Devon
Devon is a large
county in
South West England, bordering on
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 (such as the
Duke of Devonshire), and is still to be seen on signposts in the county.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity
Plantlife chose the
Primrose as the
county flower.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3684291.stm]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 ('as equals') 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 Drake, Sir
Humphrey Gilbert, Sir
Richard Grenville and Sir
Walter Raleigh, and as the childhood home of psychology pioneer
Raymond Cattell.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Devon at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf] | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|
| 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 (Hoof 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.
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.
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 (see
Dartmoor wildlife). A popular challenge among
birders is to find over 100 species in the county in a day.
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 (the era before the carboniferous stage), so-called because the distinctive red-sandstone of
Exmoor was studied by geologists here. Devonian sandstone/slate is also found in neighbouring
Cornwall (such as
Tintagel, where the castle is made from Devonian slate), and across the
Bristol Channel in
Wales (the
Gower peninsula/
Pembrokeshire/
Brecon Beacons has the same lumpy sandstone cliffs and hog-backed hills as Exmoor). 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 (what is now) Exmoor and Dartmoor. The peaty sandstone of north Devon is of poor quality (for farming), 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.
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.
The administrative centre of Devon is the city of
Exeter. The city of
Plymouth, the largest city in Devon, and the conurbation of
Torbay (including the towns of
Torquay,
Paignton and
Brixham) 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.
 | Heathland at Woodbury Common in southeast Devon |
|  | The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide |
|
 | Part of the seafront of Torquay, south Devon, at high tide |
|
 | The Great Red cliff of Foreland point |
|
|
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*
Berry Head*
Buckfast Abbey*
Castles in Devon*
Dartmoor*
Exmoor*
Heritage railways:
**
Babbacombe Cliff Railway**
Bideford & Instow Railway**
Dartmoor Railway**
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway**
Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway**
Plym Valley Railway**
South Devon Railway*
Jurassic Coast (a
World Heritage Site)
*
Lundy Island
*
LynmouthSee also: :Category:Rivers in Devon*
River Avon*
River Axe*
River Dart*
River Erme*
River Exe*
River Lyn*
River Otter*
River Plym*
River Tamar (the border between Devon and Cornwall)
*
River Tavy*
River Taw*
River Teign*
River Torridge*
River Yealm*
River YeoDevon has its own (unofficial)
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.
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/community_life/features/devon_flag.shtml] 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 (which also uses black and white). 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 (now on view at the Teign Valley Museum).
*Devon's place-names include many with the ending '-combe' or 'tor' that are of
Brythonic origin (compare
Welsh cwm and
twr, pronounced almost identically). Whilst 'combe' is found in other counties (eg in neighbouring Cornwall and Somerset), its frequency is greatest in Devon, where it is the second most common placename component (after 'ton'). As with most of far western
Britain, river names are generally also Brythonic in origin, for example the rivers
Exe,
Axe,
Taw,
Torridge,
Plym etc.
*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 (e.g. 1922, at Great Torrington).
*Other ancient customs which still 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.
*The
cream tea, involving
scones,
jam and
clotted cream, is a local speciality, and may well have originated in Devon (neighbouring counties also claim it); in other countries, such as
New Zealand, it is known as a 'Devonshire tea'.
*Devon is the name of a variety of
ham, which (presumably) comes from Devon. In
New South Wales,
Australia, Devon is a name for luncheon meat (processed ham). The name changes in different states of Australia (for example, 'Fritz' in
South Australia, 'Polony' in
Western Australia) but all describe the same type of meat.
*The
Devon Rex cat breed originated here.
*
Devon and
South Devon are breeds of
cattle that originated in the county.
*The
Devonian is a period in the
geologic timescale.
*
England*
English (people)*
Flag of Devon*
West Country dialectsGeneral information about Devon
*The
BBC Devon information page*Extensive general historical and geographical as well as genealogical information at the
UK and Ireland Genealogy website*
The South West Coast Path National Trail*
Devon County Council*
Celtic aspects of DevonTourist information
*
Cornwall & Devon (DACOM) Devon and Cornwall Overseas Marketing website provides information in French, German and Dutch
*
Discover Devon County Council tourist site
*
DevonLink.co.uk*
Devon info Tourist information, listings, maps, photos and beach guide
*
Beautiful Devon*
East Devon Holiday Guide Tourist Guide for the East Devon area, includes town guide, beach guide and epostcards
*
North Devon Scene Tourist Guide for the North Devon area
Photographs
*
Devon Photo selection by town*
Dartmoor Virtual Tour Landscape Leaps: Dartmoor 360°. Interactive Virtual Tour of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England.
Devon news and sport
*
Devon24 All the local Devon news, sport and leisure
*
Midweek Herald Local newspaper covering the Honiton, Axminster and Seaton areas of East Devon.
*
North Devon Gazette Free local newspaper covering the Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe and South Molton areas of North Devon.
*
Exmouth Journal Local newspaper covering the Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Woodbury and Topsham areas of East Devon
*
Exmouth Herald Free local newspaper covering the Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Woodbury and Topsham areas of East Devon
*
Sidmouth Herald Local newspaper covering the Sidmouth and Ottery St Mary areas of East Devon
*
This is Devon The website of the Western Morning News, Mid Devon Gazette and North Devon Journal.
*
This Is South Devon Website of the Herald Express newspaper covering the Torbay area, based in Torquay.
*
Exeter Express and Echo Local newspaper covering Exeter.
*
Plymouth Evening Herald Local newspaper covering Plymouth.
