Arts Council Accredited Museum
Registered Charity No. 1167141
Combe Martin Museum & Tourist Information Point
Discover the rich maritime heritage, coastal geology, and social history of North Devon.
Sources and references are listed at the end of this page.
Modified on October 16, 2026
Step into Combe Martin History
Silver Mines, Earl of Rone & Village Heritage
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Hours: Monday to Friday, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM
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Special Events and Open Days in 2026
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Cross Street, Combe Martin,
Ilfracombe, Devon,
EX34 0DH England
Ilfracombe, Devon,
EX34 0DH England
Set deep within a North Devon valley, Combe Martin is famous for its remarkably long main street and a rich heritage
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Centuries of silver and polymetallic mining including copper and iron.
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Thriving cottage industries and artisans.
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Multiple industries, agriculture and celebrated strawberry harvests.
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Unique North Devon traditions and folklore.
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The annual May bank holiday Earl of Rone Festival.
Tucked inside the steep Umber Valley on the edge of Exmoor, our heritage blends centuries of heavy industry, maritime trade, and distinct Devon folklore.
Overview: From Silver to Strawberries
700 Years of Combe Martin Industry
Combe Martin's 700-year industrial evolution is rooted in its linear topography along the River Umber valley. Some two miles long, the village had a diverse, overlapping network of extractive, metallurgical, maritime, and agricultural industries.
Key early foundations include 12th-century textile processing, 1198 water-powered corn mills, and 1292 silver-lead "Mines Royal", whose high-silver galena financed Crown military efforts and set a legal precedent in the 1568 Case of Mines.
Whilst small-scale lead smelting gave way to mid-19th-century processing on King Street, deep-level mining ultimately collapsed by 1881 due to flooding, high pumping costs, and foreign imports.
Beyond silver, the valley capitalised on secondary minerals like umber and imported coastal culm (anthracite) to fire local lime kilns for soil conditioning. Combe Martin had the highest concentration of lime kilns in North Devon.
The local economy further diversified into mid-19th-century shipbuilding, bay fishing, late 19th-to-mid-20th-century market gardening—famous for early-season strawberries—and a local jam factory.
One outstanding Combe Martin industrialist is John Dovell (1789–1873), a 19th-century merchant, entrepreneur, and shipbuilder at the height of the industrial revolution.
Around 1835, John established a steam sawmill and shipyard sited on a section of the River Umber (covered over to build Borough Road), near the Seaside quarter.
The shipyard constructed vessels of up to 100 tons that were launched sideways into the river during high spring tides.
John went on to become an influential local industrialist who significantly shaped the village's maritime and industrial economies. His grave is marked with a family monument in the parish churchyard of St. Peter ad Vincula.
Coastal cargo vessels like the Clyde Puffer SS Snowflake connected these terrestrial industries to wider Bristol Channel trade networks, illustrating the parish's continuous economic adaptation.
Combe Martin Museum Historic Photos | License for Use CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Combe Martin’s story is a tapestry of industry, resilience, and coastal life, shaped over centuries by its mineral‑rich valley, maritime links, and distinctive cultural traditions.
For a comprehensive overview, explore our chronological history↗
Rooted in our village heritage, Combe Martin Museum's collections tell stories that extend far beyond the village itself.
From six centuries of silver mining and maritime life to changing rural industries and community traditions, Combe Martin Museum preserves and shares heritage that reflects wider themes in England’s economic, social and cultural history.
In doing so, it helps future generations understand how local communities have contributed to the nation’s story.
Discover the extraordinary stories of people who helped transform Combe Martin into a popular maritime village and tourist destination.
This record forms part of the Combe Martin Museum and local history archive documenting the Hunting of the Earl of Rone tradition in Combe Martin, North Devon.
| Date | Time | Event (Historical Record) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 22 May 2026 | 7:00 pm | Opening procession – Hunting of the Earl of Rone |
| Saturday 23 May 2026 | 11:00 am | Children’s procession – Combe Martin village tradition |
| Sunday 24 May 2026 | 1:30 pm | Main procession – Earl of Rone festival |
| Monday 25 May 2026 | 6:00 pm | Final procession – concluding ceremonial hunt |
| Official Site | — | Hunting the Earl of Rone official website |
Rehearsals: May 9 & 17 · Village Hall, Combe Martin
Source:
earl-of-rone.org.uk
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Experience History at Combe Martin Museum
Combe Martin is a historic North Devon village, nestled in a wooded valley between Exmoor and the Bristol Channel. Nestled in the Umber Valley, locals proudly identify as "Shammickites".
Notable for having one of the longest main streets in Britain, the village earned a Guinness World Record in 2002 for hosting the longest street party during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
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Geological Roots: Formed over 400 million years ago during the Devonian period, folding slate and sandstone created the steep valley and trapped rich veins of silver-bearing lead ore.
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Domesday History: Recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Cumbe and held by William de Falaise, the manor later passed to the FitzMartin family, whose descendant Nicholas FitzMartin secured a royal charter for a market and fair in 1264.
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Royal Silver Mining: From the late 13th century under Edward I, Combe Martin became a major silver mining centre and was mined for various minerals and metals.
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Silver, iron, umber, manganese and copper extracted at Combe Martin can be viewed at Combe Martin Museum.
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The historic River Umber supported Combe Martin's vital agriculture, steam engines, watermills, sawmills, and shipbuilding industry.
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Local mining continued intermittently for six centuries, seeing Elizabethan revivals and Victorian deep-shaft technology before closing around 1902.
