PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Following the Norman invasion and the installation of William the Conqueror as King, the manor of Plympton was given to the King's cousin, Richard de Redvers, who was created the first Earl of Devon. He immediately took possession of the Saxon-built earthworks and upon it erected a rounded bailey surrounded by a moat. Within the bailey were timber huts to house the men (and probably a few women) of the garrison. Richard's eldest son, Baldwin, then quarrelled with King Stephen (1135-1154) and while defending his castle at Exeter his own men at Plympton decided they could not defend the castle against any attack so handed it over to the King. Thus Baldwin lost his castle and estate in Devon. Both were restored to him by King Henry II a couple of years before his death on June 4th 1155. Sometime soon after 1172, during the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189), a church was built adjoining the Castle and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury, who had just been canonised. At that time, so it is said, the waters of the river Plym ran up as far as the present Barbican Road, where boats could discharge and load cargo. As Plympton Erle, as it became known, was on the main road from Exeter to Plymouth, a small town grew up in the shadow of the Castle. In 1216 William, the youngest son of Baldwin and who had inherited the title as 6th Earl, granted Plympton its first charter of incorporation, some two centuries before Plymouth got its charter. The Town was already sending two members to Parliament by 1295. It was around 1538/39, during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547), that the dedication of the Church was changed to St Maurice. When Mr Edward Courtenay, the 18th Earl of Devon, died in 1566 without issue, the estate was divided between four aunts or their representatives. In 1602 Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) granted the Town a Royal Charter which stated that 'the borough town of Earls Plympton should remain forever a free borough town with a corporation consisting of Mayor, Bailiff and Burgesses. As it turned out, "forever" lasted for only 365 years. The first Guildhall was erected soon after and was rebuilt in 1696. Also at that time the Grammar School was built 1664. The building still stands. The Reform Act of 1832 brought about the disenfranchisement of the Borough. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 brought about the formation of Poor Law Unions. Soon afterwards, in 1835, Plympton House, formerly the residence of the Treby family, was opened as a lunatic asylum. Plympton Workhouse was erected in 1836, following the formation of the Plympton St Mary Poor Law Union on October 10th that year. The Station was built by the South Devon Railway and opened on Thursday June 15th 1848. At the time of the census in 1871 Plympton St Maurice had a population of 463 males and 621 females living in 177 properties. The figure included 23 lunatics held in the Plympton House Lunatic Asylum. Plympton St Mary Rural Sanitary District was created in 1875 as the result of the Public Health Acts 1873 and 1875. In 1878 the Town was described as consisting of four small streets, with a few respectable dwellings in the suburbs. Plympton St Mary Rural District Council was created by the Local Government Act 1894. Plympton got its one and only cinema, the Cinedrome, in 1913. When the motor bus services started to run in the 1920s this gave the impetus for growth, which was especially noted by the members of the Plympton St Mary Rural District Council. Housing expanded greatly during the 1930s. Plympton Station was closed in March 1959. On April 1st 1967 part of Plympton St Mary Rural District Council was absorbed into the City of Plymouth. What remained of the Plympton St Mary RDC was transferred in to South Hams District Council in 1974, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. Below is a quick index to webpages in PLYMOUTH DATA referring to items
within Plympton St Maurice and Plympton St Mary. |
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