with halters round their necks, and after they hadpleaded for mercy Henry pardoned them. On his departure, the kingpresented the civic authorities with a sword and cap of maintenance, both of which are still carried before the Mayor and Corporation onoccasions of state. 

The citizens of Exeter have always been noted for their stanch loyaltyto the reigning house, with the consequence that many rights andprivileges have been granted to it. The city motto, _Semper Fidelis_, was conferred by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of the contributions, both of men and money, made to the fleet that vanquished the SpanishArmada. That the motto was merited is evident when we recall the factthat, with the exception of Frobisher and Cavendish, practically thewhole of the leading seamen who chased the Spanish ships along theChannel were born in the land of the Tamar, the Tavy, and the Dart. 

[Illustration: GUILDHALL PORCH]

During the early part of the Civil War the citizens were divided intheir sympathies, some supporting the Parliament and others the King;but the city soon fell into the hands of the former. In 1643, however, Sir Ralph Hopton, the famous Royalist general, marched on Exeter with aforce made all the more formidable for siege purposes by the cannon hehad previously captured at Halton. The immediate capture of the city bythe Royalist forces was expected, the _Mercurius Aulius_ of 1 June, 1643, remarking that: "if the old observation be of any credit, thatcats and mice doe commonly forsake a ruinous and decaying house, thatCitie (Exeter) is not like to continue long in the Rebels' hands". Theproud and rebellious city was assaulted and captured by the Royalistforces under Prince Maurice on 4 September, 1643, after a siege lastingsixteen days, and a full account of its fall appeared in the issue ofthe _Mercurius Aulius_ of 8 September. 

In May, 1644, Queen Henrietta Maria took up her abode in the city, atBedford House, where, on 16 June of the same year, the PrincessHenrietta was born. In the following month Charles I came to see hislittle daughter, and again in September, when he appointed ThomasFuller, Vicar of Broadwindsor, in Dorset, as chaplain to the princess. The queen, who had retired to Exeter as a safe place for herconfinement, soon afterwards had to leave there suddenly on the approachof a Parliamentary army in command of the Earl of Essex. Her Majesty'seasiest way to France was by sea, and to prevent this Cromwell had senta fleet to Torbay to intercept her, should she attempt to leave Englandby that route. Finding this road closed, she made for Falmouth, fromwhich port she got safely away. 

During the siege by Fairfax the inhabitants of the city sufferedconsiderably, owing to the food supplies being intercepted. One day aflight of larks came into the town, "which were", says Fuller, "aswelcome as quails in the wilderness". The birds were so numerous that, notwithstanding the prevailing famine, they were sold for twopence adozen. "Of this miraculous event", wrote Fuller, "I was not only an eyebut a mouth witness. "

The city capitulated on 13 April, 1646, among the conditions ofsurrender being that the Cathedral should be spared, and the garrisonaccorded the honours of war. 

After the landing of William of Orange at Brixham, in 1688, he marchedthrough the county to Exeter and entered the city by its western gate. He proceeded direct to the Cathedral and took his seat in the bishop'sthrone with his chaplain Burnet near him. A few of the prebendaries andchoristers attended the service, but when Burnet began to read thePrince's Declaration, after the singing of the Te Deum, they hurriedlydeparted. The bishop, Thomas Lamplugh, had proceeded to James on hearingthat the Dutch had landed, and was rewarded with the Archbishopric ofYork. He afterwards assisted at William III's coronation. The Dean ofExeter had also left the city, and the Deanery was prepared for thePrince's reception. George III was the last English sovereign to stay inExeter, and he also resided at the Deanery. 

Although the Cathedral is the main attraction modern Exeter has to offerto the tourist, a walk through the historic old city will reveal thefact that, in addition to some highly interesting old churches, itpossesses a not inconsiderable number of ancient buildings. At the sametime there has been an appalling amount of destruction, some of itapparently of an unnecessary kind, as the recent dismantling of thebeautiful old courtyard in the rear of Bampfylde House, the cityresidence of the Poltimore family. 

The visitor who arrives at Exeter either by the Great Western or theSouth-Western Railway, the station of the latter being the more centralof the two, can soon reach the busy and picturesque High Street by wayof Queen Street, one of the broadest thoroughfares in the city. The mostinteresting building in High Street, and one that, in this respect, ranks next to the Cathedral, is the Guildhall, with a portico projectingover the pavement. It is probably one of the oldest municipal buildingsin the country, for in 1330 we find that the Guildhall was in a ruinouscondition, and it was then rebuilt. Again, in 1464, it was built up anewin a more commodious and efficient manner, while the building as we seeit to-day, with its façade, is the result of still further alterationsin 1592. The entrance porch is separated from the inner hall by amassive oak doorway, and the hall itself, 60 feet long and 25 feet wide, is panelled throughout in oak, with a frieze consisting of shieldscharged with the arms of former mayors, aldermen, recorders, and of thecity companies. Curious brackets, of figures bearing staves, support theroof. The judge's chair is of carved oak, and bears the name and date ofthe donor: "Christopher Ball, Esq. , 1697". On the walls hang six largeportraits, among them those of George III and General Monk, the latterby Sir Peter Lely, and over this picture hang the colours of the 4thDevons, a regiment raised in the city by the general in 1681. 

Another portrait here by Lely is of the Princess Henrietta, concerningwhich the old records state that: "In 1671 the King (Charles II), inorder to keep his promise made the last year when he visited this cityin person, and as a signal testimony of his love towards the same, waspleased to send hither the effigy or portraiture, at length and richlyframed of his dear sister, the Duchess of Orleans (lately deceased), aprincess born within this city, and for beauty was esteemed to be one ofthe fairest in Christendom; which said picture being placed in a faircase of timber, richly adorned with gold, is erected in the openguildhall of the said city, there to remain as a perpetual monument ofhis majesty's high favour towards this his truly ancient, loyal, andhonourable city of Exeter". 

The upper room is known as the "Mayor's Parlour", where are many moreportraits, and the city sword and cap of maintenance. The scabbard ofthe sword, which is the one presented by Edward IV, is still draped incrape, as it used to be for the processions on "King Charles Martyr's"Day (30 Jan. ). The cap of maintenance presented to the city, togetherwith his sword, by Henry VII, was sent up to London to be repaired, thecost for "sarcanet, damask, and pin lace" amounting to four guineas. Theoriginal cap still remains within its covering, and it appears toconsist of two pieces of black felt sewn together. During the fifteenthcentury the Chapel of St. George and St. John was built over theGuildhall, with an apartment above for the priest who served it, thechapel being probably connected with a religious guild. 

The junction of North and South Streets with Fore and High Streets wasformerly known as the Carfoix, or Carfax (_quatre voyes_, i. E. Fourways), where at one time many executions took place. Here also stood theancient conduit which supplied the city with water, but this was removedto South Street in 1779. At the corner, looking down Fore Street, was afine fourteenth-century life-size figure of St. Peter, holding a modelof a church in his right hand and a book in his left, his feet tramplingon a demon. This has been removed from its original position and placedhigh up in a niche over a shop close by. On the opposite side of HighStreet is St. Petrock's Church, at one time almost hidden from sight bythe adjacent buildings. It is a curious little church, of which portionshave been assigned to the Saxon period. The parish of St. Petrock is inthe centre of the city, and was one of the oldest and most important, being one of the nineteen churches to which William I ordered theprovost to pay a silver penny yearly. The church was enlarged on thesouth side during the fifteenth century, and in the following centurythe Jesus aisle was added, when Thomas Chard, acting as Bishop Oldham'ssuffragan, reconsecrated the church. The chancel is now towards the eastin what was once an aisle, the original chancel being where the northaisle is now, with the consequence that the interior of the church has avery curious appearance. 

