Plympton
Encyclopedia
Plympton, or Plympton Maurice or Plympton St Maurice or Plympton St Mary or Plympton Erle, in south-western Devon
, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin
, and a former seaport (before the River Plym
silted up and trade moved down the river to Plymouth
). Today it is a populous, north-eastern suburb of the city of Plymouth of which it officially became part, along with Plymstock
, in 1967.
Plympton still has its own town centre (called the Ridgeway), and is itself an amalgamation of several villages, including St Mary's, St Maurice, Colebrook, Woodford, Newnham, Langage and Chaddlewood. Plympton has three main bus services; the 20,21, and the 22.
The 20 runs through Woodford and Newnham, then to the bottom of St Mary's Bridge/Ridgeway. This area is the centre of Plympton.
The 21 runs through the Ridgeway and up to Chaddlewood and Steer Park.
The 22 runs through the Ridgeway and right through St Maurice.
(compare, for instance, Otterton
or Yealmpton
), this is not considered to be the case. As J. Brooking Rowe pointed out in 1906, the town is not and never was sited on the river. The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plymentun in Anglo-Saxon charter S380
dated to around 900AD, and this name may be derived from the Old English adjective plymen, meaning "growing with plum-trees". So Plympton has the meaning "Plum-tree farm", and the River Plym was named from a back-formation
from this name and nearby Plymstock
. This later led to the naming of the fishing port created at the river's mouth (Plymouth, originally named Sutton) when the river estuary silted up too much for the monks to sail up river to Plympton any longer.
. In 1086 it said:
in the early 12th century. The members were Augustinian canons and the priory soon became the second richest monastic house in Devon (after Tavistock). The gatehouse of the priory is still in existence. In 1872 it was recorded that the gatehouse, kitchen and refectory were still in good condition.
The ancient Stannary
town remains dominated by its now ruined Norman
motte-and-bailey castle and it still retains a cohesive medieval street pattern. A number of historic buildings in the local vernacular
style of green Devon slate, limestone and lime-washed walls, with Dartmoor granite detailing, attest to all periods of its history.
The town was one of the rotten borough
s, and sent two MPs
to the unreformed House of Commons
before the Reform Act 1832
stripped it of its representation.
The town was the birthplace and residence of the world renowned artist, Joshua Reynolds. Reynolds was Mayor
of Plympton, as well as first president of the Royal Academy of Art. His father was headmaster of Plympton Grammar School which itself is an attractive historic building in the centre of the town. Former pupils were Benjamin Haydon
and Sir Charles Lock Eastlake PRA
, who were respectively first director of the National Gallery and first president of the Royal Photographic Society
.
Railway facilities were originally provided at Plympton—for goods traffic only—by the horse-drawn Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway
, but their branch was closed and sold to the South Devon Railway
to allow them to build a line from Exeter
to Plymouth
. A station was opened in the town on 15 June 1848. From 1 June 1904 it was the eastern terminus for enhanced Plymouth area suburban services but it was closed from 3 March 1959.
St Mary's church was dedicate din 1311 and was originally a parish chapel attached to the priory and is a church of more importance. It has two aisles on each side of the nave, the outer aisles being shorter than the inner ones. The lofty tower is of granite ashlar and visible from afar. The south porch is ornamented with carving and has a lierne vault. The outer north aisle is the earliest part of the church and the rest mainly of the 15th century, the south aisle being the latest part. There are interesting monuments to the family of Strode, including a tomb-chest for Richard Strode, d. 1464, the effigy being clad in armour; the monument of William Strode (d. 1637) and family shows husband, two wives and ten children. There are also a monument of W. Seymour (d. 1801) in Coade stone and of Viscount Boringdon (the 11-year old heir to the Earl of Morley
who died in Paris in 1817), by F. N. Delaistre
.
Plympton has two state secondary schools serving pupils from ages 11–18. Both Ridgeway School and Heles School attract students from the Plympton area and surrounding areas of Laira, Ivybridge and Dartmoor. Heles School is generally regarded as the better of the two, climbing the league tables. Ridgeway is noted for its special education departments and inclusiveness, taking in often disruptive, difficult and poorer pupils.
