![The Heavitree public house - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/The_Heavitree_public_house_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1639087.jpg)
Heavitree is a historic village and parish situated formerly outside the walls of the
City of Exeter in Devon, England, and is today an eastern district of that city. It was formerly the first significant village outside the city on the road to London. It was the birthplace of
Thomas Bodley
Sir Thomas Bodley (2 March 1545 – 28 January 1613) was an English diplomat and scholar who founded the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Origins
Thomas Bodley was born on 2 March 1545, in the second-to-last year of the reign of King Henry VIII, ...
, and
Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker (25 March 1554 – 2 November 1600) was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor) Oxford University ...
, and from the 16th century to 1818 was a site for executions within what is now the car park of the
St Luke's Campus of the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
.
History
The name appears in
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
as ''Hevetrowa'' or ''Hevetrove'', and in a document of c.1130 as ''Hefatriwe''. Its derivation is uncertain, but because of the known execution site at
Livery Dole
Livery Dole in Exeter, Devon, is an ancient triangular site between what is today Heavitree Road and Magdalen Road, in the eastern suburbs of Exeter. It was most notoriously used as a place for executions, and has contained an almshouse and ch ...
, it is thought most likely to derive from ''heafod–treow'' (
old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
for "head tree"), which refers to a tree on which the heads of criminals were placed, though an alternative explanation put forward by
W. G. Hoskins is that it was a meeting place for the
hundred court
A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, C ...
.
The last executions for witchcraft in England took place at Heavitree in 1682, when the "
Bideford Witches" Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles, and Susanna Edwards were executed. (Local folklore used to associate the name with the aftermath of the
Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, when
Judge Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving a ...
supposedly ran out of gibbets.) The last execution to take place here was in 1818, when Samuel Holmyard was hanged at the Magdalen Drop for passing a forged one pound note.
In the hundred years from 1801 to 1901, the population of Heavitree grew from 833 to 7,529, reflecting its assimilation into the expanding city of Exeter. It first became an independent Urban District, but became a part of the city in 1913. Part of the historic district is still one of the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
s for elections to the
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
.
![St Michael and All Angels church, Heavitree (4) - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/St_Michael_and_All_Angels_church%2C_Heavitree_%284%29_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1065240.jpg)
The expanding population necessitated the rebuilding of the small medieval church and the church of
St Michael and All Angels was built in 1844–46 to the design of architect David Mackintosh. Its most imposing feature is the west tower, built in 1890 to the design of E. Harbottle. In 2002, a yew tree in the churchyard was included among the "
50 Great British Trees" to celebrate the
Golden Jubilee of
Queen Elizabeth II. However, it is unlikely that this is the actual tree from which Heavitree gets its name.
The Heavitree Brewery was a local brewer, located in Heavitree; its history can be traced back to 1790. It was the last brewery in Exeter to cease production, continuing until 1970, the brewery buildings were demolished in 1980. The name continues in use as the owner of a chain of
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s in
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
, and Heavitree Brewery PLC continues as a quoted company with its address in Exeter. There is also a linked
charitable trust.
Recreation
![Heavitree Pleasure Ground - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Heavitree_Pleasure_Ground_-_geograph.org.uk_-_268019.jpg)
By 1905 there was pressure to provide facilities for the youth of the district who were causing problems in Fore Street in the evenings, so at the end of that year the urban district council purchased four fields from a builder for £3,100 and opened a children's playground on 1 May 1906. The rest of the grounds were landscaped by the
Veitch family, and a bowling green and tennis courts followed in 1907. Heavitree Pleasure Ground is still open today and contains a number of leisure facilities.
The district's
football team, Heavitree Social United (a merger of the previous Heavitree United and Heavitree Social Club), is one of the better known local teams in Exeter, playing in the
Devon and Exeter Football League
The Devon and Exeter Football League is a football competition based in England. It was established around 1900. The top division of this league, the Premier, sits at level 12 of the English football league system and is a feeder to the Devon Footb ...
Premier division; the club has previously played in the (more senior)
Devon County League
The Devon County Football League was a football competition based in England. It consisted of 20 clubs and sat at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System.
History
The league was formed in 1992 in order to form an intermediate level be ...
.
Geography
Heavitree lies on one of the most convenient routes from the city centre to the northbound
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
and eastbound
A30 trunk road ensuring that much traffic continues to pass through the district. Its main thoroughfare is Fore Street, a shopping street which rises sharply to the former execution site of
Livery Dole
Livery Dole in Exeter, Devon, is an ancient triangular site between what is today Heavitree Road and Magdalen Road, in the eastern suburbs of Exeter. It was most notoriously used as a place for executions, and has contained an almshouse and ch ...
, now marked by almshouses and a small medieval chapel built of red
Heavitree stone. From here, Heavitree Road runs downhill to Exeter city centre, passing the former main city Police Station on the right and St Luke's Hall, part of the
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
, left. Heavitree is also the location of the
Royal Devon and Exeter Heavitree Hospital.
Heavitree stone is a type of red sandstone that was formerly quarried in the area and was used to construct many of Exeter's older buildings, including
Exeter Guildhall
Exeter Guildhall on the High Street of Exeter, Devon, England has been the centre of civic government for the city for at least 600 years. Much of the fabric of the building is medieval, though the elaborate frontage was added in the 1590s ...
.
The
Heavitree Gap
The Heavitree Gap, or ''Ntaripe'' in the Arrernte language, is a water gap in the Northern Territory of Australia in the MacDonnell Ranges. It is the southern entrance to the city of Alice Springs and in addition to the Todd River it carries the ...
, a pass through the
MacDonnell Ranges in Australia, was named after Heavitree by the surveyor
William Mills, who had attended Heavitree School in England. The Heavitree Gap adjoins the city of
Alice Springs in Australia's
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
.
Politics
The area falls within the 'Heavitree and Whipton Barton' division for elections to
Devon County Council, with the area named for the
Whipton Barton house demolished in the 1950s.
For Exeter City Council, there is a specific Heavitree Ward.
Notable people
*Sir
Thomas Bodley
Sir Thomas Bodley (2 March 1545 – 28 January 1613) was an English diplomat and scholar who founded the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Origins
Thomas Bodley was born on 2 March 1545, in the second-to-last year of the reign of King Henry VIII, ...
, the founder of the
Bodleian Library, was born in Heavitree.
*
Samuel James Bouverie Haydon (1815-1891) sculptor
[Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.193]
*
Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker (25 March 1554 – 2 November 1600) was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor) Oxford University ...
(1554–1600) whose writings were very influential in the Church of England in his own time and later, was born in Heavitree. There is a statue to Hooker in the grounds of
Exeter Cathedral.
*
James Ford (1836–1877), cricketer
*
Ned Sanders (1852–1904), cricketer
*
Primrose Pitman
Primrose Vera Pitman (1902 – 13 September 1998) was a British artist known for her detailed paintings, etchings and drawings of her native Exeter and Devon.
Biography
Pitman was born in Exeter and studied art at the local Royal Albert Memoria ...
(1902-1998) artist
References
*
{{coord, 50.72139, N, 3.50543, W, region:GB, display=title
Areas of Exeter
Defunct breweries of the United Kingdom
Former civil parishes in Devon