[Illustration: MOL'S COFFEE HOUSE]

Farther up High Street, on the same side, are some picturesque houseswith Elizabethan gables, the interiors of many of them adorned with finespecimens of oak carving in situ. The building now occupied by Messrs. Green as a drapery establishment was at one time the "New Inn", and itis mentioned in this capacity so early as 1456 in a lease relating tothe building, in which it is referred to as "le Newe Inne". In 1554 thecloth mart was established here, and early in the seventeenth centurythe New Inn Hall was used as the exchange where the cloth merchants metto transact their business. The house was rebuilt towards the close ofthe century, and the Apollo Room was added as a banqueting hall for thejudges on circuit. This is now used as a showroom, but it still retainsits elaborate plaster ceiling bearing the date 1695, and the originaloak panelling. The frieze consists of a series of wreaths upholdingshields charged with the armorial bearings of many county families, together with the royal arms and those of the city. 

Farther up the street is the church of St. Stephen, mentioned inDomesday. The original church was destroyed by the Commonwealth in 1658, and rebuilt in 1664. Stephen's Bow, the adjacent archway, was always apart of the church, and above it rises the tower; beneath the church isan ancient crypt. A turning to the right close by leads to BedfordCircus, with a statue of the Earl of Devon at the entrance. In thethirteenth century a Dominican Convent was founded in this part of thecity, and occupied the southern portion of the circus, together withChapel Street and the adjoining mews. In 1558 the convent was dissolved, and Bedford House, the West-Country residence of the Dukes of Bedford, was erected. Here Henrietta Maria held her Court, and here the littleprincess was born. The Dukes of Bedford ceased to use this residence inthe eighteenth century, and in 1773 it fell into the builders' hands, when the eastern side of the circus was built, the western side notbeing begun until 1826. The place to-day possesses no attractivefeatures, and only the memories of its past history remain. The earlierexcavations brought to light a great number of skulls, bones, andfragments of sculpture; while during the later building operations, especially those conducted on the site of the conventual church, a largenumber of carved stones were unearthed which had evidently formed partof the Dominican house. Some of these fragments were richly ornamentedwith painting and gilding. Another discovery was the life-size stonehead of an effigy with a hood of closely set ring mail. This is nowpreserved in the Cathedral cloisters. 

Returning to High Street, Bampfylde Street lies a little higher up. Agreat portion of this street is occupied by the front of BampfyldeHouse, built by Sir Amyas Bampfylde at the end of the sixteenth century. In later years this became the town house of the Poltimore family. Although shamefully modernized the house has retained a few interestingfeatures. In the hall is seen a narrow window filled with old glass onwhich armorial bearings are displayed, while the broad staircase leadsto a fine apartment panelled in oak, and having an elaborate plasterceiling. The mantelpiece is a good piece of work and bears the arms ofthe Poltimores in its centre. There are one or two other good rooms andsome deep cupboards, and one very small apartment is said to be agenuine eighteenth-century powdering closet. The beautiful old courtyardat the back will no longer be recognized by those who knew it a fewyears ago. It has been "restored". 

The Church of St. Lawrence is situated on the north side of High Street, and dates from 1202. It was sold during the Commonwealth, and bought bythe parishioners for £100. On the south side, and slightly farther up, is St. John's Hospital, situated near to where the old East Gateformerly stood. The hospital was founded circa 1225 by Gilbert and JohnLong. Bishop Grandisson was a great benefactor to it, as, in addition toincreasing the number of inmates and clergy, he added "a master ofgrammar and twelve scholars". The foundation was suppressed in 1540, butin 1620 its restoration was planned by Hugh Crossing and carried outafter his death by his widow. The institution was refounded in1629--when only the school was revived--and is now known as the "BlueBoys' School". The playground is partly bounded by a piece of the oldcity wall, whence one can look down on the Southernhay Gardens andobtain a good impression of the strength of the ancient fortifications. 

The seal of St. John's Hospital is an interesting one ofthirteenth-century date on which is depicted the exterior of St. John'sChapel, which is shown as having a shingled roof and gable crosses; alsoan external arcade of three semicircular arches. Another interestingseal of the same century is that of the Hospital of St. Alexius, foundedin 1170. This foundation, and the hospital of the bishops, formerly onthe site of the present Vicars' College, were afterwards united with theHospital of St. John at the East Gate. The seal shows the hospital withgable crosses, an arcaded clerestory, and three quatrefoil openings inits wall; beneath is an arcade of six arches. 

High Street merges into Sidwell Street. St. Sidwell's was one of thenineteen old city parishes although without the walls. The site of St. Sidwell's Church is said to be on the spot where a saint of this namesuffered martyrdom. She is one of those half-mythical British saints, said by tradition to have been beheaded by a scythe whilst prayingbeside a well. A church is said to have been built in her honour soearly as 749. The present building has undergone repeated restorations, but some ancient pillars still remain with sculptured capitals, andthere is also a representation of St. Sidwell, or Sidwella, whoseattributes are a well and a scythe. To the monastery he had foundedAthelstan presented some reputed relics of the saint. 

At the top of Sidwell Street is St. Anne's Almshouse, one of the mostinteresting foundations in the city. It was originally a hermitage, butlittle is known about it until 1418, when it was "newly constructed", and in 1561 Oliver and George Mainwaring founded a hospital for eightpoor people. The chapel is a small building that has retained itspiscina and two niches for holding figures. The almshouse was fortifiedby Fairfax during the Civil War, and for many years the chapel was in aruinous condition, but it was restored early in the nineteenth century. St. Anne's Day, 26 July, has been observed regularly by the inmates ofthe charity since its foundation. 

Retracing our steps to the beginning of High Street, and proceeding upCastle Street, we reach the highest point of the city, the Red Mount, crowned by the gateway and ruined towers of an ancient castle. Thefortress formed a part of the fortifications erected by Athelstan, andthe Red Tower, with its triangular-headed window, may be confidentlyassigned to the Saxon era. During the Norman period the castle wasrebuilt by Brian de Molis. In Stephen's reign it was besieged and takenfrom Earl Baldwin de Redvers, who was banished until the followingreign, when his possessions were restored. The castle belonged to the deRedvers and Courtenay families until 1231, when Henry III presented itto his brother Richard as part of the earldom of Cornwall. In 1537 HenryVIII granted Exeter a charter giving the city the privilege of being acounty with its own sheriffs, excepting Rougemont Castle, which stillbelongs to the Duchy of Cornwall. 

