EXETER Capital of Devon

Exeter existed as a settlement even before the Romans came in AD 55 when Julius Caesar ,establishing military garrisons, built a fort & a wall around it & called it ISCA . The Romans linked many of their garrisons with long straight military supply roads such as Fosse Way which stretches right across England ,in an almost straight line, from Exeter to Lincoln on the East Coast.
The garrison of Isca-Exeter became a bustling place with trading in silver & tin which the moorlands of Dartmoor had in large alluvial deposits, as well as local wool ,which proved highly profitable. The Romans left in AD 410 Briton slid into economic darkness as what the Roman had created gradually fragmented.
Exeter Cathedral was founded in about 1050 as a Saxon minster then in 1107 after the Norman Conquest of 1066, a new cathedral in the Norman style was begun with its official foundation in 1133 . The two Norman towers of this magnificent building can be seen for many miles around & would have guided pilgrims and merchants into the city.
Exeter became a religious centre and the city had about 18 churches with 2 monastic settlements , St Nicholas Priory & a Grey Friars A Franciscan Friary within the city walls. Today there are 64 churches of all denominations. The two monastic settlements competed, some times acrimoniously, with the Cathedral for the dues levied for various service they provided. In those days the Catholic Church decided one could buy one's way into heaven and chantries were built where priests were paid to pray for the souls of the departed.

The WOOL trade flourished and the control it and gather taxes the Ordinance of the Staple was created in 1353 at which time Exeter became the Staple town for south Devon. As the wool trade began to flourish Exeter became an affluent mercantile centre. It had three markets a year where local merchants could meet with merchant traders from France, Flanders, or Italy. It would have been quite normal to hear foreign speech in counterpoise with the soft Devon burr at Exeter wool market.

During the period of the Hundreds Year War (1337-1453) trade was affected across Europe and times became so hard in England that many little towns vanished from the landscape forever.

Tuckers Hall was built in 1471 by The Guild of Weavers, Fullers and Shearmen and can be visited in Fore Street. Guild of Weavers, Tuckers and Shearmen since 1471, but the earliest record of a Guild of Clothworkers in Exeter is 1459

The Black Death, Bubonic Plague, arrived from Europe in 1348 and 1349 decimating the population of England. Devon, with its dense agricultural based population, suffered more than any other county. In 2 years 17 churches lost 86 clergy to the pestilence. Exeter lost half its population in the first outbreak. Of those who survived a further quarter perished in the second outbreak. It must have been a terrible and terrifying time for everyone.

Wool production was not a flexible commodity & supply could not instantly meet demand. Gradually the trade in raw wool declined and between 1349 &1542, the exact opposite occurred in the cloth trade and the production of wool cloth increased.
A medieval industrial revolution resulted.
Mills were built to facilitate the washing, carding, combing, and drying the raw wool; with waterways or leats were constructed to divert the water for washing the wool. After this it was hand spun and then woven and spinners and weavers soon abounded.
Many of the more influential Exeter wool merchants became Mayors of Exeter with their now names were recorded on the panelled walls of the Guildhall.

In the 21st century the layout of the main streets of the city remains largely unchanged although most of the ancient houses have long gone. Much of the walls also remain and one can walk where Romans walked around the city walls without a great deal of difficulty.

The Fosse Way was constructed in Britain during the first and second centuries AD by the Romans .
It connected Exeter (Isca ) in the southwest to Lincoln (Lindum Colonia ) in the northeast, passing through Ilchester (Lindinis),Bath
(Aquae Sulis ), Cirencester (Corinium) in the Cotswolds and (Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvorum )

From Early Medieval through the Tudor period & into the 18th century Exeter was the centre of the Devon Wool Trade

Illustrations by AJP

The Tale of Two Dead Men one Summer

The fields all around Exeter were covered in racking frames , seen below , where the wool cloth was hung on tenter hooks to dry.

Notes.

Fore Street on the map here is the main street that runs down towards the river from the crossroad, also called the Carfoix or 'four ways', which was sometimes used as a place of public execution and marked then by the Great Conduit where the people of the city could come and collect fresh water.

St Johns church called St John's Bow, now gone, can be seen was half way down Fore Street on the corner of John Street, within the city walls. St John's Bow was one of several places in the city that the proclamation of a new monarch was made. Charles II on the 11 May 1660, and George I after the death of Queen Anne were all proclaimed there.

The Municipal and Cathedral records note that during the reign of Charles I the weekly market for cattle and hides were at St John's Bow, while the meat market was held at the shambles in South Street. Horned cattle of every size and shape, held on ropes, would stand in front of the church, bellowing in confusion. Straw and dung was heaped on the street, while farmers and butchers struck their deals before the animals were led off to the butchers temporary pastures, or straight to Butchers Row at the end of John Street for immediate despatch.....

