106-512: The North Devon Militia , later the Devon Artillery Militia , was a part-time military unit in the maritime county of Devonshire in the West of England . The Militia had always been important in the county, which was vulnerable to invasion, and from its formal creation in 1758 the regiment served in home defence in all Britain's major wars until 1909. Having always been an infantry regiment,
212-400: A combined population of 115,410. They all are located along the south coast, which is the most populous part of the county; Barnstaple (31,275) and Tiverton (22,291) are the largest towns in the north and centre respectively. For local government purposes Devon comprises a non-metropolitan county , with eight districts, and two unitary authority areas: Plymouth and Torbay . Devon has
318-577: A county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the Militia Ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances: The 1852 Act introduced Militia Artillery units in addition to
424-466: A further grant of crest and supporters was obtained. The crest is the head of a Dartmoor Pony rising from a "Naval Crown". This distinctive form of crown is formed from the sails and sterns of ships, and is associated with the Royal Navy . The supporters are a Devon bull and a sea lion. Devon County Council adopted a "ship silhouette" logo after the 1974 reorganisation, adapted from the ship emblem on
530-612: A large part in the religious life of Devon today, although the county has shared in the post-World War II decline in British religious feeling. The Diocese of Exeter remains the Anglican diocese including the whole of Devon. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth was established in the mid 19th century. There was no established coat of arms for the county until 1926: the arms of the City of Exeter were often used to represent Devon, for instance in
636-558: A result of some reintroductions. Another recent reintroduction is the Eurasian beaver , primarily on the river Otter. Other rare species recorded in Devon include seahorses and the sea daffodil. The botany of the county is very diverse and includes some rare species not found elsewhere in the British Isles other than Cornwall. Devon is divided into two Watsonian vice-counties : north and south,
742-610: A soft, sooty coal, which is known in Devon as culm , or from the contortions commonly found in the beds. This formation stretches from Bideford to Bude in Cornwall, and contributes to a gentler, greener, more rounded landscape. It is also found on the western, north and eastern borders of Dartmoor. The sedimentary rocks in more eastern parts of the county include Permian and Triassic sandstones (giving rise to east Devon's well known fertile red soils); Bunter pebble beds around Budleigh Salterton and Woodbury Common and Jurassic rocks in
848-594: A varied geography. It contains Dartmoor and part of Exmoor , two upland moors which are the source of most of the county's rivers, including the Taw , Dart , and Exe . The longest river in the county is the Tamar , which forms most of the border with Cornwall and rises in Devon's northwest hills. The southeast coast is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site , and characterised by tall cliffs which reveal
954-466: Is -combe which derives from Brittonic cwm meaning 'valley' usually prefixed by the name of the possessor. William Camden , in his 1607 edition of Britannia , described Devon as being one part of an older, wider country that once included Cornwall : THAT region which, according to the Geographers, is the first of all Britaine, and, growing straiter still and narrower, shooteth out farthest into
1060-479: Is a county bird society dedicated to the study and conservation of wild birds. The RSPB has reserves in the county, and Natural England is responsible for over 200 Devon Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves , such as Slapton Ley . The Devon Bat Group was founded in 1984 to help conserve bats. Wildlife found in this area extend to a plethora of different kinds of insects, butterflies and moths; an interesting butterfly to take look at
1166-462: Is a wide range of wildlife (see Dartmoor wildlife , for example). A popular challenge among birders is to find over 100 species in the county in a day. The county's wildlife is protected by several wildlife charities such as the Devon Wildlife Trust , which looks after 40 nature reserves. The Devon Bird Watching and Preservation Society (founded in 1928 and known since 2005 as "Devon Birds")
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#17328946635321272-629: Is due to a mistake in the making of the original letters patent for the Duke of Devonshire , resident in Derbyshire . There are references to both Defnas and Defenasċīre in Anglo-Saxon texts from before 1000 CE (the former is a name for the "people of Devon" and the latter would mean 'Shire of the Devonians'), which translates to modern English as Devonshire . The term Devonshire may have originated around