[Illustration: ROUGEMONT CASTLE]

In 1774 a large portion of the castle ruins were cleared away, whenseveral interesting buildings were destroyed, among them the Chapel ofthe Blessed Virgin, to make room for the present Assize Court, a plainbuilding with no pretensions to architectural beauty. On the right ofthe castle yard is a little path leading to the top of the walls, whencea comprehensive view of the city and the neighbourhood can be obtained. Looking straight across the valley, beyond the county jail, one can seethe site of the ancient camp of the Danes, against whom Athelstanbuilt his fortifications, now occupied by the reservoir. At the foot ofthe wall are the Northernhay Gardens, a favourite resort with youthfulExonians. From Northernhay the old walls can easily be traced westwards, and crossing Queen Street we may proceed down the narrow Maddocks Row tofind the wall pierced by the only archway now remaining. Continuingwestwards we cross North Street, where the old North Gate stood until itwas demolished in 1769. Entering Bartholomew Street East we are on theramparts again, and from the bastion near All-Hallows-on-the-WallsChurch we may look down upon the old Bartholomew burying-ground, consecrated in 1639, and used as the principal city cemetery for nearlytwo hundred years. The Church of All-Hallows-on-the-Walls is a modernone that stands on the site of a more ancient edifice. From this pointone can see the tapering spire of St. Michael's Church, in the groundsof Mount Dinham, where are the almshouses erected and endowed in 1860 byJohn Dinham. Here are forty free cottages and episcopal charity schools, the latter founded originally in 1709 by Bishop Offspring Blackall. 

Continuing along the bastion the limit of the northern wall is soonreached. Many of the old streets in this quarter of the city are worthvisiting, for in the narrow thoroughfares are some interesting oldhouses. In St. Mary Arches Street is the church of the same name, shutin by houses. It is one of the old parish churches of Exeter, and onethat takes part of its name from the fine Norman pillars and arcade ofthe nave, which is the oldest in the city. In the south aisle is achantry containing the altar tomb of Thomas Andrews, mayor in 1505 and1510; and who died in 1518. Mint Street, as its name implies, wasassociated with the mint established there by permission of William III. The coinage minted there may be recognized by the letter E placedbeneath the king's head. Bartholomew Street brings us to Fore Street, anarrow and very steep thoroughfare, within which is the fine front ofthe Tuckers' Hall, belonging to the Incorporated Guilds of Weavers, Fullers, and Shearmen, chartered in 1490. Close at hand are stepsleading down to Exe Island, which was for many years a subject ofdispute between the Earls of Devon and the citizens; but on theattainder of Henry, Marquis of Exeter, in 1558, the property reverted tothe Crown. On the conclusion of the Prayer-Book Riots the island wasgranted to the city by Edward VI, as a reward for the services it hadrendered the authorities. Most of the old portions of the island havebeen destroyed, many of them in recent years, but an interestingspecimen of a Tudor house remains with a covering of slates somewhatresembling scale armour. Shields appear in the ornamentation, one ofthem bearing the Tudor rose. At one time this style of wall covering wasvery common in Exeter, but the example in Exe Island is the only one nowremaining. 

On the south side of Fore Street stands St Olave's Church, where, according to Domesday, a church with the same dedication existed beforethe Conquest. It is said traditionally to have been built by Gytha, Harold's mother, in order that masses might be said for the souls of herson and Earl Godwin. William I gave the church to the monks of BattleAbbey, in whose possession it remained until the Reformation. More thana century later St. Olave's was lent to the French Huguenot refugees, many of whom settled in Exeter where they established an importantwoollen industry. The present church bears few indications of antiquity, beyond some Norman arches and a little early carving in the tower. 

At the lower end of Fore Street is West Street, marking the westernlimit of the old walls. A right-hand turn leads to St. Edmund's Church, built in the thirteenth century at one end of the old bridge, when itwas known as _St. Edmund Super pontem_. In 1831 the original structurewas pulled down and the present building begun. It is said to standupon some of the arches of the ancient bridge. Turning eastwards wereach the foot of Stepcote Hill, and the church of St. Mary Steps. Aremarkable exterior feature is the old clock and figures, known locallyas "Matthew the Miller". The dial is enriched with basso-rilievosrepresenting the four seasons, and in a niche just above is a smalleffigy of Henry VIII in a sitting posture, who nods his head as eachhour is struck. On each side is a military figure, their morions crownedwith feathers, javelins held in their right hands, and small hammers intheir left hands, with which they alternately strike the quarter hourson two small bells at their feet. The name of "Matthew the Miller" issaid to have originated from the punctuality of a miller of that namewho was so regular in going to and from his mill that people set theirclocks by him. The church contains a fine chancel screen, withtwenty-eight panels of painted saints, which was removed from the churchof St. Mary Major. The font is a good one, of Norman date. Just oppositeSt. Mary Steps stood the West Gate of the city, which was taken down in1814. 

The Westgate quarter formed part of the manor of Exe Island, and wasinhabited chiefly by weavers, fullers, dyers, and those whoseoccupations required a copious supply of water. The whole of thisdistrict is intersected with narrow lanes and passages, beneath andaround which are many streams diverted from the river to work the mills. 

A few old gabled houses with overhanging upper stories still remain inthis district, but they are in a very dilapidated condition, as will benoticed by anyone who traverses one of the numerous byways that lead toSouth Street, at the lower end of which is Magdalen Street, where aretwo very interesting hospitals--"Wynard's" and the "Magdalen". Theformer was founded in 1430 by William Wynard, sometime Recorder of thecity, for the habitation of a priest and twelve poor men. The attachedchapel was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and the hospital was called"God's House". The founder left many lands and tenements to providefunds for the establishment. The master might not be absent more thanonce or twice in the year, and his total holidays in the twelve monthswere never to exceed three weeks and three days. He was also required toteach from three to nine boys, starting them with the alphabet, andgoing on to the "great psalter of the holy David". The foundation passedeventually into the possession of William Kennaway, who built a vaultwithin which he was buried. 

The hospital to-day is one of the secular buildings of Exeter most worthvisiting, with its gabled houses, dormer windows, and garden plots. Anarchway leads into the courtyard, around which on three sides aregrouped the houses of the twelve pensioners; the chapel occupies thefourth side of the quadrangle. 

The Magdalen, or Leper, Hospital, just without the South Gate, wasfounded sometime before 1135, for in 1136 we find that BishopBartholomew permitted a continuance of the ancient right by which thelepers were allowed to collect food twice a week in the market, and almson two other days, to all of which the healthy members of the communitynaturally objected. In 1244 Bishop Bruere resigned the guardianship ofthe leper hospital to the corporation, and was given in its stead themastership of the hospital of St. John. One of the mayors of Exeter, Richard Orange, was a great patron of the lazar house, and when hehimself contracted leprosy he took up his abode in the hospital, wherehe died and was buried in the chapel. Even so late as the sixteenthcentury there would appear to have been lepers in Exeter, for we findthat in 1580 no one was to be admitted to the Magdalen Hospital except"sick persons in the disease of the leprosy". 

