Totnes

Totnes, a municipal borough and market-town of Devonshire, pleasantly situated on the slope of a steep hill on the right bank of the Dart, 29 miles SSW. of Exeter and 24 ENE. of Plymouth. The Dart is navigable to this point for vessels of 200 tons, and Brut the Trojan is fabled to have landed here: the 'Brutus Stone,' on which he first set foot, may be seen in the main street. At least, Totnes is a place of great antiquity, and retains two gateways, remains of the walls, a quaint guildhall, a good many antique houses, and an interesting Perpendicular church (1432; restored by Scott, 1874), with a noble red sandstone tower and a fine stone screen. The Norman castle of Judhael de Totnes, that crowns the hill-top, is represented by the circular shell-keep. There is a grammar-school (1568); and on the 'Plains,' near the river, stands a granite obelisk to the Australian explorer Wills, who was a native, as also was the Hebraist Kennicott. Incorporated by King John, Totnes returned two members till 1867. Pop. (1851) 4419; (1891) 4016. See works by W. Colton (1850) and Charles Worthy (2 vols. Exeter, 1889).