Cullompton () is a town and civil parish in the district of Mid Devon and the county of Devon, England. It is north-east of Exeter and lies on the River Culm. In 2021, the parish as a whole had a population of 10,017, while the built-up area of the town had a population of 10,492.
The earliest evidence of occupation is from the Roman period: there was a fort on the hill above the town and occupation in the current town centre. Columtune was mentioned in Alfred the Great's will, which left it to his youngest son Æthelweard (c. 880–922).
In the past, the town's economy had a large component of wool and cloth manufacture, then, later, leather working and paper manufacture.
A large proportion of the town's inhabitants are commuters, but there is some local manufacturing, including flour and paper mills. It has a monthly farmers' market held on the second Saturday of every month, which is the oldest event of its kind in the South West. It is home to two grade I listed buildings: the fifteenth-century St Andrew's parish church and the seventeenth-century house known as The Walronds. The centre of the town is a conservation area; there are seven grade II*-listed buildings and ninety grade II-listed buildings in the parish.
History
Toponymy and orthography
The derivation of the name Cullompton is disputed. One derivation is that the town's name means "Farmstead on the River Culm" with Culm probably meaning knot or tie (referring to the river's twists and loops). The other theory is that it is named after Saint Columba of Tir-de-Glas, who preached to West Saxons in 549 AD. The Revd Grubb also states that the parish church was probably formerly dedicated to St Columba (although for the last 500 years it has been dedicated to St Andrew) and that tradition records there was an ancient figure or image of Columba. There are 40 recorded spellings of Cullompton between the first recorded use of the name and the present day, and even as late as the mid-nineteenth century three spellings were in use: the post office spelled it Cullompton; in their 1809 first edition the Ordnance Survey map used Cullumpton and the railway station sign said Collumpton. The railway station sign was changed to Cullompton in 1874 and the Ordnance Survey used Cullompton in the edition of their map published in 1889.. This book contains details of the nineteenth-century controversy over the correct name through a series of letters published in the local papers and other documents. It is affectionately known as Cully.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 9
Roman period
On St Andrew's Hill, to the north-west of Cullompton town centre, two Roman forts were discovered in 1984 by aerial photography carried out for Devon County Council. The earlier, smaller fort (the boundary ditches of which showed up in cropmarks) was later replaced by a second, larger fort. The ramparts of this second fort are preserved on two sides as modern field boundaries with substantial earthen banks with hedges on top. The banks on the other two sides were removed shortly before the site was recognised as Roman. The site was made a scheduled monument in 1986. The aerial photography also revealed two subsidiary military enclosures or annexes to each fort. In 1992 a geophysical survey was made of the fort and areas to the east and west and this was followed by a trial excavation to the west of the site. These confirmed the existence of two forts, and the ditch of the second fort was excavated. Pottery from the site was dated from around 50–70 AD, which is consistent with a previous date of before 75 AD based on finds from fieldwalking. A Roman settlement near Shortlands Lane was excavated in 2009. A large quantity of Roman pottery, burial remains and fragments of hypocaust tile from the second and third century was found.
Saxon period and middle ages
Saxon settlers moved into the Culm Valley in the seventh century and Cullompton was made the site of a minster. In 872 Alfred the Great bequeathed Columtune and its lands to his son Æthelweard. At the time of the Norman Conquest, it was held by the Lady Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, the widow of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and mother of King Harold II. In 1067 William the Conqueror passed through the villa of Colitona on his way to besiege Exeter where Gytha was living. In 1087 William the Conqueror gave the manor to Baldwin, his wife's favourite nephew. It was subsequently held by the Earl of Devon for many years until in 1278 Amicia Countess of Devon willed it to the Abbot and Convent of Buckland Monachorum. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was sold to Sir John St Ledger. The five prebends of Cullompton (Colebrook, Hineland, Wiever, Esse, Upton) were presented by William the Conqueror to Battle Abbey in Sussex and were later held by St Nicholas Priory, Exeter. In 1536 St Nicholas Priory was dissolved and the last Prior gained appointment as the Vicar of Cullompton. Patronage then passed to the More family of Moorehays.
In 1278 the town was granted its first market to be held on a Thursday.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 59 In 1356 the town gained its first water supply by a deed of gift of the Abbot of Buckland.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 85 The water (known as the Town Lake or watercourse) came from a stream rising at Coombe Farm and flowed into a pond near Shortlands. From there it flowed in several open channels to all parts of the town. Water bailiffs were employed to protect the interests of the town and a tradition of "possessioning" took place. This was a ceremony that took place every seven years where a group of townsfolk would inspect the channel and ensure that it was not being abused. The first recorded possessioning was in 1716.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 87 In the mid-nineteenth century the water courses were used for boiling vegetables, surface drainage and emptying cesspools. A Board of Health Inspector in 1854 concluded that "typhus and other epidemic diseases are so prevalent here more so than in any other parish in the Union". They were eventually only used to keep the streets clean and continued to flow until 1962 when the town council decided that they were not willing to pay for their upkeep.
