Kingsbridge

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Kingsbridge

This page deals with the town of Kingsbridge in Devon. For other references, see Kingsbridge (disambiguation)
Kingsbridge (disambiguation)

Kingsbridge may refer to* Kingsbridge, Devon* Kingsbridge, Somerset* Kingsbridge, Swansea* Kingsbridge Hundred, an Hundred in Wiltshire, England...

Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams

South Hams

South Hams is a Non-metropolitan district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, England, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe ? the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 12,056....
district of Devon

Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
, England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary

Kingsbridge Estuary

The Kingsbridge Estuary is located in the South Hams area of Devon, England, running from Kingsbridge in the north to its mouth at the English Channel near Salcombe....
, which is a textbook example of a ria

Ria

A ria is a landform, often referred to as a drowned river valley. Rias are almost always estuaries. Rias form where sea levels rise relative to the land either as a result of eustatic sea level change , or isostatic sea level change ....
and extends to the sea 6 miles south of the town.

town formed around a bridge which was built in or before the 10th century between the royal estates of Alvington

West Alvington

West Alvington is a small village, located on the outskirts of Kingsbridge in South Devon....
, to the west, and Chillington

Chillington, Devon

Chillington is a village in the Stokenham civil parish of South Hams in Devon, England.See also* South HamsExternal links...
, to the east, hence giving it the name of Kyngysbrygge ("King's bridge").

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Encyclopedia

Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams

South Hams

Devon

England

Kingsbridge Estuary

Ria

History

The town formed around a bridge which was built in or before the 10th century between the royal estates of Alvington

West Alvington

West Alvington is a small village, located on the outskirts of Kingsbridge in South Devon....
, to the west, and Chillington

Chillington, Devon

Buckfast Abbey

Buckfast Abbey forms part of an active Benedictine monastery at Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. Dedicated to Saint Mary, it was founded in 1018 and run by the Cistercian order from 1147 until it was destroyed under the Dissolution of the Monasteries....
was granted the right to hold a market there, and by 1238 the settlement had become a borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
. The manor remained in possession of the abbot until the Dissolution of the Monasteries

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, denotes the administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII of England disbanded all monastery, nunnery and friary in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their income, disposed of their assets and provided f...
, when it was granted to Sir William Petre. Kingsbridge was never represented in Parliament or incorporated by charter, the local government being by a portreeve

Portreeve

A portreeve, or 'port warden' is a historical British political appointment with a fluctuating role which evolved over time.The origins of the position are in the reign of Edward the Elder, who, in order to ensure that taxes were correctly exacted, forbade the conducting of trades outside of a 'port' or duly appointed place for trading, and...
. It lay within the hundred of Stanborough.

Kingsbridge is in fact a combination of two towns, Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke. Dodbrooke was granted its own market in 1257 and had become a borough by 1319. While Dodbrooke was originally considered to be the dominant of the two, Kingsbridge later expanded to include it. The town consists of two ecclesiastical parish

Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
es: St. Edmund's in the west and St. Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to his death. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion....
at Dodbrooke in the east. St. Edmund's Church, in mainly Perpendicular style, retains some 13th century features including a font

Font

In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface. For example, the set of all characters for 9-point Bulmer italic type is a font, and the 10-point size would be a separate font, as would the 9 point upright....
, but was enlarged and reconsecrated around 1414 and was mostly rebuilt in the 19th century. The parish church of St. Thomas Becket displays a particularly well-preserved rood screen

Rood screen

The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval parish church architecture. It is typically an ornate screen, constructed of wood, stone or wrought iron....
, restored in 1897.

The Prince Regent (the future King George IV) considered building his pavilion above nearby South Sands beach before finally settling on Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is a city on the south coast of England and, with its neighbours Hove and Portslade, forms the Brighton and Hove.The ancient settlement of Brighthelmston dates from before the Domesday Book , but it emerged as a health resort during the 18th Century and became a destination for day-trippers after the arrival of the railway in...
.

In 1798 the town mills were converted into a woollen manufactory, which produced large quantities of cloth, and serge

Serge

Serge is a type of twill textile that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down weave. The worsted variety is used in making military uniforms, suit s, great and trench coats....
manufacture was introduced early in the 19th century. During the 19th century the town had an active coastal shipping trade, shipbuilding, a tannery, other industries and a large monthly cattle market. The chief exports were cider, corn, malt, and slate.