The Plym Valley Railway
is a preserved railway based at the reconstructed Marsh Mills station on Coypool Road. This was formerly part of the GWR Plymouth to Launceston branch line. The volunteer-run PVR is actively rebuilding the line between Marsh Mills and Plymbridge. Steam and diesel heritage trains run on numerous Sundays throughout the year.
A new town to be called Sherford
is proposed to be built adjacent to Plympton. This development is expected to consist of "at least 4,000 dwellings by 2016". Recent proposals to build a much enlarged Plymouth Airport along a corridor south of the A38 road
north of the Sherford site and east of Plympton leaving Plympton and the Plym estuary (the Laira) as the flight path, seem to have been shelved or attracted no funding.
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England is an ancient stannary town: an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, and a former seaport (before the River Plym
River Plym
The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. Its source is some 450m above sea level on Dartmoor, in an upland marshy area called Plym Head. From the upper reaches which contain antiquities and mining remains the river flows roughly southwest and enters the sea near to the city of Plymouth, where...
silted up and trade moved down the river to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
). Today it is a populous, north-eastern suburb of the city of Plymouth of which it officially became part, along with Plymstock
Plymstock
Plymstock is a civil parish and commuter suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon.The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plemestocha in the Domesday Book and its name is derived from Old English meaning either "outlying farm with a plum-tree" or, if it is short for...
, in 1967.
Plympton still has its own town centre (called the Ridgeway), and is itself an amalgamation of several villages, including St Mary's, St Maurice, Colebrook, Woodford, Newnham, Langage and Chaddlewood. Plympton has three main bus services; the 20,21, and the 22.
The 20 runs through Woodford and Newnham, then to the bottom of St Mary's Bridge/Ridgeway. This area is the centre of Plympton.
The 21 runs through the Ridgeway and up to Chaddlewood and Steer Park.
The 22 runs through the Ridgeway and right through St Maurice.
Toponymy
Although the name of the town appears to be derived from its location on the River PlymRiver Plym
The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. Its source is some 450m above sea level on Dartmoor, in an upland marshy area called Plym Head. From the upper reaches which contain antiquities and mining remains the river flows roughly southwest and enters the sea near to the city of Plymouth, where...
(compare, for instance, Otterton
Otterton
Otterton is a village and civil parish in East Devon, England.-The village:The village is located on the east bank of the River Otter, east of the B3178 road and the village of East Budleigh. It is about a mile inland of Ladram Bay, on the Jurassic Coast...
or Yealmpton
Yealmpton
Yealmpton is a village in the English county of Devon. It is located on the A379 Plymouth to Kingsbridge road and is about from Plymouth. It derives its name from the River Yealm that flows through the village. Yealmpton is home to a 400 year-old stone cottage, where it is said, a version of the...
), this is not considered to be the case. As J. Brooking Rowe pointed out in 1906, the town is not and never was sited on the river. The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plymentun in Anglo-Saxon charter S380
Peter Hayes Sawyer
Peter Hayes Sawyer is a British historian of Medieval England who is known for his annotated catalogue of Anglo-Saxon charters...
dated to around 900AD, and this name may be derived from the Old English adjective plymen, meaning "growing with plum-trees". So Plympton has the meaning "Plum-tree farm", and the River Plym was named from a back-formation
Back-formation
In etymology, back-formation is the process of creating a new lexeme, usually by removing actual or supposed affixes. The resulting neologism is called a back-formation, a term coined by James Murray in 1889...
from this name and nearby Plymstock
Plymstock
Plymstock is a civil parish and commuter suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon.The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plemestocha in the Domesday Book and its name is derived from Old English meaning either "outlying farm with a plum-tree" or, if it is short for...
. This later led to the naming of the fishing port created at the river's mouth (Plymouth, originally named Sutton) when the river estuary silted up too much for the monks to sail up river to Plympton any longer.
Domesday
Plympton is mentioned in the Domesday bookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. In 1086 it said:
”The King holds Plympton. TRE it paid geld for two and a half hides. There is land for 20 ploughs. In demesne are two ploughs and six slaves and 5 villans and 12 bordars with 12 ploughs. There are 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of meadow and 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of pasture, woodland one league long and a half broad. It renders £13 10s by weight. Beside this land the canons of the same manor hold 2 hides. There is land for 6 ploughs. There 12 v have 4 ploughs. It is worth 35 shillings.
