Encyclopedia
Devon is a large
county in
South West England, bordered by
Cornwall to the west,
Dorset and
Somerset to the east. Devon is unique among English counties, in that it has two non-contiguous coastlines. Both parts of the Devon coastline are part of the
South West Coast Path.
The name
Devonshire was once common but is now rarely used, although it does feature in some names and titles , and is still to be seen on signposts in the county.
The Dorset and East Devon Coast, otherwise known as the
Jurassic Coast, is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the
Primrose as the county flower.
History
- Main article: History of Devon.
Devon was one of the first areas of
England settled following the end of the last
ice age.
Dartmoor is thought to have been settled by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer peoples from about 6000 BC. The name 'Devon' derives from the name given by the
Romans to the
Celtic people who inhabited the south western peninsula of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion c. 50AD , known as the Dumnonii, thought to mean 'Deep Valley Dwellers'. The Romans held the area under military occupation for approximately 25 years. Later the area became a frontier between Brythonic Dumnonia and
Anglo-Saxon Wessex, and some historians claim that this resulted in the effective conquest of Devon by Wessex by 715 and its formal annexation around 805. However, this is a matter of controversy. Later William of Malmesbury claimed "that the Britons and Saxons inhabited
Exeter aequo jure in 927.
By the
ninth century, the major threat to Saxon control of Devon came not from the native British but from
Viking raiders, and sporadic incursions continued until the
Norman Conquest. A few
Norse place names remain as a result, for example
Lundy Island, though the Vikings' most lasting legacy is probably the move of the cathedral from Crediton to Exeter.
Devon has also featured in most of the civil conflicts in England since the Norman conquest, including the
Wars of the Roses, Perkin Warbeck's rising in 1497, the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, and the
English Civil War. Perhaps most notably, the arrival of
William of Orange to launch the
Glorious Revolution of 1688, took place at
Brixham.
Devon has produced
tin,
copper and other metals from ancient times. Devon's tin miners enjoyed a substantial degree of independence through Devon's stannary parliament, which dates back to the twelfth century. The last recorded sitting was in 1748.
Devon is also known for its mariners, such as Sir Francis Chichester, Sir
Francis Drake, Sir
Humphrey Gilbert, Sir Richard Grenville and Sir
Walter Raleigh. The poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Devon. The county was also the childhood home of psychology pioneer Raymond Cattell.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Devon at current basic prices published by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | | | | |
|---|
| 1995 | 6,163 | 391 | 1,746 | 4,027 |
| 2000 | 7,497 | 286 | 1,813 | 5,398 |
| 2003 | 8,670 | 325 | 1,853 | 6,492 |
includes hunting and forestry
includes energy and construction
includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
Like its neighbouring county to the west,
Cornwall, Devon is disadvantaged economically compared to other parts of southern England, due to the decline of traditional industries such as fishing, mining and farming. Consequently, most of Devon has qualified for the
European Community Objective 2 status. The epidemic of Foot and Mouth disease in 2001 harmed the farming community severely.
The attractive lifestyle of the area is drawing in new industries which are not heavily dependent upon geographical location;
Dartmoor, for instance, has recently seen a significant rise in the percentage of its inhabitants involved in the financial services sector. In 2003, the
Met Office, the UK's national and international weather service, moved to Exeter.
Devon is one of the rural counties, with the advantages and problems characteristic of these. Despite this, the county's economy is also heavily influenced by its two main urban centres, Plymouth and Exeter.
Geology, landscape and ecology
- Main article: Geology of Devon.
The
Dartmoor National Park lies wholly in Devon, and the
Exmoor National Park lies in both Devon and
Somerset. In addition, Devon is the only county in
England to have two completely separate coastlines. Both the north and south coasts offer dramatic views: much of both coastlines is named as Heritage Coast, and the
South West Coast Path runs along the entire length of both. Inland, the county has attractive rolling rural scenery, and villages with
thatched cob cottages. All these features make Devon a popular
holiday destination. The variety of habitats means that there is a wide range of wildlife . A popular challenge among
birders is to find over 100 species in the county in a day. The county's wildlife is protected by the Devon Wildlife Trust, a charity which looks after 40 nature reserves.
The landscape of the south coast consists of rolling hills dotted with small towns, such as
Dartmouth,
Salcombe,
Totnes etc. The towns of
Torquay and
Paignton are the principal
seaside resorts on the south coast. The north of the county is very rural with few major towns except
Barnstaple,
Great Torrington,
Bideford and
Ilfracombe.