1378-546: Is lined with tourist resorts, many of which grew rapidly with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century. Examples include Dawlish, Exmouth and Sidmouth on the south coast, and Ilfracombe and Lynmouth on the north. The Torbay conurbation of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham on the south coast is now administratively independent of the county. Rural market towns in the county include Barnstaple, Bideford, Honiton , Newton Abbot , Okehampton , Tavistock , Totnes and Tiverton . The boundary with Cornwall has not always been on
1484-564: Is relatively uncommon away from high land, although there are few exceptions. The county has mild summers with occasional warm spells and cool rainy periods. Winters are generally cool and the county often experiences some of the mildest winters in the world for its high latitude, with average daily maximum temperatures in January at 8 °C (46 °F). Rainfall varies significantly across the county, ranging from over 2,000 mm (79 in) on parts of Dartmoor, to around 750 mm (30 in) in
1590-534: Is superior to captain and subordinate to lieutenant colonel . The insignia for a major is a crown . The equivalent rank in the Royal Navy is lieutenant commander , and squadron leader in the Royal Air Force . By the time of the Napoleonic wars , an infantry battalion usually had two majors, designated the "senior major" and the "junior major". The senior major effectively acted as second-in-command and
1696-450: Is the chequered skipper . Devon is a national hotspot for several species that are uncommon in Britain, including the cirl bunting ; greater horseshoe bat ; Bechstein's bat and Jersey tiger moth . It is also the only place in mainland Britain where the sand crocus ( Romulea columnae ) can be found – at Dawlish Warren, and is home to all six British native land reptile species, partly as
1802-608: Is the 218 m (715 ft) Little Hangman, which marks the western edge of coastal Exmoor. One of the features of the North Devon coast is that Bideford Bay and the Hartland Point peninsula are both west-facing, Atlantic facing coastlines; so that a combination of an off-shore (east) wind and an Atlantic swell produce excellent surfing conditions. The beaches of Bideford Bay ( Woolacombe , Saunton , Westward Ho! and Croyde ), along with parts of North Cornwall and South Wales, are
1908-405: Is the city of Exeter. The largest city in Devon, Plymouth, and the conurbation of Torbay (which includes the largest town in Devon and capital of Torbay, Torquay, as well as Paignton and Brixham) have been unitary authorities since 1998, separate from the remainder of Devon which is administered by Devon County Council for the purposes of local government. Devon County Council is controlled by
2014-1029: The Second Boer War . The RA abandoned its divisional structure in 1902 and the Militia Artillery became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery , the Devonport unit becoming the Devon RGA (Militia) . After the Boer War, the future of the Militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers ) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War . Some batteries of Militia Artillery were to be converted to field artillery. However, little of Brodrick's scheme
2120-452: The College of Arms . The main part of the shield displays a red crowned lion on a silver field, the arms of Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cornwall . The chief or upper portion of the shield depicts an ancient ship on wavers, for Devon's seafaring traditions. The Latin motto adopted was Auxilio Divino (by Divine aid), that of Sir Francis Drake . The 1926 grant was of arms alone. On 6 March 1962
2226-666: The Devonian strata of north Devon and south west Devon (and extending into Cornwall); ii) the Culm Measures (north western Devon also extending into north Cornwall); and iii) the granite intrusion of Dartmoor in central Devon, part of the Cornubian batholith forming the 'spine' of the southwestern peninsula. There are blocks of Silurian and Ordovician rocks within Devonian strata on the south Devon coast but otherwise no pre-Devonian rocks on
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#17328946635322332-479: 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 Convocation , which dates back to the 12th century. The last recorded sitting was in 1748. Devon straddles a peninsula and so, uniquely among English counties, has two separate coastlines: on
2438-866: The Order of Brothelyngham —a fake monastic order of 1348 — regularly rode through Exeter, kidnapping both religious men and laymen, and extorting money from them as ransom. 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 . The arrival of William of Orange to launch
