Thursday 7 May 2015

Devon history: index

It never quite registers with me that Clare and I have now been living in Devon for nearly twenty years. I had a reminder this week with my decision to officially retire as website maintainer for the Devon History Society. What I didn't realise - until looking at the Wayback Machine - was that I've been doing that for 15 years. New blood is long overdue! During that time, and particularly since 2010, I find I've also written many more Devon history posts than I realised, here at JSBlog. While they're findable via the devhist label in the sidebar, readers may find the following explicit compendium of interest.

The posts cover a mix of topographic, pictorial  and literary subjects - many spinning off from mining 19th century book sources, or else researching observations during walks - with a particular focus on historical aspects of Devon's southern coast, from Brixham eastward as far as the Axmouth Undercliff. Enjoy!

2015
2014
2013
2012
2011 
  • Downman's Infancy - a 1776 verse treatise on babycare, which begins with lines in praise of Dawlish. 
  • The Oaks of A la Ronde - the theological-political stipulation, concerning Judaism and a grove of oaks, in the will of Jane Parminter of Exmouth.
  • Mrs Partington and her mop: Victorian meme - the recurring allusions to a probably apocrypal Sidmouth lady who tried in vain to sweep back the sea.
  • The wreck of the Tehwija - an account of a 1907 shipwreck at Orcombe Point, Exmouth.
  • Fern-dom - the mid-1800s fern-collecting obsession - pteridomania - that had a particular focus on Devon.
  • RHD Barham and Dawlish - the poet behind the classic description of the red cliffs of East Devon as being like "anchovy sauce spread upon toast".
2010
These and future Devon history topics at JSBlog can be collectively accessed via the label devhist.

- Ray

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