[Illustration: ST. MARY STEPS]

In South Street is College Hall, or the Hall of the College ofPriest-Vicars or Vicars Choral, a fine oak-panelled apartment. Theoriginal hall was built by Bishop Brantyngham about 1388, and access wasthen gained to it from the Close; the houses of the priest-vicarsbeing arranged on each side of a green. All this has now disappearedwith the exception of the hall, which was rebuilt in the fifteenthcentury. At one end is a gallery upon the upper panels of which arepaintings representing former bishops of the diocese, beginning withLeofric. On the carved mantelpiece is the date, 1629, and the owls whichconstitute the punning, or allusive, arms of Bishop Oldham. Near thehall a road leads into the Close, passing the church of St. Mary Major, a modern building replacing a beautiful old one which appears to havebeen needlessly destroyed. On the eastern side of the Close is apicturesque Elizabethan building known as Mol's Coffee House. At thetime of the Armada it was a private residence. In 1596 the originalhouse was pulled down and the present building erected. On theintroduction of coffee into England it was opened as a Club and CoffeeHouse by an Italian named Mol. As such it was a well-known and popularresort with the citizens of Exeter and the squires of the neighbourhooduntil 1829. It is now used as a shop by a firm of fine-art dealers, butthe fine "Armada" room upstairs is willingly shown to all visitors whoexpress a wish to see it. It is a good panelled room with low windows, and an elaborate frieze of shields bearing the arms of many ancientDevonshire families, among them being those of Sir Francis Drake, SirWalter Raleigh, and General Monk. Adjoining Mol's Coffee House is thevery small Church of St. Martin, now but rarely used for divine service. On the Catherine Street side of the church is a building, formerly analmshouse, which has an attached chapel of much interest dedicated toSt. Catherine. The chapel is conjectured to have been built by theAnnuellor monks, whose college originally stood on the site of Mol'sCoffee House, where traces of it may still be seen in the cellars. Thenarrow passage of St. Martin's Lane, known to the present-day citizensas "Luxury Lane", on account of its shops, leads direct from the busyHigh Street to the Cathedral Close. 

THE CATHEDRAL

The present cathedral church of the diocese of Exeter may be said to bethe third building that has stood on the site. Nothing remains of theSaxon church elevated to the dignity of a cathedral when the bishopricwas removed from Crediton, and of the Norman church erected byWarelwast, a nephew of the Conqueror, only the two massive towers arestanding, the remainder of the building belonging almost entirely tothe late Decorated style, of which it is one of the most beautifulexamples we possess. 

The city of Exeter does not appear to have been divided into parishesuntil the year 1222, in pursuance then no doubt of Archbishop Langton'sConstitution of the same year. The Cathedral itself was firstconstituted a parish by being placed under the charge of a singledignitary, the dean, by Bishop Briwere, in 1225. 

Four years after he ascended the throne in 1042, Edward the Confessorgave the united bishopric of Crediton and Cornwall to his chaplain, Leofric, who, observing that Crediton was an open town, difficult tofortify against the Danish raiders, obtained from Pope Leo IX permissionto remove the episcopal see to Exeter, when the Benedictine minster ofSt. Mary and St. Peter became the cathedral church of the diocese. 

Although no part of this church remains, an ancient seal of theCathedral is of special interest as showing some of the architecturalfeatures of the Saxon church. It depicts the west front with two towers, the northern square and the southern circular, the latter surmounted bya cross, and pierced by three round openings in the walls. There are twoporches, one in the centre the other in the north tower, and the wallsshow indications of characteristic Saxon masonry. On the central roofis a large flêche or turret of two stages carrying a weathercock on avery tall shaft. 

Of the succeeding church the only contemporary pictorial representationswe have are those on early, and somewhat imperfect, seals dating fromthe end of the eleventh century. The first has a church with cresting offleurs-de-lis on a hipped and tiled roof, two gable crosses, flankingpinnacles, an arcaded clerestory, and a double door with ornamentalhinges, on each side of which is a quatrefoil opening. The second sealshows an arcaded building standing on a stone plinth of four courses, and flanked by towers with conical roofs and ball finials. The roof issurmounted by a large fleur-de-lis, and exhibits an unusual form oftiling. A third seal (1194-1206) shows the west front of the Cathedralwith two western towers and a central porch, and a large roof turret. Another view of the west front occurs on the seal of the Archdeacon'sofficial, 1267, and in this example there are three pointed towers, thecentral one carrying a cross, the others being capped with flag vanes. In the doorway stands a figure of the official. The two Normantranseptal towers still standing give the Cathedral a unique appearance, this arrangement being found nowhere else in England, save at the highlyinteresting and not far distant Collegiate Church of Ottery St. Mary. 

Having thus briefly sketched from pictorial evidence the architecturalcharacteristics of the predecessors of the present Cathedral, we maybegin our tour of the building. Exeter is known as a Cathedral of theOld Foundation, as in pre-Reformation days it was served by secularcanons, and as such it was not refounded by Henry VIII; so that therehas been no break in the continuity of its ecclesiastical history sinceits original institution in the days of Leofric. With the exception ofCarlisle, which was served before the Reformation by Augustinian orAustin canons, all the cathedrals of the Old Foundation were served bysecular canons. It must be remembered that although nearly the whole ofthe architectural merit of the Cathedral lies in the interior, andparticularly in the magnificent stone vaulting of the roof, which is thehigh-water mark of vaulting on a large scale in England, there areseveral portions of the exterior that are worth noting. Externally thegreat defect of the building is the low elevation of the body, and thewant of a central tower to counteract the heavy effect produced by solidsquare towers at each transept. 

The west front, with its low, embattled screen of figures, is not a veryhappy architectural composition, and is not to be compared to the westfronts of Lincoln and Peterborough, where the figure sculpture isearlier and better executed than at Exeter. The one redeeming featureof an otherwise unimposing west front, is the Decorated tracery of thegreat window, now filled with modern, and not very satisfactory, glassin memory of Archbishop Temple, who was Bishop of Exeter from 1869 to1885. 

The elevation of this front consists of three stories: the basementscreen, containing three portals; above this is the west wall of thenave; and above this again is the nave gable, in which is inserted asmaller window of the same character as the larger one. The apex of thegable has a canopied niche, within which is a much-restored effigy ofSt. Peter. The sloping walls built on each side, as if purposely toconceal the buttresses of the nave and its aisles, give this portion ofthe church an awkward perspective, and tend to diminish the apparentheight of the whole façade. The screen itself was the last importantaddition to be made to the fabric by Bishop Brantyngham (1370-94), andit is little more than a low stone scaffolding for holding the rows offigures of saints, kings, and other distinguished persons which fill theniches. An attempt to identify these sixty-five individuals, with theaid of early drawings and still earlier documents, may be said to haveestablished the identities of the majority of the effigies, althoughthey have suffered so much from rough treatment, restoration, andweathering that many of the saintly emblems and regal attributes aredifficult to decipher at the present time. Two of the figures, whichwere broken with falling, were replaced by new and very indifferentfigures by Mr. E. B. Stevens. 

[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL FROM THE PALACE GROUNDS]

Some years ago it was found that the whole of this embattled screen wasmerely a stone veil erected for the purpose of protecting the originalwest front. One or two stones were removed, a little to the right of thenorth door of the west entrance, and the inner mouldings exposed. Withinthe thickness of the wall is a little chapel dedicated to St. Radegund, in which Bishop Grandisson prepared his tomb. 

