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A Town of History and Legend
 Totnes,
according to medieval mythology, is where the British people had their origins.
The story is, that after the long war between Greece and Troy, the defeated
Trojans set out to find a new home, led by a young prince called Brutus.
Eventually they reached a beautiful island which was uninhabited except by a few
giants. Brutus leapt ashore onto a granite boulder and proclaimed
Here I stand and here I rest
And this place shall be called Totnes
The Trojans quickly disposed of the giants and settled down, naming the
island ‘Britain’ after their leader. All this happened in about 1170BC. The
‘Brutus Stone’ can be seen beside 51 Fore Street.
Sadly discounting the legend, Totnes is still a deeply satisfying place to
explore if you are interested in history, as the town’s past is clearly visible,
layer upon layer, in its streets and buildings.
Human beings have been living in the fertile landscape of the Dart Valley since
at least Neolithic times, about 6000 years ago. Ancient trackways forded the
river and climbed the hill before recorded history, and it is likely that small
trading settlements grew up along the Dart during the Roman period. The town’s
known history, however, only starts in the early 10th ; century. It was then
that Totnes was founded as a walled, fortified borough encircling the hill top
by the Saxon kings of Wessex, to defend this area from Viking attacks. The name
means ‘the fort or lookout’ (Tot) on the nose or ridge of land (ness)’. As a
royal borough, Totnes had its own mint, and was a trading and marketing centre
from the beginning. The Saxon town can still be traced by walking around
Ramparts Walk and North Street to the castle, then returning to the East Gate
from The Narrows along South Street.
 After
the Norman conquest, Totnes belonged to a knight called Judhel, who built the
castle and founded a priory on the site of the Guildhall. The medieval town
broke free of its walls and the long main street leading down to the river came
into being. The townspeople traded widely with France and along the English
Channel, growing prosperous on wool, slates and all the produce of a rich
agricultural area.
ln 1206 the people of Totnes acquired a charter of independence from King John,
giving them control over their own affairs. The first MP was sent to Parliament
in 1295, and the list of mayors begins in 1359. Totnes is rightly proud of its
long civic tradition, although borough status was lost in 1974.
The beautiful red sandstone church of St Mary, famous for its tower and stone
roodscreen, was rebuilt in the 15th century. In the Tudor period, Totnes became
the 16th wealthiest town in England, thanks largely to the export of Dartmoor
tin. Over 60 merchants’ houses from this time remain in Fore Street and High
Street, often with elaborately carved ceilings, though many are hidden behind
more recent facades. The Museum at 70 Fore Street is a perfectly restored
example. During the Civil War both sides used the town as a base at different
times, with Prince Charles (later Charles II), Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas
Fairfax all visiting.
The 18th and l9th centuries were a quieter time for Totnes, though it was still
a busy centre for its surrounding farms and villages. In the 20th century the
town has sought to retain its looks and character whilst keeping up with
appropriate developments - not always an easy balance. Since 1925 the various
activities of the nearby Dartington Hall Trust have helped to make Totnes the
diverse, socially varied and creative place it is today.
 Eminent Totnesians
Charles Babbage, Victorian mathematician
and inventor, is hailed today as a father of the computer. His family had lived
in Totnes for centuries, and though he himself was born in London, he attended
Totnes grammar school and always retained links with the town. Totnes Museum has
a room devoted to him and his work. Another inventive Totnes schoolboy was
George Jackson Churchward, the railway locomotive designer, who was born at
nearby Stoke Gabriel.
A national hero in Australia is William
Wills, who was, with Burke, the first European to cross the continent from south
to north, dying on the return journey in 1861. The Wills monument on Totnes
Plains is pictured here.
The town’s most famous daughter
is marathon walker Ffyona Campbell, born here in 1967.
Elizabethan Totnes
In 1970 a group of local traders decided
to celebrate the legacy of Elizabethan prosperity in Totnes by dressing in
period costume on Tuesdays throughout the summer. Now every week, from May to
the end of September, you can step back in time as you enjoy the the famous
Elizabethan Charity Market by the Civic Hall, and see market traders in colourful
costumes going about their business.
In August, look out for the unique
Orange Race organised by the Elizabethan Society. this event commemorates a
visit to the town by Sir Francis Drake in the 1580s, when he presented a 'fair
red orange' to a little boy in the street. Now contestants chase their oranges
down the hill.
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