English Civil War to the eighteenth century In August 1642, during the English Civil War Mr Ashford and Richard Culme – then Sheriff of Devon attempted to have their Commission of array read in Cullompton, but were opposed by the local parish constable, Walter Challs, and by the people of the town. As well as raising troops for the Royalists, the commission would also have halted a scheduled muster of the local militia. Despite the support of local landowners such as John Acland, who was another of the Commissioners of the Array, this strong local opposition meant that Culme and Ashford failed. Later, the Royalist Earl of Bath came with cavaliers to try and support Ashford, but the locals responded by throwing up chains and preparing their militia.
Troops passed through Cullompton on several occasions during the civil war: Sir Ralph Hopton rode with a small troop through the town on his way to Cornwall; Cornish Royalist forces marched through Cullompton on their way to join Prince Maurice at Chard as did the Earl of Essex and Thomas Fairfax. There were troops on the streets of Cullompton again in 1655 during the Penruddock uprising.
The first Nonconformist congregation began in 1662 when the vicar of Cullompton, Revd William Crompton, was ejected from the established church. He continued to preach and a Protestant Dissenters meeting house was built in 1698 which became the Unitarian Chapel. In the eighteenth century there was a prevalence of Dissent with the local vicar recording in 1736 that of a population of 3358 there were 508 Presbyterians, 133 Anabaptists and 87 Quakers. By 1743 the first Baptist Chapel had been built. John Wesley's journal records preaching near the town in 1748The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 55–8 and on numerous occasions until 1789.
In 1678 a local innkeeper, John Barnes was hanged after being found guilty of highway robbery. He had waylaid, with the help of accomplices, a coach travelling from Exeter to London and made off with about £600 but he was recognised by the guards from Exeter, where he had been a taverner.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 148
Another local man called Tom Austin was hanged in August 1694. He inherited a farm with an annual income of £80 and then married the daughter of a neighbouring farmer with a dowry of £800. He lived an extravagant lifestyle and spent all of his money. His farm, having been neglected could not provide sufficient income for him and he borrowed a lot of money from neighbours and friends. He then turned to highway robbery and was moderately successful for a time. He shot Sir Zachary Wilmott during a robbery on the road between Wellington and Taunton in Somerset. The proceeds from his crimes supported him for a time but in the long term he was unable to clear his debts. In 1694, following a row with his wife, he went to visit his uncle. His uncle was not at home and he killed his aunt and her five children and took around £60 from the house. On returning home he was asked about the bloodstains on his clothes by his wife. He then killed her and his two children. His uncle, who dropped in to visit him on his way home, knocked Austin unconscious and he was arrested and later hanged at Exeter Jail.
The Cullompton Company of Volunteers (a voluntary body of soldiers) was first raised in 1794 and continued until 1810. The volunteer companies were formed following Britain's entry into the French Revolutionary Wars and continued to exist during the Napoleonic Wars. Cullompton was the first inland town to offer to raise a volunteer company (on 16 May 1794) and on 24 June the volunteers were accepted. The first commander, Captain Jarmin, was a former Marine officer. The company was formed into a battalion with 11 other volunteer companies called the Hayridge (later Highbridge) regiment. It had 1,200 men and three companies were based in Cullompton with a barracks in New Cut. Jarmin died in 1794 and was succeeded by Henry Skinner. In 1801 the company became a cavalry troop and was then disbanded only to be reformed in 1805 when hostilities with France had resumed. Many Cullompton men fought in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo.
Nineteenth century to present
In 1805 or 1806 the last bull-baiting in the town took place. On 7 July 1839, a severe fire destroyed many houses in Cullompton. About two thirds of the town burnt with 145 houses and other buildings being destroyed.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 115 A subscription for rebuilding was set and donations of £5 were made by Barne and Son, tanners of Tiverton, and Cullompton tanners Mortimore and Selwood. In 1847 a riot occurred in the town due to the high price of wheat. Three houses were attacked, including one in Pound Square belonging to Mr Selwood, the owner of a local tannery and also a maltster. He was accused of speculatively buying 2000 bushels of corn and when his house was attacked, almost all the windows were broken and his furniture was also damaged.
There have been police stations in the town since 1857, when the first Police Station was rented. It had three cells and a petty session courtroom.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 113 A new police station was built in 1974, which underwent a major refurbishment in 2011, to become a police force hub for Mid Devon, with 72 staff members. The town acquired its first steam-driven fire engine in 1914 which cost £100 and was paid for by voluntary subscription.The Book of Cullompton, 2001, p. 117