The north side of the Cathedral can be viewed in its entirety from anypart of the well-kept lawns, beneath which lie the bones of the citizensof seven centuries, but no stones mark their resting places. The mostnoticeable feature on this north side is the sturdy Norman tower, corresponding to its fellow on the south side, the original purposes ofwhich are still a matter of much discussion among antiquaries. Built byBishop Warelwast in the twelfth century, they stood as two distinct andindependent towers, until Bishop Quivil, during the rebuilding of theCathedral in 1280-91, ingeniously opened up the inside walls, supportingthe remaining portions of the walls upon arches, thus forming theinteriors of the towers into transepts. The exterior of the northerntower is plain walling for part of its height, when it is divided intofour stages by horizontal bands, each stage containing elaborate Normanarcading, ornamented with zigzag moulding. It is surmounted with anembattled parapet with a turret at each angle. In the north wall a fineDecorated window was inserted by Quivil for the purpose of lighting hisnewly made transepts. To make way for this window a portion of thearcading of the first stage was cut away. The towers are similar to eachother, and they were formerly capped with spires. In 1752 the spire onthe north tower was taken down, that on the south tower having beenremoved at a much earlier date. Just below the window, on the face ofthe north tower, are the masonry marks of the gable of a house. This wasthe old Treasurer's House, wherein Henry VII was lodged when he came toExeter to put down Perkin Warbeck's rebellion. 

Near the north tower is the projecting north porch with its embattledparapet. On the eastern side of the interior are the fragments of whatwas once a Calvary, and on the central boss of the roof is arepresentation of the Agnus Dei. 

An apartment above is known as the "Dog Whipper's" room, a relic ofthose days when an official was appointed whose duty it was to keepstray dogs out of the sacred building. 

On the exterior of the clerestory wall immediately above the porch is aprojection which marks the Minstrels' Gallery, and is lighted by awindow. Along the whole length of the Cathedral, from the west end ofthe nave to the east end of the choir, are the flying buttresses thatcounteract the thrust of the heavy roof vaulting of the interior. 

At the extreme eastern end of the Cathedral the Lady Chapel and itssister chantries can be seen to great advantage with their windowsfilled with tracery. The great Perpendicular east window is partiallyhidden by the more easterly portions of the fabric, but it contains somefine old glass, on which are full-length representations of nineteensaints and patriarchs, and many armorial bearings. The full beauty ofthe glass can only be seen from the interior. The south side of theCathedral is very similar to the northern one, except that the portioneast of the tower is hidden from view by the episcopal palace. 

Once inside the nave, which should be entered by the western portal, thedullest eye cannot fail to perceive the uniform character of the work, aquality which gives to this Cathedral a congruity of structural formsand an architectonic value that is lacking in buildings which exhibitthe styles of various periods. Here we see the complete architecturalexpression of one master mind, although the edifice was erected underthe supervision of successive bishops. The present Cathedral was begunby Bishop Bronescombe (1258-80), to whom is due a portion of the LadyChapel. His successor, Quivil (1280-91), furnished designs for theentire rebuilding of the church, and how faithfully his successorsadhered to these plans is proved by the fact that a great deal of thisDecorated building was erected at a time when the Perpendicular stylewas in full swing all over the country. With the exception of the greateast window, which is of the Perpendicular period, the whole of theinterior is of the purest Decorated work, and is the finest, as it isthe most complete, example of this style on a large scale in thecountry. Exception has been taken to the lack of height in the nave, dueto the low spring of the vaulting, and there is some justification forthe criticism. The vaulting, however, is exceedingly beautiful, and thelong line of unbroken roof stretching from the west end of the nave tothe east end of the choir is so charming a feature that when inside thebuilding we no longer regret the absence of a central tower. 

[Illustration: THE SANCTUARY, EXETER CATHEDRAL]

The bosses that unite the vaulting ribs represent a variety of subjects, the last but one, near the west window, depicting the martyrdom ofBecket. The corbels from which the vaulting shafts spring are mostlysculptured heads of the Plantagenets; those on each side of theMinstrels' Gallery depict Edward III and Queen Philippa. This gallerycuts into the triforium on its north side, and contains niches in whichare sculptured angels with musical instruments. Until the middle of thelast century it was customary for the surpliced choir to sing the Gloriain Excelsis from the gallery on Christmas Eve. 

The Gothic arches of the nave, large and beautiful, rest upon massiveclustered piers of Purbeck marble. The development of these piers as thebuilding progressed westwards is clearly seen. Between the Lady Chapeland the choir is a pier of four shafts, then one of eight, whicheventually develops into one of sixteen shafts, repeated throughout thelength of the nave. Although the tracery of the aisle windows is veryvaried in design, each window on the north side has its counterpart onthe south side, and some of the tracery of these windows has a markedtendency to the flamboyant, thus showing the lateness of much of thework at Exeter, for what is called the flamboyant style is contemporaryin France with our Perpendicular work, which is a purely English styleunknown on the Continent. 

The choir screen was put up by Bishop Stapledon (1465), but its heightand effectiveness are sadly marred by the great organ placed upon it. Until comparatively recent years an altar stood on each side of thisscreen. The great west window of the nave, the beautiful tracery ofwhich has already been alluded to, was due to Bishop Grandisson(1327-69). The font at the western end of the south nave aisle was madespecially for the baptism of Princess Henrietta, while the nave pulpit, erected in 1877, to the memory of Bishop Patteson of Melanesia, "is", says the Rev. Baring-Gould, "much of a piece with the stuff turned outby clerical tailors and church decorators who furnish us with vulgardesigns in illustrated catalogues". 

The transepts, as we have seen, were bored by Quivil through the twoNorman towers built by Warelwast, and in consequence are of smalldimensions. In the north tower is the great bell called "Peter", whichwas brought from Llandaff by Bishop Courtenay towards the end of thefifteenth century, and which weighs 12, 500 lb. , the only heavier bell inthis country being great "Tom of Oxford", the weight of which is 17, 000lb. "Peter" was rung formerly by the united exertions of twenty-four menusing two ropes and double wheels, but it was cracked on 5 November, 1611, from a "too violent ringing in commemoration of the GunpowderPlot". 

In 1752 the bell was placed in the lower part of the tower, and so fixedin a massive framework of timber that it cannot now be rung; it is, however, used as a clock bell, and the sound of its deep notes can beheard at a great distance. The old clock in the same transept has beenregarded as the gift of Bishop Courtenay, but this is doubtful, as fromentries in the fabric rolls it seems that the clock was constructed morethan a century before that prelate presided over the see. If so, theclock would date from about 1317. This ancient clock is very remarkable, being constructed upon the idea that the earth and not the sun was thecentre of the solar system. It shows the hour of the day and the age ofthe moon. The dial is about seven feet in diameter, and on it are twocircles, one numbered from 1 to 30 for the age of the moon, the othernumbered from 1 to 12 twice over, for the hours. In the centre of thedial a semi-globe is fixed representing the earth, around which asmaller globe indicating the moon revolves monthly, and by turning onits axis as it revolves, shows the various lunar phases. Between the twocircles is a third globe representing the sun, with an attachedfleur-de-lis which points to the hours as the ball revolves around theearth. In 1760, more works were added--to show the minutes, which arepainted in a circle. The works of the clocks have been renewed manytimes, and are now placed in the disused chantry of Sub-Chanter Sylke, situated in the northeast corner of the transept, just below the ancientclock. 

