 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "History of Devon" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Part ofa series on the |
|---|
| History ofDevon |
  |
Overview |
Rulers and titles |
Historical governance |
Local history |
Topics
|
 Devon portal |
Devon is a county in south westEngland, borderingCornwall to the west withDorset andSomerset to the east. There is evidence of occupation of the county from theStone Age onwards. Its recorded history starts in the Roman period, when it was acivitas. It was then a separate kingdom for a number of centuries until it was incorporated into earlyEngland. It has remained a largely agriculture-based region ever since, though tourism is now very important.
Devon was one of the first areas ofGreat Britain settled following the end of the lastice age.Kents Cavern inTorbay is one of the earliest places in England known to have been occupied by modern man.Dartmoor is thought to have been settled byMesolithichunter-gatherer peoples from about 6000 BC, and they later cleared much of theoak forest, which regenerated as moor. In theNeolithic era, from about 3500 BC, there is evidence of farming on the moor, and also building and the erection of monuments, using the largegranite boulders that are ready to hand there; Dartmoor contains the remains of the oldest known buildings in England. There are over 500 knownNeolithic sites on the moor, in the form of burial mounds, stone rows, stone circles and ancient settlements such as the one atGrimspound. Stone rows are a particularly striking feature, ranging in length from a few metres to over 3 km. Their ends are often marked by a cairn, a stone circle, or astanding stone (seemenhir). Because most of Dartmoor was not ploughed during the historic period, thearchaeological record is relatively easy to trace.
The name "Devon" derives from the tribe ofCeltic people who inhabited the south-western peninsula of Britain at the time of theRoman invasion in 43 AD, theDumnonii: possibly meaning "deep valley dwellers" (Cornish:Dewnens, Welsh:Dyfnaint, Breton:Devnent) or "worshippers of the god Dumnonos". This tribal name carried on into the Roman and post-Roman periods. The Dumnonii did not mint coins, unlike their neighbours to the east, theDurotriges, but coins of theDobunni have been found in the area.
There was aBronze Age trading port atMount Batten inPlymouth Sound.[1]
In February 2022, archaeologists led by Rob Bourn, managing director of Orion Heritage, announced the discovery of the remains of awoolly mammoth,reindeer,rhinoceros,bison,wolf andhyena in a cave system during the building of a new town namedSherford. Over 200 clusters of bones were removed by the explorers to analyse the life in Ice Age in Britain. Remains of atusk,molar tooth, other bones of a woolly mammoth, a partialskull and amandible of a woolly rhinoceros date to the middle of the lastice age between 60,000 and 30,000 years ago.[2][3][4][5]
Devon was not as heavily Romanized as Somerset and Dorset, with the majority of the occupation's traces being in the Exeter area, where the Roman fortifications can still be seen. It is likely a settlement atExeter of some sort pre-existed the Romans and that the local Brythonic tribe inhabiting the area, theDumnonii, maintained a tradition of independence. It appears that initially the Dumnonii tribe of Britons were a client kingdom of Rome, but from about AD 55 theRomans held at least part of the area under military occupation, maintaining anaval port atTopsham and a garrison of the2nd Augustan Legion atExeter, which they called 'Isca'. This banked and palisaded fortress contained mostly barracks and workshops, but also a magnificentbath-house and was occupied for approximately twenty years. Then the legion moved toCaerleon and the civilians of the surrounding settlement took control. All the associated trappings of local government followed, such as aforum andbasilica and, eventually a stonecity wall. The Roman administration stayed here for over three centuries. There were several smallerforts across the county and a number ofpaganshrines, as remembered in the name of theNymet villages (Nemeton), but the lands west of theExe remained largely un-Romanized. The higher status locals there often lived in banked homesteads known as 'Rounds', whileEast Devon had a number of luxuriousvillas, such as that discovered atHolcombe, as well asRoman roads of the sophisticated cobbled type.
After theend of Roman rule in Britain in about 410, the kingdom ofDumnonia emerged, covering Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, based on the former Romancivitas and named after the pre-RomanDumnonii.Gildas criticised KingConstantine, who was probably a second generation ruler of Dumnonia in the early sixth century.[6] The Roman episcopal structure survived, and shortly before 705Aldhelm, abbot ofMalmesbury, wrote a letter to KingGeraint of Dumnonia and his bishops.[7]
Exeter, known as "Caer Uisc", may have been central to the kingdom, but some historians and antiquaries have speculated that the Kings of Dumnonia may have been itinerant with no fixed capital and moved their court from place to place. TheWelsh Triads nameCelliwig in Cornwall as a possible site of a royal court; another isHigh Peak, close toSidmouth. The former Roman city of Exeter may have become an ecclesiastical centre, as evidenced by asub-Roman cemetery discovered near thecathedral.
