Cullompton’s long history has produced, and drawn in, some remarkable people. Here are a few whose names are part of the fabric of the town. It’s a starting point — if you know of someone who should be here, please get in touch.

The Bilbie family — bell founders & clockmakers

Cullompton’s most far-reaching legacy hangs in church towers all over the West Country. The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers who worked from the late 17th to the early 19th century, and between them cast more than 1,350 bells.

Originally from Chew Stoke in Somerset, Thomas Bilbie (1702–1778) set up The West of England Church Bellfoundry in Cullompton in 1746, and recast the six bells of Cullompton’s own parish church as a ring of eight. The business stayed in the family for generations: Thomas Bilbie junior cast some 237 bells for Devon churches between 1754 and 1780, and Thomas Castleman Bilbie, the fourth generation, cast 198 more between 1781 and 1814 — and made a new clock for Cullompton church in 1811. The Bilbies were accomplished clockmakers as well as founders, a rare combination of crafts.

The clothiers who built the town

Cullompton’s fine old buildings are monuments to the merchants who grew rich on wool and cloth between the 15th and 17th centuries.

Royal & historic connections

Cullompton reaches back into England’s earliest recorded history. King Alfred the Great (died 899) left the manor of Columtune to his youngest son, Æthelweard, in his will — the town’s first written mention. A century and a half later, on the eve of the Norman Conquest, the manor was held by Gytha, wife of Earl Godwin and mother of King Harold II. Read the full history →

Sources include the Bilbie family and Cullompton articles on Wikipedia and Historic England listing records.