Occupations around such an area could be fellmongering, (dealing in sheepskins with the fleece still on, glove making,( glove& shoe leather was obviously produced by removing the fleece ) shoe making or cordwaining.

St St Sidwells was known as an area where there were cordwainers or shoemakers.

The difference between a cordwainer and a shoemaker is that a cornwainer used top quality leathers and specialised in boots, whereas a shoe maker used lesser quality or recycled leathers. to make shoes. Shoemakers and cordwainers made a good living because everyone needs boots & shoes and a cobbler repaired shoes but did not make them. .... not to mention all the other things that a world there horses predominated used leather for....

THE POMEROY FAMILIES IN EXETER FROM C16TH

Exeter & Thomas Pomeroy 1721

This research was prompted by finding a pedigree on line which made the assumption that Thomas Pomeroy born Staverton 1699 was the same Thomas who was married in Exeter in 1719.

As with any of my websites it is a work in progress. However they seem to have got it wrong and the Thomas from Staverton born 1699 wasn't the same man who married in the cathedral at Exeter in 1719.

Why ? firstly because there was a Pomeroy group in Exeter circa 1668 and he could well be one of that family but also because of the following records .

https://demolition-exeter.blogspot.com/2010/10/destruction-of-exeter-in-20th-century.html

Thomas son of Richard POMEROY b: 24 OCT 1630 in Staverton ( son of Ellias ) and Anna FURSEMAN

Married: 8 OCT 1682 in Staverton wife Grace HAWKINS b: ABT 1666 in Staverton Devon

Children

Mary POMEROY b: 15 JAN 1684 in Staverton Devon

Catherine POMEROY b: 15 AUG 1686 in Staverton Devon

Barbary POMEROY b: 31 MAR 1689 in Staverton Devon

Lawrence POMEROY b: 5 MAR 1692 in Staverton Devon

*Thomas POMEROY b: 25 MAY 1699 in Staverton Devon.

John POMEROY b: 9 AUG 1709 in Staverton Devon

Joan Pomeroy b 8 Oct 1712 in Staverton

*Thomas Pomeroy of Staverton married Mary Maye on 30 January 1721 in Staverton.

I was unable to find any baptisms of children in IGI for this couple in Staverton or nearby

SO To Exeter ..... August 2014

St Sidwell Church before the bombing in WWII

1719 Thomas Pomery of St Johns in Exeter married Agnes Jenkins of St Sidwell (born 16 Sept 1690) married on 18th Jan 1719 at Exeter Cathedral S

St Sidwells Exeter Devon and area where there were a great many weavers.

I found no birth record in Exeter that fits for Thomas , however there is nothing that tells us his age when he married so he could be anything between 16 and 40 or 50 years old ..or more which gives a date range of 1658 to 1699.

DNA shows a group of Pomeroy in St Sidwell around 1668 so it seems likely that he was one of that family and living within the city walls at St Johns area West Quarter of the old city and after he married moved outside the city walls to St Sidwells.

Notes on the population of St Sidwells here and Parishes of Exeter -

Sidwell street is a very interesting place

St Sidwell Street WWI 1918

FMP earlier records for Exeter 1580 to 1640
Barbara dau of Hugh Pomeroy & Elizabeth Southcott Bb 14 Dec 1560 married age 34 in 1594 to Robert Incledon who died in about 1600.

2 years later in May 1602 age 42 she was married to Philip CHICHESTER at Whitstone near Exeter (Archive reference" 2947A/PR/1/1 She died 1623 age about 63

Agnes Coplestone widow of Richard Pomeroy who died 1616 married at St St Mary Major in Exeter 1619 to James Lowman of Whitstone nr Exeter

Amy Pomeroy. ( daughter of Richard Pomeroy of Ingsdon & his wife Anne Coplestone & a minor in 1616 when her father died)
married on 17 Sep 1628 to Percival Carwithan Lord Of Panston in Saint Paul, Exeter, Devon.. Percival died aft 1642.