Dumnonia remained intact in the sixth century, but it lost territory to Wessex in the mid-seventh.[8] The historianHenry Loyn comments that the conquest of Devon was "probably swift, set in motion by the West Saxons about 660, and virtually complete by the death ofKing Ine in 725." By 682 they had reached theQuantocks (in what is now Somerset) and were pressing forward into the coastal plain.[9]The West Saxons were in control of Exeter by the 680s, whenBoniface received his education at an Anglo-Saxon monastery there. Dumnonia still retained part of Devon at this time, and before he became a bishop in 705,Aldhelm wrote on behalf of a council to KingGeraint of Dumnonia and his bishops.[10] In 710, Ine defeated Geraint, who was the lst recorded king of Devon.[11] In the eighth century there was a large-scale replacement of British placename by English ones in Devon.[12]
By the 9th century, the major threat to peace in Devon came fromViking raiders. ThusAlfred the Great refortified Exeter as a defensiveburh, followed by new fortifications atLydford,Halwell andPilton, although these were relatively small compared to burhs further east; suggesting these were protection for only the elite.Edward the Elder built similarly atBarnstaple andTotnes. The English defeated a combined Cornish and Danish force atCallington in 832. Sporadic Viking incursions continued, however, until theNorman Conquest, including the disastrous defeat of the Devonians at theBattle of Pinhoe in 1001. A fewNorse placenames remain as a result, for exampleLundy Island. The men of Devon are said byAsser to have fought the Danes at theBattle of Cynwit in 878, which may have been at Kenwith Castle or Countisbury, althoughCannington in Somerset is also claimed as the site of the battle. In 894, the Danes attempted to besiege Exeter but were driven off by Alfred; however it was sacked in 1001.
Devon was originally part of thebishopric of Winchester, but in around 705 the see was divided and a separate bishopric ofSherborne was established, covering Devon, Dorset and Somerset, withAldhelm as its first bishop. In about 910 the bishopric was again divided, with each county getting its own bishopric.Eadwulf became the firstBishop of Crediton. In 1050 KingEdward the Confessor combined Devon and Cornwall andLeofric was appointedBishop of Exeter.[13]
Immediately after theNorman Conquest,William the Conqueror recognised the importance of securing the loyalty of theWest Country and thus the need to secureExeter. The city withstood an eighteen-daysiege[14] and the new king was only eventually allowed to enter upon honourable terms.
The many great estates subsequently held by William's barons in Devon were known as "honours". Chief amongst them werePlympton,Okehampton,Barnstaple,Totnes andHarberton. In the 12th century, the honour of Plympton, along with theEarldom of Devon, was given to the Redvers family. In the following century, it passed to the Courtenays, who had already acquired Okehampton, and in 1335 they received the earldom too. It was also in the 14th century that theDukedom of Exeter was bestowed on the Holland family, but the dukedom became extinct in the reign ofEdward IV. The ancestors of SirWalter Raleigh, who was born atEast Budleigh, held considerable estates in the county from a similar period. Devon was given an independentsheriff. Originally an hereditary appointment, this was later held for a year only. In 1320, the locals complained that all thehundreds of Devon were under the control of the great lords who did not appoint sufficientbailiffs for their proper government.
During thecivil war ofKing Stephen's reign, the castles of Plympton andExeter were held against the king byBaldwin de Redvers in 1140. Conflict resurfaced in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the French made frequent raids on the Devon coast; and during theWars of the Roses, when there were frequent skirmishes between theLancastrianEarl of Devon and theYorkist Lord Bonville. In 1470, Edward IV pursuedWarwick andClarence as far as Exeter after theBattle of Lose-coat Field. Warwick eventually escaped to France viaDartmouth. Later,Richard III travelled to Exeter to personally punish those who had inflamed the West against him. Several hundred were outlawed, including theBishop and the Dean.
Dartmoor and Exmoor (mainly in Somerset [71%]) were Royal Forests, i.e. hunting preserves. The men of Devon paid 5000marks (£3,333) to have these deforested in 1242. The 11th to 14th centuries were a period of economic and population growth, but the Black Death in 1348 and subsequent years caused decline in both, with resulting social change; many villages and hamlets such as 12th centuryHound Tor were said to have been deserted, whilst new settlements were later granted to the rising class of tenant farmers exemplified by the surviving 14th centuryDartmoor longhouse settlement at Higher Uppacott, and peasant farmers subsequently prospered with large flocks of sheep and cattle. Towns such as Totnes were particularly noted for their wealth derived from the wool and tin trade with the Continent in this period.
Early inHenry VII's reign, the royal pretender,Perkin Warbeck, besieged Exeter in 1497. The King himself came down to judge the prisoners and to thank the citizens for their loyal resistance.
Great disturbances throughout the county followed the introduction ofEdward VI'sBook of Common Prayer. The day afterWhit Sunday 1549, a priest atSampford Courtenay was persuaded to read the oldmass.[15] This insubordination spread swiftly into serious revolt. TheCornish quickly joined the men of Devon in thePrayer Book Rebellion and Exeter suffered a distressing siege until relieved by Lord Russell.[16]
Devon is particularly known for itsElizabethan mariners, such as SirFrancis Drake, Mayor of Plymouth, Gilbert, SirRichard Grenville and SirWalter Raleigh.Plymouth Hoe is famous as the location where Drake continued to play bowls after hearing that theSpanish Armada had been sighted. Plymouth was also the final departure point for theMayflower in 1620, although the settlers themselves were mainly drawn fromNottinghamshire andLincolnshire.
During theCivil War, the cities of Devon largely favoured theParliamentarian cause, and by and large the rural areas favoured theRoyalists. but there was a great desire for peace in the region and, in 1643 a treaty for the cessation of hostilities in Devon andCornwall was agreed. Only small-scale skirmishes continued until the capture of Dartmouth and Exeter in 1646 bySir Thomas Fairfax. He then captured Tiverton and defeated Lord Hopeton's army at Torrington. The last place held for the king was Charles Fort at Salcombe.
After theMonmouth Rebellion in 1685,Judge Jefferies held one of his ‘bloody assizes’ at Exeter. In 1688, thePrince of Orange first landed in England atBrixham (where his statue stands in the town harbour) to launch theGlorious Revolution and his journey toLondon to claim the English throne as William III. He was entertained for several days at bothForde and at Exeter.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2008) |
In the modern period, since 1650, the city ofPlymouth has grown considerably, becoming the largest city in Devon, mainly due to the naval base at Devonport to its west. Plymouth played an important role as a naval port in both World War I and World War II. South Devon was a training and assembly area during World War II for the D-Day landings, and there is a memorial to the many soldiers who were killed during a rehearsal off Slapton Sands. Both Plymouth and Exeter suffered badly from bombing during the war, and the centre of Exeter and vast swathes of Plymouth had to be largely rebuilt during the 1960s.
Cold winters were a feature of the 17th century, that of 1676 being particularly hard. There were smallpox epidemics in the 1640s, 1710s and 1760s, resulting in many deaths. In October 1690 there was an earthquake in Barnstaple.Daniel Defoe published an account of a tour through Devon in 1724 and 1727. South Devon impressed him, but he thought that north Devon was wild, barren and poor.
During the Napoleonic War a prison was built atPrincetown on Dartmoor to hold French and American prisoners of war. This prison is still in use.
In 1842 the population was said to be mainly employed in agriculture. The population rose in the 19th century, but the rate of increase was only around half that of the population of England and Wales as a whole.[17]
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Devon has experienced great changes, including the rise of the tourist industry on the so-calledEnglish Riviera, decline of farming and fishing, urbanisation, and also proliferation of holiday homes, for example inSalcombe. Devon has become famous for its clotted cream and cider. Dartmoor has become a National Park, as has Exmoor.
Devon has suffered many severe storms, including one that largely swept away Hallsands in 1917.
East Devon established new towns includingMarlcombe andCranbrook in the 21st century.[18]
Politically Devon has had a tendency to lean towards the Conservative and Liberal/Liberal-Democrat parties.
Devon has producedtin,copper and other metals from ancient times. Until about 1300 it produced more than Cornwall, but production declined with the opening of the deep Cornish mines. Tin was found largely onDartmoor's granite heights, and copper in the areas around it. It was exported from Mount Batten in prehistoric times. TheDartmoor tin-mining industry thrived for hundreds of years, continuing from pre-Roman times right through to the first half of the 20th century. In the 18th centuryDevon Great Consols mine (nearTavistock) was believed to be the largest copper mine in the world.
Devon's tin miners enjoyed a substantial degree of independence through Devon'sstannary parliament, which dates back to the 12th century. Stannary authority exceeded English law, and because this authority applied to part-time miners (e.g. tin streamers) as well as full-time miners the stannary parliament had significant power. Until the early 18th century the stannary parliament met in an open air parliament atCrockern Tor onDartmoor with stannators appointed to it from each of the four stannary towns. The parliament maintained its own gaol atLydford and had a brutal and 'bloody' reputation (indeedLydford law became a byword forinjustice), and once even gaoled an English MP in the reign ofHenry VIII.
Tin andtungsten have most recently been mined at Hemerdon Ball (near Plymouth). During World War 2 the mine was operated to ensure a domestic supply of both metals. The mine has periodically re-opened since then and is currently known asHemerdon Mine.