Later history
Plympton was the site of an important priory founded by William WarelwastWilliam Warelwast
William Warelwast, sometimes known as William de Warelwast was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk for King William II of England...
in the early 12th century. The members were Augustinian canons and the priory soon became the second richest monastic house in Devon (after Tavistock). The gatehouse of the priory is still in existence. In 1872 it was recorded that the gatehouse, kitchen and refectory were still in good condition.
The ancient Stannary
Stannary
The word stannary is historically applied to:*A tin mine, especially in Cornwall or Devon, South West England*A region containing tin works *A chartered entity comprising such a region, its works, and its workers...
town remains dominated by its now ruined Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
motte-and-bailey castle and it still retains a cohesive medieval street pattern. A number of historic buildings in the local vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
style of green Devon slate, limestone and lime-washed walls, with Dartmoor granite detailing, attest to all periods of its history.
The town was one of the rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
s, and sent two MPs
Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)
Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295-1640:-1640-1832:...
to the unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
before the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
stripped it of its representation.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Plympton, as well as first president of the Royal Academy of Art. His father was headmaster of Plympton Grammar School which itself is an attractive historic building in the centre of the town. Former pupils were Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Robert Haydon was an English historical painter and writer.-Biography:Haydon was born in Plymouth. His mother was the daughter of the Rev. Benjamin Cobley, rector of Dodbrooke, near Kingsbridge, Devon. Her brother, General Sir Thomas Cobley, was renowned for his part in the siege of Ismail...
and Sir Charles Lock Eastlake PRA
Charles Eastlake
Charles Locke Eastlake was a British architect and furniture designer. Trained by the architect Philip Hardwick , he popularised William Morris's notions of decorative arts in the Arts and Crafts style, becoming one of the principal exponents of the revived Early English or Modern Gothic style...
, who were respectively first director of the National Gallery and first president of the Royal Photographic Society
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography...
.
Railway facilities were originally provided at Plympton—for goods traffic only—by the horse-drawn Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway
Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway
The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway was a gauge horse-worked railway line in Devon, England. Most of the network had been replaced by conventional railways by 1888. The last surviving section, which continued to operate until 1960, is generally referred to as the Lee Moor Tramway...
, but their branch was closed and sold to the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
to allow them to build a line from Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
to Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. A station was opened in the town on 15 June 1848. From 1 June 1904 it was the eastern terminus for enhanced Plymouth area suburban services but it was closed from 3 March 1959.
Churches
The churches are St Maurice (or rather St Thomas at Plympton St Maurice)of Norman origin. The only remarkable feature is the tower which was rebuilt in the middle of the 15th century.St Mary's church was dedicate din 1311 and was originally a parish chapel attached to the priory and is a church of more importance. It has two aisles on each side of the nave, the outer aisles being shorter than the inner ones. The lofty tower is of granite ashlar and visible from afar. The south porch is ornamented with carving and has a lierne vault. The outer north aisle is the earliest part of the church and the rest mainly of the 15th century, the south aisle being the latest part. There are interesting monuments to the family of Strode, including a tomb-chest for Richard Strode, d. 1464, the effigy being clad in armour; the monument of William Strode (d. 1637) and family shows husband, two wives and ten children. There are also a monument of W. Seymour (d. 1801) in Coade stone and of Viscount Boringdon (the 11-year old heir to the Earl of Morley
Earl of Morley
Earl of Morley, in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for the politician John Parker, 2nd Baron Boringdon. He was made Viscount Boringdon, of North Molton in the County of Devon, at the same time, which title is used as a courtesy title by...
who died in Paris in 1817), by F. N. Delaistre
François-Nicolas Delaistre
François-Nicolas Delaistre was a French sculptor.He was educated by Félix Lecomte and Louis-Claude Vassé. Delaistre won the Prix de Rome in 1772; he studied a year at the École royale des élèves protégés at the French Academy and later at the Académie de France in Rome between 1773 and 1777...
.