On the eastern side of this transept is St. Paul's Chapel, now used as avestry. 

The south transept, that corresponds with the northern one, is formedfrom the lower part of the south tower, which contains a fine set ofbells, although only ten of them are now rung. There are someinteresting monuments in this transept. Here are the great Courtenaytomb, originally occupying a place in the nave; the Elizabethan tomb ofSir John Gilbert, brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and half-brother toSir Walter Ralegh; and the monument to Sir Peter Carew. A niche in thewall holds a few fragments of sculptured stone saved from the tomb ofLeofric, first Bishop of Exeter, who was buried in "the crypt of his ownchurch". A marble slab against the south wall is believed to be theresting place of "Bishop John the Chanter" (1186-91). A small door inthis transept leads to the Chapel of the Holy Ghost and to the ChapterHouse. 

[Illustration: OLD COURTYARD IN THE CLOSE]

On the roof of the south choir aisle are bosses carved withrepresentations of the heads of Edward I and Queen Eleanor. This aislecontains many interesting effigies, among them two of those of unknownknights, considered to commemorate Sir Humphrey de Bohun and Sir Henryde Ralegh. The body of the latter knight was the cause of a contention, between the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral and the DominicanFriars, in the year 1301. The quarrel was a bitter one, and lasted forfive years. The Dean and the Chapter affirmed that from time immemorial, and by special arrangement with the friars, they had the right to haveall bodies which were intended to be buried in the Dominican church, with the exception of those which belonged to the convent, brought tothe Cathedral with the usual wax and offerings for the first mass. Thefriars refused to allow Sir Henry Ralegh's body to be taken to theCathedral, and they claimed the wax and offerings. After a lengthydispute the executors and friends of the knight took his body to theCathedral, where the usual mass was celebrated, after which the body, with the bier and pall belonging to the friars, was carried back to theconvent doors. The friars now refused to readmit the body, upon whichthe executors took it again to the Cathedral, "and after keeping it fora day and a night, and the friars still refusing to receive it, theycarried it to be buried in the Cathedral, as it could not be left longerunburied owing to the stench (_fetare_)". 

On the south side of the aisle is the Chapel of St. James, which wasbuilt by Bishop Marshall and restored by Quivil in the early Decoratedstyle. The vaulting and the windows are similar to those of the choiraisles. Over it was formerly the muniment room, but in 1870 thearchives were removed to the Chapter House for greater safety. Duringsome excavations a crypt was found beneath the chapel with a finelygroined roof. The crypt now contains the machinery used for blowing theorgan. The next chapel on the south side is the chantry of BishopOldham, or St. Saviour's Chapel, richly decorated with carvings, amongwhich the "owl" of the bishop, forming part of the rebus of his name, isprominent. His armorial bearings are also charged with the three owls. The effigy of the prelate rests beneath an ogee arch, and is lavishlycoloured, although the original work has been restored by Corpus ChristiCollege, Oxford, in memory of Bishop Oldham, who contributed 6000 marksto the collegiate foundation. On the south side of the Lady Chapel isSt. Gabriel's Chapel, built by Bishop Bronescombe in honour of hispatron saint. Here lies the effigy of the bishop in a carved and richlygilded tomb. 

The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, originally built by Bronescombe, wasaltered by Quivil. It has a Perpendicular screen and somefifteenth-century glass in the east window. Close by, on the north sideof the north choir aisle, is Sir John Speke's Chantry, or St. George'sChapel, of Perpendicular work and containing the effigy of the knight. When the Cathedral was divided into two parts, in Puritan days, adoorway was made where the altar now stands, leading into "EastPeter's". On the north side of the choir aisle is St. Andrew's Chapel, corresponding with that of St. James on the south. By the north wall isthe large sixteenth-century monument of Sir Gawain Carew, his wife, andhis nephew, Sir Peter Carew (1571). The effigy of the last-named iscross-legged, and so late an example of this disposition of the lowerlimbs supports the now generally accepted archæological fact that thecross-legged attitude had no particular reference to the romantic warsof the Crusades. 

Other interesting monuments in this aisle are the cross-legged effigy ofSir Richard de Stapledon, half-brother to the bishop, and that of BishopStapledon. The latter, although in the choir, is seen to betteradvantage from below. A story runs to the effect that while Sir Richardwas riding one day in London with his brother, a cripple laid hold ofhis horse by one of the fore legs, throwing both horse and rider to theground, and causing the knight's death, hence the name "Cripplegate". Bishop Stapledon was Treasurer to Edward II, and held London againstQueen Isabella. The bishop was taken prisoner, and condemned to death ata mock trial. He was beheaded at Cheapside, and his body cast on arubbish heap, whence it was eventually taken to Exeter and accorded anhonourable burial. 

No examples of miserere carvings are known in English churches beforethe thirteenth century, and the set at Exeter are probably the earliestwe have, the character of their foliage denoting the Early Englishperiod. They are thought to have been the gift of Bishop Bruere(1224-44). The complete set numbers forty-nine, and among the subjectsrepresented are a merman and a mermaid, an elephant, and a knightslaying a leopard. 

The choir stalls, carved to illustrate the _Benedicite_, the pulpit, andthe reredos are all modern, having been erected from designs by SirGilbert Scott. The lofty tapering bishop's throne, an essential featureof every cathedral church, is the most remarkable of the choir fittings. It has been ascertained from the fabric rolls that it was the gift ofBishop Stapledon (1465), and the exact sum paid for the work and timberwas just under thirteen pounds, a considerable sum of money when itsmodern equivalent is calculated. The throne consists of a series ofpinnacles and niches, rising in diminishing tiers until the crowningpinnacle almost reaches to the clerestory window. There is not a singlenail in the whole of this canopied seat, although it rises to a heightof more than sixty feet from the choir floor. It has been taken topieces on at least two occasions; once by the son of Bishop Hall, whenit was hidden away during the Civil Wars to save it from Cromwell'stroopers, and a second time by Sir Gilbert Scott, for the purposes ofcleaning. It is highly probable that the oak of which it is made camefrom Chudleigh, some ten miles away, where the bishops of Exeter had apalace, of which fragments remain in Palace Farm. 

[Illustration: THE ABBOT'S LODGE]

The beautiful stone sedilia was due to Stapledon. Above the seat arethree arches 10 feet in height, surmounted by elaborately designedtabernacle work. The arches spring from three carved heads reputed to bethose of St. Edward the Confessor, Leofric, and Edith. 

The Lady Chapel is at the eastern end of the choir, from which it isseparated by a broad ambulatory, and within it are the tombs of BishopsStafford, Bronescombe, Simon of Apulia, and Bartholomew, as well as thetomb of Sir John Doddridge. A plain slab marks the resting place ofBishop Quivil, the stone bearing an incised cross and around it theinscription--

 "PETRA TEGIT PETRUM NIHIL OFFICIAT SIBI TETRUM". 

The large number of interments in Lady Chapels was due to the perfectlynatural desire of our forefathers to be laid to rest in the chapeldedicated to the Blessed Virgin. 

