YOU can follow the historic march of William of Orange through Newton Abbot and the rest of Devon in a new book by local author and historian Phil Badcott.

Phil, from Kingskerswell, says: ‘On November 5, 1688, South Devon witnessed an astonishing event when William Prince of Orange first set foot on English soil in the fishing port of Brixham.

‘Amazingly, he was accompanied by nearly 15,000 soldiers and 3,000 horses, all brought to England from the Netherlands by a fleet of nearly 500 ships.

‘Crowds lined the cliffs of Torbay to watch his arrival, and what an amazing sight that must have been on that cold and misty November day to witness so many ships entering the bay.

‘Shortly after William of Orange stepped onto dry land at the old pier at Brixham Harbour, he commenced his march to London to claim the throne of Great Britain and Ireland.

‘Many South Devon people will already be aware that William of Orange marched from Brixham to, for example to Newton Abbot.

‘However, most of us know little about the detail of his journey. For example, why did he choose to land at Brixham and what route did he take on his journey through Devon before he crossed the county border and continued on to London to become William III.

The new book published by local historian, speaker and author Phil Badcott: ‘The March of William of Orange through Devon’ answers these and many other questions.

Using diaries and accounts of the time and his knowledge of Devon, Phil has put the spotlight firmly on our own county of Devon and tells the story of William’s decision to come to England, his preparations in the Netherlands, his voyage from Holland, his landing at Brixham and his audacious and courageous march through Devon.

Phil says: ‘Devon had never seen anything like it and never will. His journey was audacious and courageous, but never reckless. It was exciting, yet pragmatic and a lesson in strategic planning, organisation and leadership.’

Phil’s book, which has been described as readable and well researched, can be bought from Westcountry Books in Queen Street, Newton Abbot, and on Amazon. The book is also available for loan at Kingskerswell Library and Torbay Libraries.

RIGHT: Local author and historian Phil Badcott is pictured in Kingskerswell Library with his new book ‘The March of William of Orange through Devon’