Robert Pople (8 February 1836 – 6 February 1909) was a publican who was three times

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Life

Pople was born in Somerset on 8 February 1836, and grew up near

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

. He was a publican, running The Commercial Hotel in Brigwater. In 1865, Pople and his wife moved to Exeter, to run the ''Half Moon Hotel''. In 1868, they took over the ''New London Inn'' (later the ''new London Hotel''), which he ran until his death. In 1869, he was elected as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

councillor on

Exeter City Council Exeter City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the city of Exeter in Devon, England. Exeter has had a city council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a non-met ...

, for the

St David's St Davids or St David's (, , "Saint David, David's Welsh toponymy, house”) is a St David's Cathedral, cathedral City status in the United Kingdom, city in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies on the River Alun, Pembrokeshire, River Alun and is ...

ward. It was subsequently discovered that Pople had bribed four people £10 each to vote for him, and he appeared in front of the Election Commission at Bridgwater. Pople admitted the charge, which was part of a wider bribery effort by John Murlis, who bribed around 140 people.

Exeter theatre fire

On 5 September 1887, a fire broke out at the Theatre Royal, opposite Pople's ''New London Inn''. Pople responded at the first alarm, bringing five or six ladders which saved many people, and then opened his premises, using the pub to shelter the survivors, and laying out victims in the stables. His actions during the fire were widely reported, including by ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

'', and he was praised for his actions. He was presented with a silver and gold bracelet by the

Earl of Portsmouth Earl of Portsmouth is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. After the death of Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth (c. 19 August 1673 - 14 November 1734), it was created in 1743 for John Wallop, 1st Viscount Lymington, who had ...

the following month for his actions on the night of the fire.

Popularity and rise to mayor

This popularity saw him elected

Sheriff of Exeter The Sheriff of Exeter was an official of Exeter, Devon, and as sheriff was responsible for keeping the King's peace (pax regis) within the city. The position was granted when Henry VIII conferred county status on the city in 1537, and the position c ...

in 1890, followed by Alderman, and in 1895 he was elected Mayor, being re-elected twice, making him the first holder of the office to have three terms since the 14th century. Pople was Mayor during the

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond ...

, and was awarded the

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal The Diamond Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1897 by royal warrant as a British decoration. The medal was awarded to members of the royal family and the court, guests and dignitaries present at the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Vict ...

. In 1893, Pople was a founding member of the Devon County Athletic Company Ltd which developed the

County Ground Stadium The County Ground Stadium, also previously known as the Devon County Athletic Ground, was a rugby union, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Exeter, Devon. It was one of two separate venues in Exeter known as the County Ground, along wit ...

on a former wrestling field, and built the first grandstand. This stadium was the home of many sports over the years, including

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

rugby, and

Exeter Falcons The Exeter Falcons were a Motorcycle speedway, speedway team based in the city of Exeter. The Falcons operated from 1947 to 2005 at the County Ground Stadium in Exeter. History Origins & 1920s Speedway began at the County Ground in 1929, ...

speedway, prior to its closure in 2006 when the Chiefs moved to

Sandy Park Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium and conference and banqueting centre in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs, who from the 2010–11 season have been playing in Premiership Rugby, the top flight of the English rugby union ...

Death

In 1906, when dining with the Mayor at the

Exeter Guildhall Exeter Guildhall on the High Street of Exeter, Devon, England has been the centre of civic government for the city for at least 600 years. Much of the fabric of the building is medieval, though the elaborate frontage was added in the 1590s ...

, Mr Pople became unwell, and following a bout of bronchitis suffered a series of heart attacks. He did recover, but became noticeably more frail. The death of his wife in the autumn of 1907 had an effect on his outlook. Pople died of heart failure at his New London Inn.

References

{{Reflist Mayors of Exeter 1909 deaths Sheriffs of Exeter 1836 births