Plymouth, Roads and Streets

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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History

ROADS AND STREETS

BRETON SIDE

Created: 30 October 2011

Location of Breton Side, Plymouth
In modern Plymouth the name has been applied to the road from Exeter Street in the east to the junction with Buckwell Street in the west. It was originally just the small stretch of road extending from Exeter Street at its junction with North Street and Hawker's Avenue westwards as far as the junctions with Green Street and Vauxhall Street.

Breton Side, Plymouth.

Origin of the name, Breton Side

At the close of the 14th century there was a protective wall around the township alongside Sutton Pool and at the point where the road to Exeter entered there was a Gateway, later known as Martyn's Gate.

On August 10th 1403, Saint Lawrence Day, the Sieur du Chastel, Lord of the Chateau Neuf, near Saint Malo, in Britanny, landed about a mile from the town up the Cattewater and marched into the eastern part of the town, which they proceeded to burn and plunder until around 10am next morning. Some 600 properties were said to have been destroyed and the far side of Martyn's Gate acquired forever the name "Breton Side". [1]

A plaque commemorating this event is on the side of the premises that once was the Burton Boys Public House.

The name is recorded as "Britayne Side" in 1493; "Brittayne Side" in 1604, Bittons Side" in 1765; "Briten Side" in 1820; and "Briton Side" thereafter.

History of Breton Side, Plymouth

At the time of Benjamin Donn's map of 1765 [2] the main road into Plymouth was through Old Tree and into what is shown on his map as "Bitton's Side. Once the Embankment had been opened, the main coach route into Plymouth became along Embankment Road and Exeter Street, formerly Hawk Street, which was then opened up into Breton Side.

On one occasion while the carriage of one of the Royal princes was passing through Martyn's Gate one of his servants was injured. This was evidently a public embarrassment and the inhabitants subscribed to the cost of having the offending gateway removed. This was done in 1789. [1]

Breton Side is shown as "Bitton's Side" on Benjamin Donn's map of 1765.

Subsequently Breton Side had been amalgamated into Exeter Street which then extended as far west as the junction with Vauxhall Street. Beyond that point it was known as Treville Street.

Plymouth Council decided on June 22nd 1920 to re-introduce the name for a portion of Exeter Street. [3]

Some Views of Breton Side, Plymouth


A	B

Occupants of Breton Side

in 1812

Sources:

[1] Worth, R N, "History of Plymouth From the Earliest Period to the Present Time", Messrs William Brendon & Son, Plymouth, 1890.

[2] Donn, Benjamin, "A Map of the County of Devon 1765", facsimile, Devon and Cornwall Record Society and the University of Exeter, Exeter, 1965.

[3] Plymouth City Council minute number 3145 dated June 22nd 1920.