History Section
Information
Richard Hooker,
Exeter Cathedral Green
Photo: Antony T. Buller
The History Section of the Devonshire Association can trace its beginning in the 1930 edition of the Transactions in a report from the Parochial History Section. The History Section was officially formed on 31 October 1919 with 97 members.
More recent years have seen the Section organise a range of talks and presentations. Some of these have been fairly academic while many have provided a general background with topics on various aspects of Devon’s history. There have also been visits to places of historical interest and social events. In recent years several events have been organised with the help of the Devon Heritage Centre, now the South West Heritage Trust.
The Section is currently seeking to respond to the challenge brought about by changes in the wider community. To meet these challenges, the Section is looking to work more closely with other DA sections and branches as well as like-minded organisations in Devon. We look forward to increasing our membership by holding more events across the county with the objective of engaging with local knowledge.
Committee
(as of January 2023)
Chair: Sue Andrew
Vice Chair: (vacant)
Hon. Secretary: Christine Reader
Hon. Treasurer: Ian Varndell
Membership Secretary: (vacant)
Committee: Paul Auchterlonie, Pat Bonning-Snook, Irene Derczynska, Ursula Myers, Derek Smithers, Nick Wells, John Whitton.
Events
See a list of upcoming events organised by this section.
It’s also possible to review the Section’s past events.
Projects
- Tomorrow’s History – New!
Events experienced during past months, weeks and even today will tomorrow become history. This project aims to capture this information for future historians. - Devon Place-Names Project
A joint project with the Devon History Society to make a significant contribution to a full survey of the county’s minor place-names.
Section postings
The following pages were written and are maintained by the Section.
- Launceston. Report from the History Section
- Dartmouth. Report from the History Section
- Buckfast. Report from the History Section
- Cullompton. Report from the History Section
- Tavistock. Report from the History Section
- Axminster. Report from the History Section
The talks below suffixed with (V) were recorded and are available to members to view. See this page for details.
- Report on Dr Robin Wootton’s talk on Baroness Burdett-Coutts, January 2022 (V)
- Report on Dr David Oates’ talk on hatchments in Devon churches, November 2021 (V)
- Report on Henrietta Quinnell’s talk on the Upton Pyne Barrows, October 2021 (V)
- Report on Robin Blythe-Lord’s talk on the history of Mount Batten, April 2021 (V)
- Report on Paul Rendell’s talk on the history of Dartmoor, March 2021
- Report on a talk “The Rise and Fall of Membland”, February 2021 (V)
- Report on a talk about tithe maps, November 2020
- Report on a talk about Dr Siegfried Marian, January 2020
- Report on a visit to the Devon Heritage Centre, November 2019
- Report on a visit to Brixham Heritage Museum, October 2019
- Report on a visit to the Museum of Dartmoor Life, September 2019
- Report on a visit to Kents Cavern, May 2019
- Report on a talk about the medieval glass of Exeter Cathedral, November 2018
- Report on a visit to Bampton, July 2018
- Report on a visit to Sampford Courtenay, May 2018
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