The cloisters stood formerly on the south side, in front of the ChapterHouse. They were so sadly mutilated by the Cromwellian troopers thathouses were erected and a weekly market held on the site. In 1887 aportion of the ruinous cloister was restored, so that a new cathedrallibrary could be placed above it for the purpose of housing the valuablelibraries bequeathed to the Cathedral, no more space being available inthe Chapter House. An interesting manuscript, preserved in the libraryof the Devon and Exeter Institution, contains many references to thecity which have not been recorded by other historians. With reference tothe cloisters the unknown author of this manuscript says:

 "1657. The Cloysters neer to Peters churche was converted into the serdge markett, which was before in Southgate street. 

 "1660. The wall which divided East & West Peters was taken downe in December and in the month following the serdg markett was removed out of the Cloystures, and carried againe into Southgate street whear it was before. Also the uniting of severall parishes into one was againe made void & each parrish to enjoy her owne priviledges and lyberties as before. "

When Daniel Defoe visited Exeter, in 1723, it had the largest sergemarket in England, next to Leeds. 

Although the Close has not succeeded in retaining any of its gates it isinteresting by reason of the few old houses that still surround it, whilst behind their gabled roofs rises the double-towered Cathedral, completing the picturesqueness of a really charming scene, of which theprevailing tone is a dark grey, stained and almost blackened byweathering and by age. In the fourteenth century the Close at Exeter wasenclosed with walls, and until comparatively recent times it was builtover. The well-kept Close is peculiar to England. 

The Bishop's Palace dates from about 1381, and is supposed to have beeneither built or enlarged by Bishop Courtenay. It was in a very ruinouscondition when Bishop Philpotts set to work to restore it, when many oldfragments of masonry were let into the new work. The fine archwayleading into the cloisters was put up at this time, and the large orielwindow of the library came from another old house in Exeter. Within thehall of the Palace is an ancient chimney-piece erected about 1486, uponwhich are sculptured the Courtenay arms and badges, the arms of England, and the emblem of St. Anthony. During the Commonwealth the Palace cameinto the possession of a sugar baker, and the succeeding bishop wascontent to leave him undisturbed. The next occupant of the see, however, turned the sugar baker out of the house, which he occupied himself. Several traces of the sugar refinery were discovered when the Palace wasrestored by Bishop Philpotts. The Palace Gardens are very extensive, and are bounded on the south side by the remains of the city wall, uponwhich is now a pleasant walk. Near the centre of the wall is a curiousbuilding generally known as the Lollards' Prison, although whether itever was used for this purpose is a matter of conjecture. One of thefinest views of the Cathedral is that obtained from a corner of the lawnin the Palace Gardens. 

THE EXE

After leaving the peaceful atmosphere of the Cathedral the noise anddistractions of the modern city grate upon us; the return to thetwentieth-century commonplace after the fourteenth-century refinement istoo sudden, there being no intermediate stage between the one and theother, between the gloom of the great church and the glare and feverishhurry of a prosperous city. This being so, we cannot do better than seeka measure of quietude and repose along the banks of the Exe, a riverwhich, rising on Exmoor, gives name to Exeter, Exminster, and Exmouth. Although rising in Somerset, the river may fittingly be claimed as aDevonian one, as it enters the county a little below Dulverton, whereit receives the waters of the Barle. At the beginning of its career theExe flows through a country of great beauty and much romantic interest, which has been immortalized by R. D. Blackmore in _Lorna Doone_. 

[Illustration: THE EXE AT TOPSHAM]

This land of Exmoor is a heathery plateau that rivals in everything butextent the sister moorland which gives birth to that prince of Englishrivers, the Dart. 

Dartmoor is larger, wilder, and grander in the bold contours of itscloud-capped tors, but the wildness of Exmoor is blended with a sweetand gentle charm which is all its own. It presents us with a panorama ofmisty woods, gleaming water, and glowing heather; a combe-furrowedmoorland clothed with scrub oaks and feathery larches. After leavingthis forest shrine the Exe enters Devonshire, where, after flowingthrough richly wooded and fertile valleys, it sweeps past the ancienttown of Tiverton, where it is swelled by the waters of the Loman. Threemiles from Tiverton it reaches Bickley Bridge, beyond which it is therecipient of the Culm, the largest of all its tributaries. Along thegreater part of its course to this point its silver streams thread theirway between sloping hills crowned with hanging woods, and by scenery ofthe true Devonian order. At Cowley Bridge, two miles above Exeter, theriver is joined by the Creedy, which, coming from the north-west, flowsthrough and gives name to _Creedy-ton_, or Crediton. The course of theExe, from its source on Exmoor to the sea at Exmouth, is estimated atabout seventy miles. It is a pure pellucid stream until joined by theCreedy, which imparts to it a reddish colour from the soil through whichthe latter flows. 

The importance of the river to Exeter, especially before the waterwaywas obstructed by Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Devon, cannot beoverestimated, and in old books many of the now flourishing ports on thesouth coast are described as "creeks under Exeter". From ancient recordsit seems certain that an arm of the sea extended to the very walls ofthe city, and from the facility thus afforded to commerce, Exeter, at avery early period, became the great trading port of the West Country. Ofthe various trades carried on here those of the woollen and its alliedindustries were the most numerous. It was also one of those favouredEnglish ports to which licences were granted in 1428 for the embarkationof devout persons and pilgrims who were visiting the great Continentalshrines, and particularly that of St. James at Compostella. Before theywere permitted to leave this country these mediæval devotees wererequired to swear a solemn oath that they would "not take with themanything prejudicial to England, nor to reveal any of its secrets, norcarry out with them any more gold or silver than what would besufficient for their reasonable expense". 

As civilization increased trade and commerce, both foreign and domestic, kept pace with the growth of the city, and in the reign of Elizabeth thewool merchants of the county and the woolstaplers of its capital hadrisen to fame and opulence. In the year 1560 Queen Elizabeth granted thetraders of Exeter a charter of privileges, and letters patent wereissued forming them into a company under the name of a "Socitie ofMarchante Adventurers of the citie of Exeter". The possession of thecharter induced the citizens to commence the spirited undertaking ofcutting a canal to Topsham, a work that was begun in 1564, and whichconstitutes one of the earliest examples of canal navigation in thecountry. "But why", it may be asked, "did the need for cutting a canalarise when the river flowed up to the heart of the city?" The need arosein consequence of the obstruction of the natural waterway near Topsham, by Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Devon, with the result that noships could proceed beyond Countess Weir, at Topsham, 4 miles belowExeter. The first obstruction was placed in the river by Isabella deFortibus, about the year 1284, owing to a dispute she had with themerchants of the city concerning various dues. The merchants appealed toHenry III, who ordered the obstruction to be removed, but so powerfulwere the Earls of Devon in those days that no steps were taken torestore the navigation of the waterway. In 1312 the river was stillfurther obstructed by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, the first member ofthe Courtenay family to hold the earldom. Tradition states that themotive for the earl's action was the displeasure he felt towards themayor and citizens of Exeter on the following occasion. His steward wassent into the city to buy fish, and the bishop's steward having beensent for the same purpose, the two servants met in the market on a daywhen there were only three kettles of fish for sale. Each of thestewards wanted the whole of the supply, and after a quarrel the mayorwas sent for to decide the issue, which he did by giving each of thestewards one basket and retaining the third for the use of the citizens. The mayor was in the service of the earl, who, hearing of the decision, visited the city and sent for the mayor. The latter summoned thecitizens to meet him at the Guildhall, where he explained to them thecause of the earl's displeasure and requested them to accompany him. According to Tyacke, the Exeter historian, "being come to the Earl'shouse, the mayor was conducted to his lodging chamber and the doorclosed on him; and finding that none of his speeches would satisfy theEarl, who stormed at him, he took off an outer coat he then wore (itbeing the Earl's livery), and delivered it to him again; at which theEarl fell into a greater passion. The commons attending at the door, doubting the mayor's safety, knocked, and demanded their mayor. Beingseveral times denied they attempted to break open the door, which theEarl apprehending and fearful of what might ensue, entreated the mayorto pacify the people, which was soon done, and they all peaceablyreturned. And though the Earl then, to avoid the fury of the people, seemed pacified, he could never afterwards show a good countenance tothe city. "