2544-578: The Prayer Book Rebellion caused the deaths of thousands of people from Devon and Cornwall. During the English Reformation , churches in Devon officially became affiliated with the Church of England . From the late sixteenth century onwards, zealous Protestantism – or 'puritanism' – became increasingly well-entrenched in some parts of Devon, while other districts of the county remained much more conservative. These divisions would become starkly apparent during
2650-680: The Royal Horse Guards ), the Surgeon, and most of the other officers of the North Devon Militia transferred to the new corps, together with 367 volunteers, all over 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) in height; deficiencies in men of the correct height were made up by exchanging men with the two infantry regiments. The new regiment assembled at the Cavalry Barracks at Exeter, and then established its HQ at Devonport, Plymouth . The unit
2756-550: The Triassic , Jurassic and Cretaceous geology of the region. The county gives its name to the Devonian geologic period, which includes the slates and sandstones of the north coast. Dartmoor and Exmoor have been designated national parks , and the county also contains, in whole or in part, five national landscapes . In the Iron Age , Roman and the Sub-Roman periods, the county was
2862-567: The rain shadow along the coast in southeastern Devon and around Exeter. Sunshine amounts also vary widely: the moors are generally cloudy, but the SE coast from Salcombe to Exmouth is one of the sunniest parts of the UK (a generally cloudy region). With westerly or south-westerly winds and high pressure the area around Torbay and Teignmouth will often be warm, with long sunny spells due to shelter by high ground ( Foehn wind ). The variety of habitats means that there
2968-481: The "Deep Valley Dwellers". The region to the west of Exeter was less Romanised than the rest of Roman Britain since it was considered a remote part of the province. After the formal Roman withdrawal from Britain in AD 410, one of the leading Dumnonii families attempted to create a dynasty and rule over Devon as the new Kings of Dumnonii. Celtic paganism and Roman practices were the first known religions in Devon, although in
3074-631: The 'Garrison Army': the Devon Artillery's war station was in the Plymouth defences, including Staddon Fort , Fort Bovisand , Breakwater , Maker Heights and the Whitsand Bay works. The Artillery Militia was reorganised into 11 territorial divisions of garrison artillery on 1 April 1882, the regiments formally becoming 'brigades' of the RA. The Devon unit became the 3rd Brigade, Western Division, RA . The unit
3180-454: The 8th century, when it changed from Dumnonia ( Latin ) to Defenasċīr . Kents Cavern in Torquay had produced human remains from 30 to 40,000 years ago. Dartmoor is thought to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer peoples from about 6000 BC. The Romans held the area under military occupation for around 350 years. Later, the area began to experience Saxon incursions from
3286-607: The Bristol Channel and Celtic Sea in the north, and on the English Channel in the south. The South West Coast Path runs along the entire length of both, around 65% of which is named as Heritage Coast . Before the changes to English counties in 1974, Devon was the third largest county by area and the largest of the counties not divided into county-like divisions (only Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were larger and both were sub-divided into ridings or parts, respectively). Since 1974
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3392-454: The Confessor by Lyfing's successor Bishop Leofric , hitherto Bishop of Crediton, who became first Bishop of Exeter under Edward the Confessor, which was established as his cathedral city in 1050. At first, the abbey church of St Mary and St Peter, founded by Athelstan in 932 and rebuilt in 1019, served as the cathedral. Devon came under the political influence of several different nobles during
3498-954: The Conservatives, and the political representation of its 60 councillors are: 38 Conservatives , 10 Liberal Democrats , six Labour , three Independents , two Green and one South Devon Alliance. At the 2024 general election , Devon returned six Liberal Democrats, four Conservatives and three Labour MPs to the House of Commons . Historically Devon was divided into 32 hundreds : Axminster , Bampton , Black Torrington , Braunton , Cliston , Coleridge , Colyton , Crediton , East Budleigh , Ermington , Exminster , Fremington , Halberton , Hartland , Hayridge , Haytor , Hemyock , Lifton , North Tawton and Winkleigh , Ottery , Plympton , Roborough , Shebbear , Shirwell , South Molton , Stanborough , Tavistock , Teignbridge , Tiverton , West Budleigh , Witheridge , and Wonford . A devolution deal
