▁said ▁to ▁have ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁best ▁pl aster ▁ce il ings ▁in ▁Dev on . ▁The ▁mer ch ants ▁also ▁built ▁several ▁al m sh ouses ▁including ▁Pen rose ' s , ▁and ▁ens ured ▁their ▁legacy ▁by ▁dedic ating ▁elaborate ▁monuments ▁to ▁their ▁families ▁inside ▁the ▁church . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁Bar n st ap le ▁had ▁ceased ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁w ool len ▁manufact uring ▁town , ▁which ▁was ▁replaced ▁by ▁Irish ▁w ool ▁and ▁y arn , ▁for ▁which ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁main ▁landing ▁place ; ▁the ▁raw ▁materials ▁were ▁carried ▁by ▁land ▁to ▁the ▁new ▁cloth making ▁towns ▁in ▁mid - ▁and ▁east ▁Dev on , ▁such ▁as ▁T iver ton ▁and ▁Hon it on . ▁However , ▁the ▁har bour ▁was ▁gradually ▁sil ting ▁up — as ▁early ▁as ▁c . ▁ 1 6 3 0 ▁Tr istr am ▁Ris don ▁reported ▁that ▁" it ▁hardly ▁be are th ▁small ▁vessels " — and ▁B ide ford , ▁which ▁is ▁lower ▁down ▁the ▁est u ary ▁and ▁benefits ▁from ▁the ▁sc our ing ▁action ▁of ▁the ▁fast ▁flow ing ▁River ▁Tor ridge , ▁gradually ▁took ▁over ▁the ▁foreign ▁trade . ▁ ▁Although ▁for ▁a ▁time ▁between ▁ 1 6 8 0 ▁and ▁ 1 7 3 0 , ▁Bar n st ap le ' s ▁trade ▁was ▁sur pass ed ▁by ▁B ide ford ' s , ▁it ▁retained ▁its ▁economic ▁importance ▁until ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ,