Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for PLYMPTON-EARLS, or Plympton, St. Maurice

PLYMPTON-EARLS, or Plympton, St. Maurice, a small town and a parish in Plympton, St. Mary district, Devon. The town stands in a fine valley, 1 mile S S E of Plympton r. station, and 4½ E by N of Plymouth; takesthe first part of its name from being situated near the river Plym; belonged anciently to the Norman Earls of Devon, from whom it takes the prefix-name Earls; contains the ruin of a castle built, in the time of Henry I., by the first Earl of Devon; was the head-quarters of Prince Maurice during the siege of Plymouth in 1643; was taken, in the following year, by the Earl of Essex; was once and long a stannary town; is a borough by prescription, governed by a mayor and 9 aldermen; sent two membersto parliament from the time of Edward I., till disfranchised by the reform act of 1832; was the birth-place of Sir Joshua Reynolds; consists chiefly of two streets.crossing each other in the form of the letter T; containsmany houses of ancient appearance, and some projectingon arches like those of Totnes; and has a post-office under Plympton, a guildhall, a church, Independent and Wesleyan chapels, a grammar school, and charities £189. The castle stood on a large artificial mound, on the E side of the town; had an oblong form, with surmounting keep; occupied about an acre, and was encompassed with a fosse; is said to have been dismantled, and demolished almost to the ground, by order of King Stephen; and is now represented by only a fragment of Massive wall The mound now forms an agreeable promenade, and commands extensive and beautiful views. The guildhall was built in 1696; and formerly had aportrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted by himself, and now at Silverton. The church was built in 1547, on the site of a chantry to P., St. Mary priory; and is a small structure, with a lofty tower. The grammar school was founded in 1658; is a quaint structure, with piazza, portico, and high roof; had Sir Joshua Reynold's father as a master; includes the room in which Sir Joshua wasborn; and has £189 a year from endowment. A marketfor horses, cattle, and sheep is held on the first Monday of every month; and fairs are held on 25 Feb., 7 April, 12 Aug., and 25 Oct. The parish comprises 203 acres ofland, and 170 of water. Real property, £2, 757. Pop.900. Houses, 160. The property is much subdivided. The manor belongs to the Earl of Morley. P. Housewas formerly the seat of the Treby family, but was converted in 1835 into a lunatic asylum, and has accommodation for 90 patients. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £100. Patrons, the Dean and Canons of Windsor.


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

Linked entities:
Administrative units: Plympton St Maurice CP/AP       Devon AncC
Place names: PLYMPTON EARLS     |     PLYMPTON EARLS OR PLYMPTON ST MAURICE     |     PLYMPTON ST MAURICE
Place: Plympton

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