3604-452: The Country of this nation is at this day divided into two parts, knowen by later names of Cornwall and Denshire, [...] The term Devon is normally used for everyday purposes (e.g., "Devon County Council"), but Devonshire has continued to be used in the names of the " Devonshire and Dorset Regiment " (until 2007) and " The Devonshire Association ". One erroneous theory is that the shire suffix
3710-490: The Devon Flora by Ivimey-Cook appeared in 1984, and A New Flora of Devon , based on field work undertaken between 2005 and 2014, was published in 2016. Rising temperatures have led to Devon becoming the first place in modern Britain to cultivate olives commercially. In January 2024, plans were announced to plant over 100,000 trees in northern Devon to support Celtic rainforests , which are cherished yet at risk ecosystems in
3816-466: The Devon mainland. The metamorphic rocks of Eddystone are of presumed Precambrian age. The oldest rocks which can be dated are those of the Devonian period which are approximately 395–359 million years old. Sandstones and shales were deposited in North and South Devon beneath tropical seas. In shallower waters, limestone beds were laid down in the area now near Torquay and Plymouth. This geological period
3922-477: The East Devon Militia was assembled for its annual 28 days' training, usually at Bideford, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were mustered each year. In view of the worsening international situation the whole Devonshire Militia was embodied for service on 22 December 1792, even though Revolutionary France did not declare war on Britain until 1 February 1793. The Militia could be employed anywhere in
4028-473: The East Devons at Roborough Camp. The regiment spent the next two years at Plymouth, where all three Devon regiments spent the winter of 1795–6 in barracks at Plymouth Dock . The Grenadier and Light Companies were again taken from all the regiments in the district to form composite battalions. As the invasion threat grew the Militia was doubled in size: each county was given an additional quota of men to raise for
4134-474: The English Civil War of 1642–46, when the county split apart along religious and cultural lines. The Methodism of John Wesley proved to be very popular with the working classes in Devon in the 19th century. Methodist chapels became important social centres, with male voice choirs and other church-affiliated groups playing a central role in the social lives of working class Devonians. Methodism still plays
4240-943: The Local Militia, which had replaced the Volunteer Corps. From November 1811 to May 1814 the North Devons were stationed at Gosport, including Fort Monckton . The regiment moved to Dartmoor in June, but by then the war was over, the Treaty of Fontainebleau having been signed in April. On 16 June the warrant for disembodying the Devonshire Militia was signed. The regiment marched to Barnstaple to be disembodied on 30 July 1814. Napoleon 's escape from Elba and return to power in France in 1815 meant that
4346-627: The Middle Ages, especially the Courtenays Earl of Devon . During the Wars of the Roses, important magnates included the Earl of Devon, William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville , and Humphrey Stafford, earl of Devon whose wider influence stretched from Cornwall to Wiltshire. After 1485, one of the county's influential figures included Henry VII's courtier Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke . In 1549,
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4452-588: The Militia began to be disembodied in early 1802. The North Devons marched home to Barnstaple and disembodied on 19 April 1802. However, the Peace of Amiens did not last long, and the order to call out the Devonshire Militia was sent to the Lord Lieutenant ( Earl Fortescue ) on 11 March 1803. The North Devon regiment was re-embodied on 31 March and sent to Plymouth on 25 May. Here the Devonshire regiments trained alongside
4558-578: The Militia had to be called out once more. The regiments began recruiting for volunteers 'by beat of drum' from 25 April and the warrant for embodying the Devonshire Militia was issued on 16 June, with the North Devon to be embodied at Barnstaple on 17 July. By then the decisive Battle of Waterloo had already been fought, but the process of embodiment went on while the Regulars were away in the Army of Occupation in France. The regiment left Barnstaple on 9 August 1815 and
4664-447: The North Devon Militia was converted into an artillery unit in 1853, with a role in manning the forts that protected the vital naval base at Plymouth . The universal obligation to military service in the Shire levy was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two acts of 1557 ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. cc. 2 and 3), which placed selected men, the ' Trained Bands ', under