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Queen Victoria purchased five items of Combe Martin silver in 1851.
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The Earl of Rone Festival is held every Spring Bank Holiday in May. This famous folk custom features the hunted fugitive Earl, the 'Obby-Oss', grenadiers, and musicians, culminating in a beach finale.
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For more information, visit the official website: The Hunting of the Earl of Rone.
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Industry & Agriculture: The village featured historic watermills, 19 lime-burning kilns, and a 19th-century shipyard. It later developed a flourishing market-gardening industry famous for strawberries in the early 20th century.
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Art, Literature & Heritage: romantic artist J.M.W. Turner sketched Combe Martin's rugged coastline, while English novelists R.D. Blackmore and Marie Corelli featured the village in classic literature.
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At its heart stands the 13th-century St Peter ad Vincula Church, housing a 15th-century rood screen.
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Explore the Combe Martin Museum & Information Point on Cross Street (EX34 0DH) to experience the village's rich heritage firsthand.
Acknowledgements
Combe Martin Museum acknowledges the local book "Out of The World and Into Combe Martin" (1989), by the Combe Martin Local History Group (now defunct). And the more recent research by the Combe Martin Village History Project.
The Historical Evolution of Combe Martin’s Watermills (12th–19th Centuries)
| Historical Era | Primary Purpose | Impact on Combe Martin |
|---|---|---|
| 12th–14th C. | Corn Milling (Wheat, Oats, Barley) | Feudal self-sufficiency & manorial revenue |
| 14th–16th C. | Fulling, Hemp Processing & Grain Milling | Supported textile trades and Royal Silver Mine workers |
| 16th–18th C. | Ore Crushing, Smelting Bellows & Food | Fuelled Elizabethan silver booms & local trade |
| 19th C. | Short-lived Smelting, then Final Closure | Transitioned village focus to Market Gardening (strawberries) |
Did You Know?
Sir Richard Pollard (1505–1542) was granted Combe Martin Manor by Henry VIII. As a principal agent in the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1540), Pollard oversaw the valuation and suppression of religious houses across England. His work helped redirect monastic wealth to the Crown and reshaped land ownership nationwide — including the transfer of Combe Martin’s holdings into royal hands. Reference: G.W.O. Woodward, The Dissolution of the Monasteries (Pitkin, 1985 [1966]), pp. 72–75.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: “Pollard, Sir Richard (1505–1542)”.
Sir Richard Pollard (1505–1542) was granted Combe Martin Manor by Henry VIII. As a principal agent in the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536–1540), Pollard oversaw the valuation and suppression of religious houses across England. His work helped redirect monastic wealth to the Crown and reshaped land ownership nationwide — including the transfer of Combe Martin’s holdings into royal hands. Reference: G.W.O. Woodward, The Dissolution of the Monasteries (Pitkin, 1985 [1966]), pp. 72–75.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: “Pollard, Sir Richard (1505–1542)”.
Show references and historical sources used in this article
Article Sources & References
- Claughton, Peter. “The Devon Silver-Lead Mines: A Historical Overview.” Mining History: Bulletin of the Peak District Mines Historical Society, vol. 14, no. 4, 2000.
- Combe Martin History Group: Out of the World and Into Combe Martin, and other local history publications.
- Devon County Council Historic Environment Record (HER). Database of archaeological sites, monuments, and historic landscape records for Devon.
- Duffy, Eamon. The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village. Yale University Press, 2001. A comparative study illuminating parish life in North Devon.
- Finberg, H. P. R. The Early Charters of Devon and Cornwall. Leicester University Press, 1964. Key academic analysis of medieval landholding and parish formation.
- Fox, Aileen. South West England. London: Thames & Hudson, 1964. Includes archaeological context for North Devon’s settlement patterns.
- GENUKI: Combe Martin, Devon – Overview of historical parish records and directories. Available at GENUKI Combe Martin.
- Greeves, Tom. “The Archaeology of Metal Mining in Devon and Cornwall.” In The Archaeology of Mining and Metallurgy in England, edited by Peter Claughton & Chris Timberlake, Historical Metallurgy Society, 2013.
- Hoskins, W. G. Devon. London: Collins, 1954. A foundational scholarly survey of Devon’s landscape, settlement history, and parish development.
- Lewis, Samuel, ed. “Colton - Comberbach.” In A Topographical Dictionary of England (7th ed., London, 1848), pp. 668–672. Accessed via British History Online.
- Local archival material and primary documents preserved by Combe Martin Museum & Information Point, Cross Street, Combe Martin.
- Lysons, Daniel & Samuel Lysons. Magna Britannia: Volume 6 - Devonshire (1822). Accessed via British History Online.
- Minchinton, Walter E. Industrial Archaeology in Devon. Exeter: Dartington Amenity Trust / University of Exeter, 1977. Key survey on regional maritime and industrial heritage.
- Ravenhill, W. L. D. Place-Names of Devon. English Place-Name Society, vols. 1–2, 1970–1972. Standard academic reference for interpreting Devon toponymy.
- Westcote, Thomas. A View of Devonshire in MDCXXX: With a Pedigree of Its Gentry (c. 1630). Edited by Rev. George Oliver & Pitman Jones, Exeter: William Roberts, 1845. Primary account recording Combe Martin's hemp fiber and shoemakers' thread production.
- White’s Devonshire Directory (1850) and Kelly’s Directory (1878–79). Accessible via GENUKI and regional archives.
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