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15. The Barnstaple Balloting Pots These two pots were once used to elect the Mayor and Aldermen of Barnstaple Borough. Although they look ceramic, they are actually made of wood (see the woodworm holes!) and were first recorded in use in 1556. Elizabethan Barnstaple was a prosperous and fast-growing town and borough with a thriving …

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42. A Fragment of Holy Trinity Church This piece of stone came from the pinnacle of Holy Trinity church tower, which was struck by lightning on Whit Sunday, 1890. At that time the church was less than 50 years old. In 1842 John James Scott was the curate at Pilton Church, and thought that Barnstaple’s …

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51. A Civil War Bandolier Bandoliers are a type of pocketed belt designed to hold ammunition. These 17th-century examples may have been used by North Devon soldiers fighting in the English Civil War. In Barnstaple, the majority supported the Parliamentarian cause. In August 1642, when Charles I officially declared war on the ‘rebel’ Roundheads, Barnstaple …

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57. The Fishley Beaker This cheery beaker was made by Edwin Beer Fishley at the Fremington Pottery.  The Fishley family are well known for their continuation of the North Devon pottery tradition throughout the 19th century.  The bulk of their output was everyday jugs and pans, and they also made cloam ovens, salters and other …

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61. Wooden Water Pipes These unprepossessing lengths of wood are remnants of Barnstaple’s first piped water supply from the late 17th century. They were dug up around 1900 in Joy Street. As with most towns, poor sanitation in Barnstaple combined with a growing population to make the town increasingly smelly and unhealthy.  In 1698 an …

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66. Tom Faggus's Gun This 18th century gun is reputed to have belonged to Tom Faggus, North Devon’s local highwayman. The gun, which is 167 cm (about 5 ft 6) long, is a flintlock which would have been muzzle loaded with black powder and a single ball. The powder was ignited by a spark struck …

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71. John Gay's Chair This leather chair with hinged writing-ledge and inkwell is a 19th century copy of a chair believed to have been used by John Gay (the original is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London).  John Gay is Barnstaple’s most famous literary figure, now remembered for The Beggar’s Opera, written in …

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72. A Sketch by WR Lethaby William Richard Lethaby (1857-1931) may be the most significant individual Barnstaple has ever produced. He was a leading designer, educator, conservationist and historian and produced very significant works as an architect. He was the Keeper of Fabric for Westminster Abbey for many years, initiated the system of listing buildings …

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81. The Huguenot Table Carpet This table carpet was created in 1761 and is attributed to Jean Ulrich Passavant, a Huguenot from Strasbourg.  It depicts the Barnstaple coat of arms and the name of the Mayor, Monier Roch, himself a Huguenot.  The Huguenots were noted for their skill in textile manufacture, especially in establishing the …

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86. Lines from the Grammar School Until the new Park School was built in 1910, Barnstaple Grammar school was housed in the tiny 14th Century St Anne’s Chapel in the centre of town.  In the late 1980s the building was refurbished, and many bits and pieces were found under the brass grilles of the heating …