oldexeterinnSome of the most important men in the history of England have links to this inn. Why?
The answer is the sea! Or more accurately, the seaports of north Devon and south Devon. Bideford and Dartmouth.
Since the 1100s, Dartmouth has been known for its sheltered, deep-water harbour, and it became the departure point during the Second and Third Crusades. It soon developed into an important military and commercial port, flourishing from the exports of cloth to Europe (Ashburton was central to the textile trade in Devonshire) and the import of wines from France and Spain. In the north of the county, Bideford received a Royal Charter of Incorporation from Queen Elizabeth I in 1573. It too was flourishing from trade in tobacco from the newly found colonies of Virginia and Carolina.
A safe and easy route straight past the Old Exeter Inn
A relatively fast and safe way of moving sailors and goods between the two ports evolved into the Mariner’s Way, a series of tracks running some seventy miles. This was crisscrossed with the High Road running east to west. Both roads went straight through the middle of Ashburton. This route also saved sailing around the treacherous Cape Cornwall. So, the town became a busy Tudor-era intersection with the Old Exeter Inn, a service station at the heart of it! Refreshing officers and gentlemen, sailors and commercial travellers (and the odd pirate or two). Food, drink, rooms and stabling were all provided for the weary and their horses.
Sir Francis Drake & Sir Walter Raleigh. Devonian cousins. Warriors of the Tudor Court and clients of the Old Exeter Inn
Sir Francis Drake, who was a privateer in the employ of Queen Elizabeth I, was a regular drinker at the inn. He was a cousin of an explorer, spy, politician, writer and poet called Walter Raleigh. Both were Devonian men through and through, and they enjoyed regular drinking sessions together beside the huge fireplace in the front room. In those days, there was no bar. Food, ale and wine would be brought out from the back by a serving wench (meaning ‘young woman’ and usually a member of the family).
Walter Raleigh was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1585 after he rose rapidly in her grace and favour as a landlord of property confiscated from the Irish. In 1586, the young explorer returned to England from Roanoke Island (off modern-day North Carolina) and brought with him tobacco and potatoes, never before seen in this country. In 1594, Sir Walter heard of a ‘City of Gold’ in South America and set sail to find it, publishing an exaggerated account of his experiences in a book that contributed to the legend of ‘El Dorado’ (modern-day Venezuela). He was doing well and became a Favourite of the Queen. A close Favourite.
However, when the Queen discovered that he had married Elizabeth (Bess) Throckmorton, one of her ladies-in-waiting, without her permission, she sent him, for the first time, to the Tower of London. She only released him when one of his ships returned with a huge treasure from the New World.
Sir Walter Raleigh was arrested inside the Old Exeter Inn on July 19 1603 for Treason. You can read more about him by clicking here.
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