Armchair Adventurers Explore Honiton Geogra phy y Hembury Hill Fort Geolog Arc [Peter Arkwright hae 2014] olo y gy tor His Honiton is situated on rising ground in a Nothing further is known of Honiton until late picturesque fertile vale in East Devon. The Saxon times when the first written reference to underlying geology is Triassic and Permian Huna’s tun or Honetone, a Saxon farm, is rock with surface river deposits of greensand recorded in the Doomsday survey. Various formation made up of fine grain clay, silt and myths surround the Honiton name. It may have gravel. derived from the legend of swarms of bees making honey in the nearby woods [Hunitone, The River Gissage appears to rise in the Huniton, Hunnington] or from whetstone pits hills of Farway Common and flows into the which produced hones for sharpening River Otter east of Tracey Road. It is used as implements [Honetone, Honetown]. ‘Honi’ in part of the flood defence system for East old French signifies shame or disgrace and an Devon. In the past a leat was built from it to old story tells that nearly all women of Honiton service Town Mill, passing the brewery and were barren and to remedy this these women foundry where it rejoined the main river. In were to spend a day and a night in St 1995 it was known to support various fish Margaret's chapel, when by means of a vision species such as bullhead, stone roach, trout they would become pregnant. It is suggested as well as eels. The Glen Stream flows into that this is pictorially displayed on the old the river. Honiton borough seal of 1846 showing a pregnant woman possibly praying to St Margaret, the hand of God bestowing a blessing above the figures; the plant depicted could be a sprig of honeysuckle. River Gissage [Lewis clarke] The earliest evidence of human occupation dates to the Palaeolithic period 25,000 years There are no known villas, temples or ago. Flint from the banks of the river Gissage bathhouses or major forts from the Roman was used to make stone tools, some of which period but excavations at Hembury have can be found in the town museum. Also in the shown it was used as a Roman signal station museum are bones of elk, hippopotamus and and the long, straight High Street was originally elephant, dating to 125 to 140 thousand part of the Roman Road from Dorchester to years ago, found when digging the by-pass in Exeter known as the Fosse Way. Traces of a the 1960s. possible Roman fort were found when building the new A30, as was an enclosed Bronze Age About 60 Bronze Age burial mounds have settlement containing two roundhouses [with been identified to the south of the town at evidence of spinning and weaving] when Farway and there are Iron Age hill forts, constructing the dual carriageway in the 1990s. notably at Hembury Fort to the north and Post holes thought to be part of the main Blackberry Camp to the south. gateway to the enclosure were excavated during the building of the garden centre off Armchair Adventurers Honiton U3A 2019 [ 3 ] 1 of 13 Hayne Lane in 2019. Norman Conquest Accession of Mary I, his Earldom restored. He died in Italy of poisoning, unmarried and The original settlement, now Honiton, is childless. The last Courtney to hold the manor believed to be the hamlet of Littletown. Pre was William ‘Kitty’ Courtney, only son of the 14 1066 the area belonged to the Anglo Saxon children of William Courtney. Due to living Drogo. William the Conquerer gave the land beyond his means he sold the manor in 1809 to his half brother Robert. The Doomsday and fled to Paris due to persecution for his book of 1086 records the manorial land as homosexuality. The manor was held in having “...gelding for five hides, land for18 receivership until bought by Joseph Locke MP ploughs, 24 villeins, ten surfs and boarders, a in 1847. mill, 2 saltworkers...”; mills were rare in Devon at this time. [A hide = burgage plot to support a family; villein = tenant farmer; serf = peasant providing manual labour.] Edward Courtney William ‘Kitty’ Courtney [Wikipedia] [Wikipedia] Much of the land was sold off to private purchasers after 1869. The title of Earl of Devon was revived in 1831. William’s descendants still hold it today; the family seat is Littletown Mill [Mills Archive] at Powderham Castle. Robert’s son was dispossessed of the land by Folklore Henry I who bestowed it to Richard de Redvers and made him the first Earl of The folklore of the Devon area is a mix of Devon. Several generations of the family held Celtic, Saxon and Danish. Customs such as