4770-415: The North Devon regiment was inspected and found to be 'in so shamefully unmilitary a state as to be returned unfit for service'. This was attributed to the frequent absence through illness of the commanding officer (CO), Col Sir Bourchier Wrey, 6th Baronet , who had now resigned. The lieutenant-colonel and major were both superseded, and Lt-Col Paul Orchard of the East Devon Militia was promoted to command
4876-645: The North Devon regiment. The regiment was then embodied in May 1778 for service, all of which was in the southern counties of England. Each summer, Militia regiments were gathered in camps for collective training: the North Devons spent the summer of 1779 at Portsmouth Common Camp , 1780 as part of a brigade under Lieutenant-General Simon Fraser in a training camp at Waterdown Forest, near Tunbridge Wells , and 1781 and 1782 in Devon at Roborough Camp and Maker near Plymouth, where both Regulars and Militia (including all three Devon regiments) were gathered. The Light Companies of
4982-660: The Patron Saint of Devon. Devon's toponyms include many with the endings "coombe/combe" and "tor". Both 'coombe' (valley or hollow, cf. Welsh cwm , Cornish komm ) and 'tor' (Old Welsh twrr and Scots Gaelic tòrr from Latin turris ; 'tower' used for granite formations) are rare Celtic loanwords in English and their frequency is greatest in Devon which shares a boundary with historically Brittonic speaking Cornwall. Ruined medieval settlements of Dartmoor longhouses indicate that dispersed rural settlement (OE tun , now often -ton)
5088-594: The Regiment from its re-establishment in 1758: The following officers served as Lieutenant-Colonel of the North Devon Militia: Under the 1852 Militia Act the rank of colonel was abolished in the militia and the lieutenant-colonel became the commanding officer; at the same time, the position of Honorary Colonel was introduced. Lieutenant-Colonels Commandant of the Devon Artillery Militia included
5194-563: The Regulars, with particular emphasis on the Light Companies, and six chosen men from each of the other companies trained as marksmen alongside the Light Companies. Rewards were posted on 1 August for the apprehension of seven men who had not rejoined the regiment and were listed as deserters. Soon afterwards the Supplementary Militia were also called out to reinforce the standing militia regiments. The regiment camped at Efford and then wintered round Plympton and Saltash , before moving to Pendennis Castle in 1804 and Exeter in 1805. In 1805 there
5300-416: The River Tamar as at present: until the late 19th century a few parishes in the Torpoint area were in Devon and five parishes now in north-east Cornwall were in Devon until 1974 (however, for ecclesiastical purposes these were nevertheless in the Archdeaconry of Cornwall and in 1876 became part of the Diocese of Truro ). The region of Devon was the dominion of the pre-Roman Dumnonii Celtic tribe , known as
5406-404: The River Tamar—-with a division almost exactly following the modern county boundary —but also between Devon and the rest of Southern England. Devon's population also exhibited similarities with modern northern France, including Brittany . This suggests the Anglo-Saxon migration into Devon was limited, rather than a mass movement of people. The border with Cornwall was set by King Æthelstan on
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#17328946635325512-429: The Supplementary Militia. In Devonshire some of these were formed into a fourth regiment under Sir Bourchier Wrey, 7th Baronet, while the others were distributed among the existing regiments in March 1798: by 1799 the North Devon Militia had a strength of 1128 men, well above the usual establishment of a battalion. The North Devons spent the summer of 1798 at Moreleigh Camp , then wintered in Barnstaple and Bideford. With
5618-425: The Teign Valley Museum), as well as one of the county's football teams, Plymouth Argyle . On 17 October 2006, the flag was hoisted for the first time outside County Hall in Exeter to mark Local Democracy Week, receiving official recognition from the county council. In 2019 Devon County Council with the support of both the Anglican and Catholic churches in Exeter and Plymouth, officially recognised Saint Boniface as
5724-530: The UK. The project aims to create 50 hectares of new rainforest across three sites, planting trees near existing rainforest areas along the coast and inland. Among the tree species to be planted is the rare Devon whitebeam , known for its unique reproduction method and once-popular fruit. Led by the National Trust and with the assistance of volunteers and community groups, the initiative will focus on locations in Exmoor , Woolacombe , Hartland , and Arlington Court . The administrative centre and capital of Devon
5830-410: The West, [...] was in antient time inhabited by those Britans whom Solinus called Dumnonii, Ptolomee Damnonii [...] For their habitation all over this Countrey is somewhat low and in valleys, which manner of dwelling is called in the British tongue Dan-munith, in which sense also the Province next adjoyning in like respect is at this day named by the Britans Duffneit, that is to say, Low valleys. [...] But
