Topsham has a rich and varied history. First documented as a Roman settlement, it was granted a Charter as a town on 22nd August 1300 by Edward I, developing into a major British port and shipbuilding centre that in its heyday rivalled London. There are Dutch houses from this maritime past, and fine examples of Georgian and Edwardian architecture. In the year 2000 we celebrated our 700th year, when the Queen visited and went to a pub for the first time!

• Topsham Museum   Devon Museums official site
  
• GENUKI, Topsham   Historical resources for Topsham and its genealogy.
• Exeter Memories   This site has a deal of interesting material (for instance, history of Topsham's pubs and notable buildings - put Topsham into its internal search).
• Topsham community page  Brief history at the Devon Libraries Local Studies Service site.
• Old Maps   click the Maps link and enter "topsham" (without quotes) in the search box. This leads to a zoomable 1890 map.
• Topsham 1841 Census   From GENUKI, churchwarden's census of "a Portion of the Labouring Population".
• Topsham Cinemas   The long-defunct Cosy and Tivoli (from Clive Polden's West Country Cinemas gazetteer).
• Topsham, Devon, through time   Topsham at the Vision of Britain historical gazetteer.
• Topsham School hosts a short history of the First School and the Parkfield Road site (both now redeveloped as residential) plus extracts from School logbooks
• Topsham Quay   At the SWMHS site, David Wheeler's recollections of Topsham around 1970 in its last days as a working cargo port.
• Topsham railways   Extremely nice history and photos at Alex Seal's Alextrack website.
• Tryphena Sparks   who after a romance with Thomas Hardy, married a Topsham publican and lived here until her death.
• The Devil's Footprints (1)   Summary account of this peculiar event in 1855.
• The Devil's Footprints (2)   Charles Hoy Fort's compilation of contemporary references.
• The Bridge Inn's Royal Visit   HM Queen Elizabeth II.