The town centre retains many 18th and 19th century buildings. The Shambles, or market arcade, was rebuilt in 1796 but retains its 16th century granite piers. The former grammar school, now a museum, was founded and built by Thomas Crispin in 1670.

The town today

Kingsbridge has been the main market town in the area for centuries. Being situated within the South Devon

South Devon

The South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 337 square Kilometres, including much of the South Hams area of Devon and the rugged coastline from Jennycliff to Elberry Cove near Brixham....
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and its proximity to the spectacular south Devon coast and sailing venues, such as Salcombe

Salcombe

There is another town named Salcombe, also known as Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth in east Devon.Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England....
, Kingsbridge has developed into a popular tourist destination. Its attractions include several restaurants, pubs, a cinema housed in the town hall building, and a museum devoted to the chemist William Cookworthy

William Cookworthy

William Cookworthy was an English Quaker Recorded Minister, a successful Pharmacist and an innovator in several fields of technology....
, born in Kingsbridge in 1705.

The town is linked to Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a City status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers River Plym to the east and River Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound....
and Dartmouth

Dartmouth, Devon

Dartmouth is a town in Devon in the south-west of England. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes....
by the A379 road

A379 road

The A379 is a road in the England county of Devon. It links points on the edges of that county's two principal cities, Exeter and Plymouth, by an indirect and largely coastal route....
, and to Salcombe

Salcombe

There is another town named Salcombe, also known as Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth in east Devon.Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England....
and Totnes

Totnes

Totnes is a market town at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
by the A381. For seventy years Kingsbridge boasted a railway station until the branch line, via South Brent

South Brent

South Brent is a large village on the southern edge of Dartmoor, in the valley of the River Avon, Devon, population 2998 , five miles north-east of Ivybridge, and next to the A38 road which connects Exeter and Plymouth ....
, was closed in 1963 as part of the reshaping of British railways, commonly known as The Beeching Axe

Beeching Axe

The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the HM Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom....
. An industrial park now occupies the site of the former station yard. But evidence of the railway's existence can still be seen in the form of disused bridges dotted around the town.

Famous residents

William Cookworthy
William Cookworthy

William Cookworthy was an English Quaker Recorded Minister, a successful Pharmacist and an innovator in several fields of technology....
(1705-1780), the discoverer of English china clay and producer of the first English porcelain
Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and ....
, was born in the town.
John Wolcot
John Wolcot

File:Wolcot John.jpgJohn Wolcot , satirist, born in Dodbrooke, near Kingsbridge in Devon, was educated by an uncle, and studied medicine. In 1767 he went as physician to Sir William Trelawny, Governor of Jamaica, and whom he induced to present him to a Church in the island then vacant, and was ordained in 1769....
(1738-1819), poet and satirist who wrote under the name of "Peter Pindar", was born here.
Naturalist George Montagu
George Montagu

George Montagu was an England natural history.Montagu is best known for his Ornithological Dictionary and he contributed significantly to early knowledge of British birds....
(1753-1815), after whom the bird Montagu's Harrier
Montagu's Harrier

The Montagu's Harrier is a bird migration bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British natural history George Montagu ....
was named, lived before his death at Knowle House, Kingsbridge, having been born in Wiltshire.
John Scoble
John Scoble

John Scoble was a British abolitionist and political figure in Canada West.He was born in Kingsbridge, England in 1799 and was educated in Devon and London....
(1799– d. after 1867), anti-slavery campaigner in Britain and Canada, was born in Kingsbridge.
Composer William Henry Squire
William Henry Squire

William Henry Squire was a composer and cello. Pieces he wrote include Danse Rustique, Bouree, Tarantella, and Humoresque.Born in Ross-on-Wye, Squire was as well known as a cellist as he was a composer....
(1871-1963) was educated in Kingsbridge.
Architect Vincent Harris
Vincent Harris

Emanuel Vincent Harris OBE was an England architect who was most notably responsible for the design of several important public buildings....
(1876-1971) was also educated in the town.
Maurice Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester
Maurice Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester

Group Captain Maurice Vivian de Touffreville Fox-Strangways, 9th Earl of Ilchester served in the Royal Air Force for 40 years, from 1936 to 1976....
(1920-2006), RAF officer and nuclear weapons engineer, was educated here.
Physicist Sir William Mitchell
William Mitchell (physicist)

Sir Edgar William John Mitchell, FRS was a professor of physics at University of Oxford, and helped pioneer the field of neutron scattering.Born in Kingsbridge, England, Mitchell was also a member of the SEPP Board of Science Advisors....
(1925–2002) was born here.