Today
In the last 20 years Plympton has seen considerable growth as the suburban population has doubled. To help manage this rapid growth more efficiently, Plympton has been separated into a series of separate districts: Yealmpstone, Plympton-St Maurice, Colebrook, Underwood, and Chaddlewood. Plympton is, together with its demographically similar neighbouring suburb of Plymstock, the most right-wing political area of the wider city, invariably returning a Conservative member of parliament. Plympton and Plymstock form a 'dispersal area' under an order taken by the City which enables the police to disperse groups of two or more young persons for periods of up to 24 hours if they consider them a threat to public order.Plympton has two state secondary schools serving pupils from ages 11–18. Both Ridgeway School and Heles School attract students from the Plympton area and surrounding areas of Laira, Ivybridge and Dartmoor. Heles School is generally regarded as the better of the two, climbing the league tables. Ridgeway is noted for its special education departments and inclusiveness, taking in often disruptive, difficult and poorer pupils.
The Plym Valley Railway
Plym Valley Railway
The Plym Valley Railway is part of the closed South Devon and Tavistock Railway near Plymouth, a branch line of the Great Western Railway in Devon.The Plym Valley Railway is currently rebuilding the Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge section of the line...
is a preserved railway based at the reconstructed Marsh Mills station on Coypool Road. This was formerly part of the GWR Plymouth to Launceston branch line. The volunteer-run PVR is actively rebuilding the line between Marsh Mills and Plymbridge. Steam and diesel heritage trains run on numerous Sundays throughout the year.
A new town to be called Sherford
Sherford
Sherford is a new town to be built in Devon, England. Development on the site started in 2007 and initial infrastructure work started in 2008. Its first 300 dwellings will be built in 2009 and when finished it will have 5,500 dwellings...
is proposed to be built adjacent to Plympton. This development is expected to consist of "at least 4,000 dwellings by 2016". Recent proposals to build a much enlarged Plymouth Airport along a corridor south of the A38 road
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
north of the Sherford site and east of Plympton leaving Plympton and the Plym estuary (the Laira) as the flight path, seem to have been shelved or attracted no funding.
Notable people
- Ellen MarriageEllen MarriageEllen Marriage was an English translator from French, notably of Balzac's novels...
, pioneer BalzacHonoré de BalzacHonoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
translator, and her husband Edmund Garrett, an IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
translator, lived here up to Garrett's death in 1907. - David OwenDavid OwenDavid Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen CH PC FRCP is a British politician.Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post; he co-authored the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War...
, former Foreign Secretary, was born in Plympton - Sir Joshua ReynoldsJoshua ReynoldsSir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
, painter, born in Plympton - Sir Edwin SandysEdwin Sandys (American colonist)Sir Edwin Sandys was an English politician, a leading figure in the parliaments of James I of England. He was also one of the founders of the proprietary Virginia Company of London, which in 1607 established the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States in the colony of...
, founded the colony of JamestownJamestown-Saint Kitts and Nevis:*Jamestown, the name of a former town on the edge of Morton Bay on Nevis in the late 17th century-United Kingdom:*Jamestown, Rossshire, Scotland*Jamestown, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland*Jamestown, Fife, Scotland...
, was an MP for Plympton - Richard StrodeRichard Strode (c. 1480–1522)Richard Strode was a 16th-century Member of Parliament for Plympton, Devon who was also involved in the tin mining industry...
, MP for Plympton, established Parliamentary privilegeParliamentary privilegeParliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are... - William WarelwastWilliam WarelwastWilliam Warelwast, sometimes known as William de Warelwast was a medieval Norman cleric and Bishop of Exeter in England. Warelwast was a native of Normandy, but little is known about his background before 1087, when he appears as a royal clerk for King William II of England...
- buried here (in the priory) - Paul RogersPaul Rogers (actor)Paul Rogers is an English actor of film, stage and television.Rogers was born in Plympton, Devon, England, and later trained at the Michael Chekhov Theatre Studio at Dartington Hall and made his film debut in 1932...
, the actor, born in Plympton
External links
- www.Plympton.info Plympton internet site
- www.Sherford.com Sherford Community Forum
- Plympton Priory (in Plymouth Data)