5936-402: The badge of the Devonshire Regiment . During the forming of a county council by the Local Government Act 1888 adoption of a common seal was required. The seal contained three shields depicting the arms of Exeter along with those of the first chairman and vice-chairman of the council ( Lord Clinton and the Earl of Morley ). On 11 October 1926, the county council received a grant of arms from
6042-420: The beginning of August and then to Brighton for two weeks before returning to Broadwater Common. The camp broke up in the autumn and the regiments went to their separate winter quarters. During the winter of 1793–94 The North Devons were at Sevenoaks in Kent , then spent the summer of 1794 at Hythe Camp before returning west to Taunton for the winter. In the summer of 1795 the North Devons were brigaded with
6148-407: The boundary being an irregular line approximately across the higher part of Dartmoor and then along the canal eastwards. Botanical reports begin in the 17th century and there is a Flora Devoniensis by Jones and Kingston in 1829. A general account appeared in The Victoria History of the County of Devon (1906), and a Flora of Devon was published in 1939 by Keble Martin and Fraser. An Atlas of
6254-437: The coat of arms, but following the loss in 1998 of Plymouth and Torbay re-adopted the coat of arms. In April 2006 the council unveiled a new logo which was to be used in most everyday applications, though the coat of arms will continue to be used for "various civic purposes". Devon also has its own flag which has been dedicated to Saint Petroc, a local saint with dedications throughout Devon and neighbouring counties. The flag
6360-434: The command of Lords Lieutenant appointed by the monarch. This is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. The Devon Trained Bands were divided into three 'Divisions' (East, North and South), which were called out in the Armada year of 1588. Although control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between King Charles I and Parliament that led to the First English Civil War , most of
6466-497: The command of the Duke of Bedford as Lord Lieutenant. From 1759 to 1763 the North Devon regiment was stationed in Cornwall to assist Revenue Officers in suppressing smuggling. Detachments were stationed at Mevagissey , Padstow and many other places. In 1763 the battalions were reorganised into three regiments, including the 2nd or North Devon Militia of 500 men, 25 Sergeants and 16 Drummers , organised into eight companies, with its headquarters (HQ) at Barnstaple . The regiment
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#17328946635326572-535: The country for home defence, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, while the Regular Army regarded them as a source of trained men if they could be persuaded to transfer. In practice the North Devon Militia remained in the southern counties during their periods of embodied service. In June 1793 both the North and South Devon regiments marched to join a large militia training encampment at Broadwater Common, Waterdown Forest, outside Tunbridge Wells . The whole camp moved to Ashdown Forest at
6678-495: The county Trained Bands played little part in the fighting. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the militia of Devon were called out on a number of occasions when the appearance of hostile fleets caused alarm, and in 1685 they prevented the rebel Duke of Monmouth from accessing recruits and supplies from Devon and Cornwall. After the Battle of Sedgemoor the Devon Militia were active in rounding up rebels. The Devonshire Militia continued to be mustered for training during
6784-421: The county has attractive rolling rural scenery and villages with thatched cob cottages. All these features make Devon a popular holiday destination. In South Devon the landscape consists of rolling hills dotted with small towns, such as Dartmouth , Ivybridge , Kingsbridge , Salcombe , and Totnes . The towns of Torquay and Paignton are the principal seaside resorts on the south coast. East Devon has
6890-452: The county is ranked fourth by area (due to the creation of Cumbria) amongst ceremonial counties and is the third largest non-metropolitan county . The island of Lundy and the reef of Eddystone are also in Devon. The county has more mileage of road than any other county in England. Inland, the Dartmoor National park lies wholly in Devon, and the Exmoor National Park lies in both Devon and Somerset. Apart from these areas of high moorland