Devon has also given its name to a geological era: the
Devonian era , so-called because the distinctive red-sandstone of
Exmoor was studied by geologists here. Devonian sandstone/slate is also found in neighbouring
Cornwall , and across the
Bristol Channel in
Wales . This is because around 7000 years ago the Bristol Channel did not exist, instead there was a large bay stretching between Pembrokeshire and Devon. Where the Bristol Channel is now was mainly a flat plain, although the
Cambrian mountain system of Wales continued over to Exmoor and Dartmoor. The peaty sandstone of north Devon is of poor quality , hence the bareness of the landscape. Devon's other major rock system is the carboniferous sandstone which stretches from
Bideford to just outside
Bude in Cornwall, which is generally better quality than the Devonian sandstone, and also contributes to a gentler, greener, more rounded landscape.
Interestingly, Devonian rocks are found in Devon, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany - but they are not found in South-East or North-West England. In this sense, Devon has a strong geological affinity with the Celtic nations.
Devon's Exmoor seaboard has the highest coastline in southern Britain, culminating in the massive Great Hangman, a 1043 ft "hog-backed" hill with an 820 ft cliff-face, located near Combe Martin Bay. Its sister cliff is the 716 ft Little Hangman, which marks the edge of Exmoor.
Significantly, the coast of Devon, along with Wales and Cornwall, has more miles of Heritage Coast than any other reigon. Around 65% of Devon's impressive coastline is Heritage Coast. Just as one county, Devon has more Heritage Coast than the entire length of both South-East and North-West England.
Both Devon's North and Southern coasts are impressive, in particular Hartland Point, which is the where the
Bristol Channel meets the
Celtic Sea/
Atlantic Ocean.
Politics and administration
The administrative centre of Devon is the city of
Exeter. The city of
Plymouth, the largest city in Devon, and the conurbation of
Torbay are now unitary authorities separate from Devon for the purposes of local government.
Nearly half of the holdings of the
Duchy of Cornwall are in Devon.
Cities, towns and villages
This is a list of the main towns and cities in Devon. For a complete list of settlements, see list of places in Devon.
- See also: List of civil parishes in Devon
Places of interest
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Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh [i], Devon [i], England [i] is one of a small number of active ...
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Lynmouth is a village [i] in Devon [i], England [i]. ...
Rivers
See also: ...
- River Torridge
- River Yealm
- River Yeo
Flag
Devon has its own
flag which has been dedicated to Saint Petroc, a local saint with numerous dedications throughout Devon and neighbouring counties. The flag was adopted in 2003 after a competition run by BBC Devon. The winning design was created by website contributor Ryan Sealey, and won 49% of the votes cast. However the creation of the flag has caused some controversy, especially in neighbouring
Cornwall, where the need for a Devon flag is disputed.
The cross design is reminiscent of both
England's
St George's Cross and neighbouring
Cornwall's
Saint Piran's Flag . The colours of the flag are those popularly identified with Devon, for example, the colours of the
Rugby Union team, and the Green and White flag flown by the first Viscount Exmouth at the
Bombardment of Algiers .
Culture
- Devon's place-names include many with the ending 'combe' or 'tor' that are of Brythonic origin . Whilst 'combe' is found in other counties , its frequency is greatest in Devon, where it is the second most common placename component . As with most of far western Britain, river names are generally Brythonic in origin, for example the rivers Exe, Axe, Taw, Torridge and Plym.
- Devon has been home to a number of unique customs, such as its own form of Celtic wrestling. As recently as the 19th century
...
, a crowd of 17,000 at Devonport, near
Plymouth, attended a match between the champions of Devon and Cornwall.
- Another Devon sport was 'outhurling' which was played in some regions until the twentieth century .
- Other ancient customs which survive include Dartmoor step dancing, and 'crying the neck'.
- 19th century
...
studies suggested that a significant ethnic Celtic element then remained in the local population, and DNA analysis in the late twentieth century has presented a great genetic commonality with the other western British peoples.
Devon as a descriptor
The
geological time scale is used by geologist [i]s and other scientists to describe the timing and ...
.
See also
References
External links
General information about Devon
- The BBC
- Extensive general historical and geographical as well as genealogical information at the
Tourist information
- Devon and Cornwall Overseas Marketing website provides information in French, German and Dutch
- County Council tourist site
- Tourist information, listings, maps, photos and beach guide
- Information, photographs and views for the towns and villages of Devon
Photographs
- Landscape Leaps: Dartmoor 360°. Interactive Virtual Tour of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England.
Devon news and sport
- The website of the Western Morning News, Mid Devon Gazette and North Devon Journal.
