This little park is situated on the road to St David’s Station and North Devon. According to Alexander Jenkins, the name derives from ‘Berry Mead’ which probably itself, comes from burh or earthwork as the Danes Castle siege earthworks are close by. Sir Edward Seaward, Mayor in 1691, was a principal benefactor of Berry (Bury) Meadow by donating four-fifths of the land, and Margery Gould providing the remainder to the City Chamber. Rental from the land went towards supporting the Exeter Workhouse.
The cholera plot
A plot 92 ft by 109 ft was excavated as a burying ground for victims of the 1832 cholera outbreak. It was 440 ft from St David’s Church and was adjacent to Barrack Road (now Howell Road). The map shows the position of the burial ground. It also shows how Bury Meadow stretched from St David’s Church to Barrack Road (now Howell Road). Heles School, Heles Road, New North Road, Elmfield Road and Richmond Road have not yet been built.
