An independent spirit

It seems so right that an exhibition about Sir Walter Raleigh, famous for his pioneering efforts to colonise the New World, should take place in the village where he was born, just the day after Americans celebrate their independence on 4 July.
Left: The portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh in All Saints Church, East Budleigh, where he and his family worshipped

Sir Walter was certainly a monarchist when he flattered his Queen Elizabeth in all possible ways, including laying his fine cloak over that puddle so that she might not get her feet wet.
Below right: The Sir Walter Raleigh pub sign in East Budleigh



But many republicans like Oliver Cromwell and John Milton have also seen him as a victim of a tyrannical monarch, the Stuart King James I, who imprisoned him and then ordered his execution.

Many Americans of the past saw him as a patriotic hero and defender of liberty comparable to George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt. The American navy in 1776 even named a frigate after him, ironic when you remember that the War of Independence had started the previous year.

The Sir Walter Raleigh Exhibition is at Salem Chapel, East Budleigh
From Sunday 5 – Sunday 12 July 2009
Free entry
Open daily from 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm
(Donations welcome)

Events include:

Sunday 5 July at 2.30 pm
The Raleigh Walk: Discover Raleigh’s East Budleigh
With Stan Herbert as your local guide
£2.00 for adults; free for children
Starts 2.30 pm at the Chapel

Sunday 11 July at 7.30 pm
A talk on Elizabethan Devon by Dr Todd Gray
Tickets £3.50
Tickets available from Budleigh Salterton Tourist Information Office
Or contact Kathy Moyle on 01395 445236
Tickets also available at the door

Sunday 12 July at 3.00 pm
Tudor Service

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