An early British tribe, the Dumnonii, made Exeter their centre, and it was taken over by the Romans, who named it Isca Dumnoniorum. Because it was the main town in southwestern England during the Middle Ages, Exeter was subjected to a number of sieges. Alfred the Great (871–899) twice held it against the Danes (877 and c. 894), but it was taken in 1003. In 1068, after an 18-day siege, Exeter surrendered to William the Conqueror.

During the English Civil Wars the town declared for Parliament, but it was held by the Royalists from 1643 to 1646. Exeter had become a borough before the Norman Conquest; in 1537 it was created a county in itself and remained so until the reorganization of English local government in 1974. Many trade guilds were incorporated in the city; the first, in 1466, was the tailors' guild.

The Norman cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter, was consecrated in 1133. The present building, begun c. 1275, is in the Decorated style and in this way is different from its twin Norman towers. Other notable buildings include the 14th-century Guildhall, rebuilt in 1468–70, and the Norman castle, most of which was demolished in 1744. Exeter's University College (1922) became the University of Exeter in 1955.

The port of Exeter is linked to the sea by canal but is accessible only to small vessels. Among its manufacturing industries, metalworking, leatherworking, and the manufacture of paper and agricultural implements are the most important.

Exeter is one of the best examples of the historic English town, which developed from a Roman-British centre to a medieval cathedral city and county town and now is an administrative and service centre for an extensive region. Area 18 square miles (47 square km). Pop. (2004 est.) 115,200.

town (township), seat of Rockingham county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on the Exeter River at the falls of the Squamscott River (tidal), southwest of Portsmouth. The town was founded in 1638 by John Wheelwright and a group of religious exiles from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During its early years it was a commonwealth independent of the English colonies, but an increasingly unfavourable economic situation forced Exeter to voluntarily submit to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts in 1643. Later in the 17th century the area became part of the colony of New Hampshire. From about 1675 to 1725 the town was subjected to numerous Indian attacks, which hindered its growth. A shipbuilding industry subsequently developed. Manufactures now include leather goods, handguns, and electronic equipment.