[Illustration: COUNTESS WEIR]

In order to revenge himself on the citizens he built a quay at Topsham, and compelled all merchants and captains of ships to unload theircargoes and convey them by wagon to the city, to the inconvenience ofthe merchants and his own profit. He also took from the citizens theirrights of fishing in the river, and oppressed them in various ways. Someyears later Edward Courtenay, nephew of Hugh, still further blocked thewaterway by erecting two other weirs, under the pretext of building somemills. Many complaints were made to the king, and various writs wereissued against the earls, but no one dared to enforce them. For fourhundred years the feud continued over what was apparently thedestination of a kettle of fish, although in later days there is nodoubt that the earls' motives were to increase the income of their ownport of Topsham at the expense of Exeter. On the receipt of QueenElizabeth's charter in 1560 the citizens at length decided to constructa canal to Topsham. This was begun in 1564 and completed in 1697, and itis one of the earliest examples of canal navigation in the country. Topsham is now a little port, whose shipping trade is confined to smallcoasting schooners and fishing smacks. The Church of St. Margaret isvery large, and, with the exception of the tower, has been almostentirely rebuilt. Near Topsham the Exe is joined by the little RiverClyst, and just below the confluence the Exe expands until it is morethan a mile in width. From the Clyst many villages take name, as ClystSt. Lawrence, Broad Clyst, Honiton Clyst, Clyst St. Mary, and Clyst St. George. The last two are near Topsham and were the scene of a struggleduring the Prayer Book Riots. In Devon the insurrection started onWhit-Monday, 1549, at Sampford Courtenay, the day following that onwhich the Act altering the Church service came into force. The people ofthe village insisted on the priest saying the usual mass instead of theprayers given in the appointed Book of Common Prayer. The rebellionspread rapidly, and ten thousand men marched on Exeter, with a goodsprinkling of old Devon families in their ranks; but they wereundisciplined and were quickly dispersed by Lords Grey and Russell. Although demoralized, the rebels assembled at Clyst St. Mary, which theyfortified. From here they sent word to the king demanding thecontinuance of their former Church services, but the king's reply was anarmy under the command of Lord Russell, and after a brief resistanceClyst St. Mary was burned to the ground and the rebels scattered, to beagain beaten and their leaders taken on Clyst Heath. The vicar of St. Thomas's Church, Exeter--at that time situated outside the walls--one ofthe leaders, was hanged from his own church tower. 

On the west bank of the Exe, almost opposite Topsham, are Powderham Parkand Castle, the latter supposed to have been built originally byIsabella de Fortibus. It has been conjectured, and is indeed highlyprobable, that a fortified building or earthwork of some kind occupiedthe site at a much earlier date, possibly as early as the Danishinvasions. In later times the manor belonged to the Bohuns, and it cameinto possession of the Earls of Devon through the marriage of Margaretde Bohun with Hugh Courtenay, the third earl. In 1645 the castle wasbesieged, unsuccessfully, by Fairfax, but in the following year it wastaken by Colonel Hammond. Until about the middle of the eighteenthcentury it remained strongly fortified, but at that time it wassubjected to many alterations. The oldest part of the present castledates from the time of Richard II, but the whole fabric has undergone somany restorations that it presents a great variety of architecturalstyles. The fine modern hall contains a fireplace which is a replica ofthe one at the Palace, Exeter. The park is a delightful stretch ofgreensward, studded with ancient oaks, and it extends for many milesaround the building. In one corner of the park is the little church ofSt. Clement, a Perpendicular building of red sandstone, and within whichare several memorials of the Courtenays. These include a recumbenteffigy popularly supposed to represent the renowned Isabella, althoughthis lady is known to have been buried at Bromnor Priory, Wilts. It isthe opinion of some authorities that this monument is a cenotaph toElizabeth, daughter of Edward I, and wife of Humphrey de Bohun, whosedaughter, Margaret, married Hugh Courtenay. On the highest ground of thepark is the Belvidere, erected in 1773, a triangular tower with a smallhexagonal turret at each corner. It is 60 feet high, and from the summitthe view comprises the city of Exeter, the broad estuary of the Exe, the village of Lympstone, and the little town of Topsham, where thespars of the ships appear to mingle with the trees on the river's banks. Looking inland we may see the well-wooded country stretching away in asuccession of hills and combes, until the view is bounded by thestone-capped heights of Dartmoor in the far distance. 

The parish of Woodbury, on the east bank of the river, contains severalsmall villages and a large stretch of common. Woodbury Castle is awell-known earthwork on the top of a high hill; it is probablyprehistoric in origin, although afterwards occupied by the Romans. Thechurch of St. Swithin at Woodbury has a chancel in the Decorated and atower in the Perpendicular styles. The beautiful screen has beenmodernized and consequently spoiled, but some good monuments may stillbe seen. Nutwell Court, overlooking the estuary, is a modern mansion onthe site of a castle which had been converted into a dwelling house soearly as the reign of Edward IV. It is now the home of the Drakes, ofthe same family as the famous sailor of Elizabethan days. Among therelics preserved here are the cups given to Sir Francis Drake by QueenElizabeth on his return from the memorable voyage round the world in the_Pelican_. Here also is a portrait of Sir Francis by Zucchero. 

Exmouth, although a modern watering-place, has a few points of interest, being one of the oldest seaside resorts on the south-west coast. 

In the time of King John it was an important port, and it supplied tenships and one hundred and ninety-three seamen for Edward III'sexpedition to Calais. The principal part of the present town is verymodern, but it is very pleasantly situated. The greater part of the townis included in the parish of Littleham, whose church, dedicated to St. Margaret and St. Andrew, is of Early English and Perpendiculararchitecture. The Spratshayes aisle was probably built by the Drakes ofSpratshayes. The screen, dating from about 1400, has richly undercutcornice bands, the Stafford and Wake knots being freely introduced amongthe carvings. There are many delightful walks around Exmouth, both alongthe coast and inland, the view from Beacon Hill being very fine andincluding a large strip of the eastern and the western coastlines thatborder the blue waters of the English Channel. 

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

_At the Villafield Press, Glasgow, Scotland_

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