Pomeroy Badon 1668 Marriage 29 November 1668 to Susanna Jagoe — more on this later

Pomeroy Christable 1696 Burial 14 Feb 1696 Exeter, Holy Trinity, Devon,

Pomeroy Elizabeth 1628 Marriage 16 Sept 1628 to Mr Weeks burial Elias son of Elias Weeks buried Oct 24 1729

Pomeroy John 1628 Marraige to Jane Shepard Exeter Diocese Marriage Licences

Pomeroy Nicholas 1667 Marriage 23 Apr 1667 to Ellinor Wish St Sidwells Exeter

Pomeroy Susan 1696 Marriages 02 Feb 1696 to Thomas Bennett

Pomeroy William 1682 DEATH Devon Wills Index, 1163-1999 Exeter, Devon, England

1687 George Pomroy of Topsham married Joan Baker at St Davids Exeter 28 Aug 1687

1688 John Bb 6 May 1668 to George Pomroy St Mary Arches Exeter

1689 Jane Bb 5 Jan 1689 to George Pomroy St Mary Arches Exeter

1693 Mary Bb 21 Nov 1693 to George Pomroy St Mary Arches Exeter ( died )

1696 Mary Bb 22 June 1696 to George Pomroy St Mary Arches Exeter

Burials

Pomeroy Eliza Burial 3 Dec 1729 Exeter, Holy Trinity, Devon,

Thomas Pomeroy of St Johns Exeter Married: 18 JAN 1719 in St Peters Cathedral Exeter spouse Agnes JENKINS b: 16 SEP 1690 in St Sidwells Exeter. This marriage is in the Cathedral records .

Stepcote Street Exeter

Exeter Broad gate into Cathedral green

The corner of Cathedral Green
St Catherines lane

Exeter City Guild Hall

Thomas & Agnes apparently had children in St Sidwells, the poorest area just outside the city walls to the north, which today is part of the city centre.

Elizabeth POMEROY b: 19 MAY 1719 in St Sidwells

Mary POMEROY b: 20 MAR 1721 in St Sidwells

John POMEROY b: 7 FEB 1722 Married: 31 AUG 1748 in St Sidwells to Mary SOUTHERD b: 27 NOV 1724 in St Sidwells

died & was buried 22 OCT 1809 St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Children

Mary POMEROY b: 25 JUN 1749 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

John POMEROY b: 6 OCT 1751 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Charles POMEROY b: 29 JUL 1753 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Charles POMEROY b: 24 AUG 1755 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Ann POMEROY b: 9 APR 1758 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

James POMEROY b: 16 APR 1759 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Mary POMEROY b: ABT 1762 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

George POMEROY b: 6 FEB 1764 in St Sidwells Exeter Devon

Marriage LICENSES of the diocese of Exeter from the Bishop's Registers

1611 may 18th William Martin of Totnes and Anna Huckmore da of Richard Huckmore . gent; deceased.

William Culinge of Churston, yeoman and Robert Hayne a tailor of Exeter put of £200 bond 4th Dec 1611 Nicholas Rolle of Blackawton gent and Anna Huckmore of Berry Pomeroy widow Bond of £200

( this was the usual fee for a marriage licence and promise to marry & a considerable sum)

Exeter 1611 21st November licence for marriage on 30th December 1611 Arthur Seccombe of North Petherwin gent and Barabara Southcote widow -

(his daughter by his first wife, Grace Bligh, was Mary Seccombe who married John Pomeroy Barbara's brother.)

29th Jan 1613 Dorothy Pomery of Ilsington married Hugh Wychayse of Barnstaple

23 Jan 1616 Valentine Pomery of Bickleigh in Harberton and Jane Reynell dau of Sir Thomas Reynell . knt. of West Ogwell

2 March 1616 Anne Pomery of Sidmouth married Robert Binnye of Sidmouth and

27 March 1616 Elizabeth Pomery of Salte Aish (Saltash) married John Stronge junior

7th Nov 1617 Christopher Pomery of Plymouth and Anne Smith of Blisland

10 feb 1619 Agnes Pomery of Exeter widow married James Loweman of Whitstone, gent ( formerly Agnes or Anne Coplestone wife of Richard Pomeroy of Ingsdon who died 1616

19th Feb 1625 Elizabeth Pomery of St Nyott married Richard Fowler of St Nyott

17 1628 March John Pomeroy of Plymouth married Jane Shepheard of Plympton St Mary

30 April 1628 Valentine Pomeroy married by licence Margaret Whiddon dau of John Whiddon of Chagford his 2nd wife

May 6th 1628 CAVEAT NOT TO GRANT A LICENCE TO ELIZABETH POMERY A YOUNG GIRL OF PILLATON and any man without making it known to JOHN BELLY of Maker who has contracted to marry Elizabeth in presence of faithful witnesses- as asserted - this sounds like a very reluctant bride and I can find no trace of a marriage between them after 1628 but they were married. see here

Friarshay in the southwestern corner of the city where Grey Friars was situated with its chapel & graveyard and the Priory of St Nicholas was nearby in St Nicholas Lane. Clear evidence of the flourishing wool trade in the environs of the city- the racking or tenting fields where wool cloth was hung to dry.