Introduction to the Heritage Trail
The Bideford Heritage Trail helps you to understand about the development of this intriguing port and market town and tells you about some of the colourful and surprising stories that have made Bideford such a fascinating place.

In recent years the town has grown and through economic necessity moved away from its reliance on the port and agricultural industries but many of the features and architecture from its vibrant past have been maintained, keeping its identity intact.

Bideford’s Council Chambers have recently been restored to their former splendour, and images of every Mayor, dating back to the early 1800s hang on the walls. The Mayor’s office has an array of glass cabinets, displaying intriguing historical documents and artefacts that help you to catalogue Bideford’s past.

Although not generally open to the public, the Chambers and the Mayor’s office can be viewed if a tour is pre-booked in advance. These tours are usually only open to schools and groups.
 

Bideford quay was a very lively place in the 16th century. In fact, the port was the 3rd largest in the country. It was primarily used for fishing (especially cod), Irish wool and tobacco.

As the port has been so busy over the years, it has had to be extended three times (in 1663, 1692 and 1890), on the last occasion it was discovered that the old mooring posts, were actually Spanish Armada cannons, all of which were excavated and are now situated in Victoria Park.

In 1682, three women from Bideford were hanged for witchcraft. They were the last women in England to be executed for this crime.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all that unusual in the 17th century for elderly widows or single women who didn't 'fit in', to be accused of witchcraft. These allegations were usually then compounded if the women happened to be around when something dire happened, as they usually became the prime suspect.

The three Bideford women, Mary Trembles, Temperance Lloyd and Susannah Edwards, were convicted of witchcraft at the Exeter Assizes.

At the Assizes, Temperance was accused of making a wax image of Grace and pricking it with pins, Grace foolishly admitted that she had pricked a piece of leather nine times. To make things worse, a magpie had settled on Grace's window ledge, which was obviously the Devil in disguise, sent by a witch. The Devil is supposed to have appeared in various forms to these three women, and somehow they admitted it might have been so. All lived in Bideford and little is known about them beyond their arrests, trial in Exeter Castle and their execution by hanging at Heavitree, just outside of the city.
 

Up until the mid-eighteenth century this was the only burial ground in the town and it served all denominations and creeds.

The graveyard was extended in 1803 but the extra space was soon used up and in 1849 the graveyard was closed, and a new graveyard was then opened in Old Town.

Another point of interest was that Raleigh, the first Native American to come to Britain was brought to Bideford by Sir Richard Grenville, and was for a short time part of his family. He was encouraged to adopt the Devonshire way of life and he gained the distinction of being the first Native American to be baptised a Christian.

Sadly less than a year later he died of a cold and was buried in St Mary’s Graveyard. Unfortunately in the mid-1800s, during a clean up of the graveyard, the location of the last resting place of the first Native American to be baptised a Christian was lost forever.
 

The St Mary's Church tower dates back to 1259 when this was the only church and graveyard in the town. The rest of the church looks old, but in fact it is quite modern having been rebuilt and enlarged between 1862 and 1865 during a period of prosperity in Bideford. In fact it was noted that there was no shortage of wealthy church-going families willing to contribute to the then mammoth rebuilding, at the time the total cost for this rebuilding work was £5250.

Sir Richard Grenville, who was a cousin of Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake, was a key driving force for change and growth within Bideford. In particular he obtained a charter for the town in 1574 that played a major role in the transformation of Bideford, from a small fishing port into a significant trading centre; that had connections with the entire western world.

He was also renowned as a great adventurer and almost certainly established the first English colony in North America on Roanoke Island, off the coast of modern North Carolina in 1587.

However, in 1590 when an English ship returned to Roanoke they found the colony deserted and no clue as to what had happened to the settlers. This was the beginning of the still unanswered question regarding what happened to the "First Colony", research is currently underway to try and establish DNA links that would prove that the first English colonists sailed, not from Plymouth, but from Bideford.
 

Bridge Street is Bideford's steepest thoroughfare, rising up from the Long Bridge towards the Pannier Market above, it is also one of the few streets in Bideford to have gained notoriety in Charles Dickens novel ‘Message from the Sea’.

Although one side of the street has lost almost all of its original buildings, the other side still retains much of it historic architecture, including Bridge Buildings and the Tavern on the Port, this is an historic pub that now houses Lacey’s real alehouse; which owns its own micro-brewery that locally produces many of the bitters and ales on sale.

Rumour has it that in the 17 th century, after a night carousing for too long in the market taverns, one unfortunate reveller stumbled at the top, fell and rolled down the entire length of the street, only to be found dead at the bottom in the morning.
 

When buildings and private gardens lined the riverbank from the Long Bridge to the Old Quay, Allhalland Street was the main thoroughfare to the old market place. In effect it was also the main entrance into the town.

Allhalland Street has always been a narrow street and the original width can be seen part way down where two houses jut out in to the road, these are two reminders of an early attempt to widen the street that didn't quite come off!

Running off from Allhalland Street is the cul-de-sac of Chapel Lane, named after the Huguenot Chapel that used to be at the far end of the lane. It is reputed that the famous diarist Samuel Pepys worshipped there during the courtship of his wife.

Tourist Tip: - No 15 has a metal plaque attached to its wall on the first floor, this plaque was a "fire mark" which indicated that the owner had insured the house with a particular insurance company, the plaque also showed the company's private fire brigade whether they should save the house or let it burn!
 

Bideford has produced earthenware goods since medieval times and at its peak the industry, around Willet Street, producing clay ware such as pots, bread ovens, pitchers, plant pots and clay pipes for both export and the home market.

These Potteries were very important to the town, particularly in the 17th century when they were in great demand for provisioning ships, in the new American colonies and also across many parts of Europe.

As an example of the importance of this business to the local economy, in 1683 approximately 140,000 parcels of Bideford earthenware were exported to Ireland to be used for marketing butter.