Exeter (ancient Isca Dumnoniorum), city, administrative center of Devon, southwestern England, on the Exe River. Exeter is a transportation and commercial center, linked by canal with the English Channel. It has some small-scale industry; manufactures include paper, leather and metal goods, and food products. Remains of the Roman town walls are visible, as are ruins of the 11th-century Rougemont Castle, built by William the Conqueror. Exeter's most notable structure is the Cathedral of Saint Peter, built from about 1280 to about 1369. Its architecture is of the Gothic Decorated style, but it is noted for its unique transeptal towers of Norman design. The cathedral library contains many valuable manuscripts, among which is the 10th-century poetry manuscript the Exeter Book. Educational institutions here include the University of Exeter (1922) and the Exeter College of Art and Design (1835).
Before its Roman occupation (about AD50), the site was a settlement of the Dumnonii, a British tribe. An important Saxon town, it withstood attacks by the Danes in the 9th and 10th centuries but was taken in 1003. Exeter became a bishopric in 1050. William the Conqueror captured the town in 1068. During the 15th and 16th centuries, it was known as a wool production center and had powerful trade guilds. Exeter was damaged severely by bombing during World War II. Population (1996 estimate) 107,729.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Exeter Information info
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