The main settlement was originally at Nymet Tracey, one mile (1.6 km) south of Bow's present location.

Nymet Tracey had parliamentary representation in late Anglo-Saxon times, from 940 onwards[5] and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The knight may be a representation of William de Tracy, who is said to have who founded the church in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket,[6][7] although there is no independent evidence for this beyond local tradition.

[9] In 1258-59 Henry de Tracey was granted charters for a weekly market and a three-day annual fair starting on St Martin's Day.

Charles I stayed one night in Bow during the Civil War when he was chasing the Earl of Essex into Cornwall.

[11] The influx of people did not halt its decline and by 1850 Bow/Nymet Tracey was described as a "small, decayed market town";[12] the St Martin's Day fair, first recorded in 1259,[9] ceased c.1900.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Bow was spiritually divided between the Church of England, the Congregationalists and the Plymouth Brethren.