the manor and during this period [approx. wassailing the apple trees continue to this day 1207] the town was laid out with burgage around Honiton to encourage new growth and a plots. Isabella de Fortibus was the last of the bountiful harvest. It usually takes place on de Redvers to inherit the Earldom from her Twelfth Night starting at dusk with preparation brother who died of poisoning in 1262, leaving of a drink which is carried to the orchard. A no heirs. She became the richest heiress in rhyme is said, followed by gun shot into the England with lands in the north and the trees to frighten away the witches at midnight. Lordship of the Isle of Wight. She made Carisbrooke Castle her home. A tale of a moving stone named Old Nick, located under a bench seat in Church Hill, is Tradition has it that Isabella decided the said to be all that remains after the Devil and boundary between Honiton, Gittisham, locals threw stones at each other. The legend Farway and Sidbury by taking off her ring, says that the rock was first placed at St throwing it in the air declaring that where it fell Michael’s church but it moved, inch by inch to would be the boundary point; hence the spot settle in its present location 50 yards away. known as ‘Ring in the Mire’ near the Hare and Hounds. Isabella outlived her husband and six children and the manorial land sold to Edward I. The Earldom was bestowed to Hugh Courtney, Isabella’s nearest male relative. The Courtneys held the manor for several Old Nick rock [Terry Ife] centuries. Henry Courtney [cousin of Henry VIII] was beheaded by sword at the Tower of A phantom soldier is said to haunt Marlpits London in1538 accused of conspiring to lead Lane, believed to be one of Monmouth’s men a Roman Catholic conspiracy. Edward, his who fought at the battle of Sedgemoor. A party only surviving son, was held prisoner in the of schoolchildren watched a dazed man Tower for 15 years being released at the stagger past them but when a car appeared the Armchair Adventurers Honiton U3A 2019 [ 3 ] 2 of 13 man disappeared. The two school mistresses present did not see the figure but were so convinced For several hundred years the ceremony by the children's terror they did some research which continued and is know by its popular confirmed a Honiton resident living in Marlpitt Lane name of ‘Hot Pennies’. Affluent people had fought in the battle of Sedgemoor but deserted to threw out the pennies from balconies to make his way home. He was brutally killed for the crowds below and took great delight in desertion a few yards from his home in front of his wife seeing the peasants burn their fingers and children. His ghost has been seen at other times whilst collecting them. The ceremony in the 20th century, but only by children. continues to this day on the first Tuesday after 19th July...but the pennies are just Terry Bridlington an RAC patrol man stopped for his warm! packed lunch at Blackberry Camp, an Iron Age hill fort. He had a walk around and heard a whooshing sound A garlanded pole topped by a gloved hand behind him followed by a solid thump and saw a thick is hoisted by the Town Cryer, in the branch of wood rolling toward him. Minutes later company of town dignitaries including the another large branch landed near him. He could not Mayor, proclaiming that “No man may be see who had thrown the logs so made a hasty walk to arrested so long as the glove is up.” This his van as three more logs landed within inches of him. After driving away he stopped to inspect his van and noticed 2 large dents in the roof. In the Iron Age large wooded objects were used as weapons so had Terry inadvertently witnessed a battle from a bygone era? The Hare and Hounds, previously known as Hunters Lodge was, in the 17th century, a popular haunt for poachers and smugglers due to its isolated position. Hot Pennies Ceremony [Honiton Town Council Legend says that several murders were committed there and the bodies buried nearby, maintaining the was done to ensure that everyone would tradition of burying the dead at a crossroads to come to Honiton for the fair which ‘confuse the dead’. There have been sightings of followed the ceremony without fear of these criminals aimlessly wandering Gittisham being arrested. We are uncertain whether common. this has been tested in recent times. At the front of the public house is a large stone known Charter Day has been celebrated each as the ‘witches stone’ by some and the ‘slaughter year since it’s revival in 2007 to mark the stone’ by others.