Many of us have passed through the North Devon town and raised an eyebrow at the presence of an exclamation mark in its name, but very few know the unusual story behind how it got there.
The origins of Westward Ho! are perhaps even more surprising than the exclamation mark would suggest.
Why is it called Westward Ho!?
In 1855, Charles Kingsley wrote a novel called Westward Ho!, which was set in and around Bideford Quay in North Devon, where he lived. The title of the book refers to the traditional 16th-century call of watermen on the River Thames, who would shout “Eastward ho!” and “Westward ho!” to let people know which direction they were heading towards in their boat-taxis. “Ho!” was used as a call to attract passengers and get their attention. The book’s title also refers to the play of the same name, written by John Webster and Thomas Dekker in 1604, which satirised London’s westward expansion. The phrase was also used by Viola in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night.
Did you know? Westward Ho! has one of the best mermaid pools in the UK and one of the best tidal pools in the UK (shown above).
This book title became the inspiration for the name of the village of Westward Ho! in Devon. Before this, it was a largely undeveloped coastal area known as Northam Burrows. In the 1860s, it became developed as a holiday destination, with a company named “The Northam Burrows Hotel and Villa Company” buying up some land and building a grand hotel. These were the early days of what ultimately became the village of Westward Ho!.
The popularity of Kingsley’s bestselling novel drew people to the area and helped build its reputation among holidaymakers. So, without the novel of Charles Kingsley, Westward Ho! may have never existed as we know it.
Are there any other place names with exclamation marks elsewhere in the world?
If you thought Westward Ho! was surprising, then wait until you hear about Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! in the Quebec region of Canada. Its unconventional name is said to come from ‘ha-ha’, an archaic word of French origin that refers to an impasse or landscape feature that acts as an invisible barrier or boundary line. In the case of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, this most likely referred to the nearby Lake Témiscouata. Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is the only town in the world with two exclamation marks in its name, beating Westward Ho!.
Other towns in the world have been known to adopt exclamation marks as publicity stunts, including several in the US, but rarely is the punctuation formally registered and recognised as part of the place’s name.
Top image: Pebble ridge at Westward Ho! beach on the North Devon Coast National Landscape. (Photo by: Craig Joiner/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
