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History

Tiverton is located near the crossing of Rivers Exe and Lowman. This brought rise to the name Two-ford AKA Twi-Ford and Twyforde.

Tiverton history has reported to date back to AD50 after remains of a roman fort was discovered at Knightshayes.

More history details to be provided, once copyright permission is obtained.

Churches

Tiverton Methodist Circuit

In 1766 John Wesley came to Bampton during one of his frequent visits to the West Country. His diary for 21st September reads "I preached morning and evening in the Market House (Tiverton) and at one in an open space in Bampton." Nothing is recorded until 1816 when the Bishop of Exeter issued a license to hold worship in the town ".........for people called Methodists".

The cause seems to have prospered as ten years later in 1826 the Bishop licensed "........a building known by the name of the Weselyan methodist Chapel, situate in Duckpaddle Street (now Brook Street).......intended to be used as a place of religious worship". However this church did not continue as no records exist. The Bible Christian movement within Methodism began preaching in the town in 1861.

A society was formed on Christmas Day and by Good Friday they had purchased land here in Mary Lane and laid the foundation stone for a chapel and adjoining cottage. By August 1862 the chapel was opened and there were Sunday services in the morning, afternoon and evening. A Sunday School was started , which in 1885 - 7 was the largest in the local Methodist Circuit with 110 scholars. This group met in the church until a Sunday School building was added alongside the church.

This addition was opened in 1896. The next year an organ was purchased which served until a new one was installed in 1930 The church has been renovated on several occasions over the years. The last was in 1962 when the building's centenary was celebrated. At this time the choir seats were removed and the organ relocated to provide a larger front area.

Ref: http://www.eastupham.freeserve.co.uk/tiverton/index.htm

Timeline

To be amended

Castles

Tiverton Castle

Few buildings evoke such an immediate feeling of history as Tiverton Castle. Richard de Redvers originally built it in 1106 on orders of Henry I. It was held by seven successive Earls of Devon of the de Redvers family, and when the last of the line, Isabella de Fortibus, died in 1293 Hugh de Courtenay, a cousin, inherited it.

The Castle was rebuilt in stone. Curtain walls enclosed an inner rectangular court of about an acre, and towers added to the corners.

The Castle continued to be held by the Courtenays for some 260 years, but with more than one temporary alienation to the Crown due to the unsettled state of public affairs at the time. Their high point was when William, who became Earl of Devon, married Princess Katherine Plantagenet in 1495. She styled herself "daughter, sister and aunt of Kings". She was one of the youngest daughters of Edward IV, sister of the two princes who died in the Tower of London, and of Queen Elizabeth, wife of Henry VII, and aunt of Henry VIII. When she died in 1527 she had an impressive funeral at St. Peter's Church next door.

Unfortunately this great Royal connection eventually led to the downfall of the senior line of the Courtenays, and it died out in 1556, with the ownership of the Castle being subdivided by various descendants of William.

The Castle then changed hands. The Giffards bought it at the end of the 16th Century. During the Civil War it was held for the King, and besieged in October 1645 by Fairfax, and fell to him due to a lucky shot hitting the drawbridge chain. It was then sold to Peter West, a rich Tiverton wool merchant, whose daughter married Sir Thomas Carew. The Carews sold it in 1923, and after various changes of ownership it was bought in 1960 by Ivar Campbell who died in 1985, and it was inherited by his nephew Angus Gordon.

The changing dictates of fashion and comfort, together with wear and tear - particularly from the Civil War - have necessitated further change down the ages, and nowadays the building exhibits aspects of architecture from medieval to modern. The buildings furnishings and exhibits reflect the colourful history and development. With continuing conservation in the Castle and walled gardens there is always something new and interesting to see.

Visitors to the Castle can absorb the fascinating background history of the families who lived here, and see the developments of the buildings. It is great fun for children. Learn about the ghosts at the Castle and secret passages, see the medieval lavatory, climb the tower steps to the roof and see the spread of the town and surrounding hillside, try on some Civil War armour, and stroll round the beautiful gardens.

Please visit our Town page for contact details

Bickleigh Castle

Bickleigh Castle was a Royalist stronghold spanning 900 years of history. It is still lived in today. 11th Century Chapel Armoury Guardroom Great Hall Tudor Bedroom Picturesque moated garden

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