Barnstaple

Sister cities

• Uelzen
• Susa
• Harstad
• Barnstable
• Trouville-sur-Mer

History

The earliest local settlement was probably at Pilton by the River Yeo, now a northern suburb. Pilton is recorded in the Burghal Hidage (c. 917) as a burh founded by Alfred the Great, but by the later 10th-century Barnstaple had taken over its local defence. It had a mint before the Norman Conquest. After Juhel's son died intestate, the barony was split between the de Braose and Tracy families, before reuniting under Henry de Tracy. It then passed through several families, before ending in the hands of Margaret Beaufort (died 1509), mother of King Henry VII. A market is first recorded in 1274. The town's wealth in the Middle Ages rested on being a Port of the Staple licensed to export wool. It had an early merchant guild of St Nicholas. In the early 14th century it was Devon's third richest town after Exeter and Plymouth, and its largest textile centre outside Exeter until about 1600. (established 1577), whose armorials appear on two mural monuments to 17th-century merchants: Richard Beaple (died 1643), three times Mayor, and Richard Ferris (Mayor in 1632), who with Alexander Horwood received a payment from the Corporation of Barnstaple in 1630 for "riding to Exeter about the Spanish Company." in St Peter's Church, and on the decorated plaster ceiling of the old Golden Lion Inn, manufacturing lace, gloves, sail-cloth and fishing-nets, with extensive potteries, tanneries, sawmills and foundries, and some shipbuilding still carried on. The Bear Street drill hall dates from the early 19th century. Between the 1930s and the 1950s the urban area grew to incorporate the villages of Pilton, Newport, and Roundswell through ribbon development.

Geography

Barnstaple is the largest town in North Devon. It lies west-south-west of Bristol, north of Plymouth and north-west of the county town and city of Exeter. It was founded at the lowest crossing point of the River Taw, where its estuary starts to widen, about 7 miles (11 km) inland from Barnstaple Bay in the Bristol Channel. On the north side, the Taw is joined by the River Yeo, which rises on Berry Down near Combe Martin. Most of the town lies on the east bank of the estuary, connected to the west by the ancient Barnstaple Long Bridge, with 16 arches. The area of medieval shipbuilding and repair is still called The Strand, an early word for shore. Barnstaple has cool wet winters and mild wet summers. Mean high temperatures range from 9 C (48 F) in January to 21 C (70 F) in July. The record high is 34 C (94 F) and the record low −9 C (16 F). October is the wettest month with 103 mm (4.1 in) of rain. The mean annual rainfall is 862 mm (33.9 in), with rain on 138 days.

Most-observed species

• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,532
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  1,495
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,381
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,332
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,259
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,016
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,006
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,001

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2019-12-05
  1 km ESE of Taunton, United Kingdom
• M 4.3 — 2018-02-17
  5 km NE of Clydach, United Kingdom
• M 4.1 — 2014-02-20
  17 km NNW of Ilfracombe, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2011-06-23
  4 km WSW of Bovey Tracey, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2006-12-19
  1 km NNE of Polperro, United Kingdom
• M 2.5 — 2006-08-14
  1 km E of North Petherton, United Kingdom