6996-545: The diocese of Wessex, while nothing is known of the church organisation of the Celtic areas. About 703 Devon and Cornwall were included in the separate diocese of Sherborne and in 900 this was again divided into two, the Devon bishop having from 905 his seat at Tawton (now Bishop's Tawton ) and from 912 at Crediton , birthplace of St Boniface. Lyfing became Bishop of Crediton in 1027 and shortly afterwards became Bishop of Cornwall . The two dioceses of Crediton and Cornwall, covering Devon and Cornwall, were united under Edward
7102-414: The disbandment was not popular with the Militia colonels, and the North Devons' colonel, Earl Fortescue , resigned in protest. In the North Devons the two companies of volunteers (as opposed to balloted men) had been raised by their captains at some expense, but as the junior companies they were the ones ordered to be disbanded. Having made representations to the Home Office , they were allowed to be kept on
7208-510: The east around 600 AD, firstly as small bands of settlers along the coasts of Lyme Bay and southern estuaries and later as more organised bands pushing in from the east. Devon became a frontier between Brittonic and Anglo-Saxon Wessex, and it was largely absorbed into Wessex by the mid ninth century. A genetic study carried out by the University of Oxford & University College London discovered separate genetic groups in Cornwall and Devon. Not only were there differences on either side of
7314-411: The east bank of the River Tamar in 936 AD. Danish raids also occurred sporadically along many coastal parts of Devon between around 800AD and just before the time of the Norman conquest, including the silver mint at Hlidaforda Lydford in 997 and Taintona (a settlement on the Teign estuary) in 1001. Devon was the home of a number of anticlerical movements in the Later Middle Ages . For example,
7420-418: The east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. The city of Plymouth is the largest settlement, and the city of Exeter is the county town . The county has an area of 2,590 sq mi (6,700 km ) and a population of 1,194,166. The largest settlements after Plymouth (264,695) are the city of Exeter (130,709) and the seaside resorts of Torquay and Paignton , which have
7526-413: The easternmost parts of Devon. Smaller outcrops of younger rocks also exist, such as Cretaceous chalk cliffs at Beer Head and gravels on Haldon, plus Eocene and Oligocene ball clay and lignite deposits in the Bovey Basin, formed around 50 million years ago under tropical forest conditions. Devon generally has a cool oceanic climate, heavily influenced by the North Atlantic Drift . In winter, snow
7632-545: The establishment. The North Devons spent the summer months of 1799 at Lymington in Hampshire and then went into barracks round Portsmouth and Gosport until the summer of 1801, when it moved to Weymouth Camp in Dorset . In November 1801 the regiment moved back to Plymouth, where there had been bread riots earlier in the year and where the countryside was still disturbed. A peace treaty having been agreed (the Treaty of Amiens ),
7738-601: The first seaside resort to be developed in the county, Exmouth and the more upmarket Georgian town of Sidmouth , headquarters of the East Devon District Council. Exmouth marks the western end of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site . Another notable feature is the coastal railway line between Newton Abbot and the Exe Estuary: the red sandstone cliffs and sea views are very dramatic and in
7844-565: The flank companies, were progressively reduced so that by 1835 there were only the adjutant, sergeant-major and six sergeants, and the other long-serving men were pensioned off. (In 1834 an inspecting officer had found nine of them unfit for service) was progressively reduced. The Militia of the United Kingdom was reformed by the Militia Act 1852 , enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on
7950-569: The following year. The Devonshire Militia's training of June 1825 resulted in newspaper advertisements offering rewards for the capture of deserters (31 of them from the North Devon regiment). Training was held at Barnstaple in February 1831, but not again before 1852.The ballot lapsed and the permanent staff of the militia, which had been reduced in 1819 to the adjutant, paymaster and surgeon, sergeant-major and drum-major, one sergeant and corporal for every 40 men, and one drummer for every two companies plus
8056-624: The following: The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: The first pairs of Colours issued to the Devonshire Militia battalions in 1758 consisted of the Union flag for the King's Colour, and one bearing the Duke of Bedford's coat of arms for the Regimental Colour. The uniform of the 2nd or North Devon Militia in 1778 was red with green facings ; in 1800 it was red with yellow facings. The badge on
8162-562: The home of the Dumnonii Celtic Britons . The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the kingdom of Wessex in the eighth and ninth centuries, and the western boundary with Cornwall was set at the Tamar by king Æthelstan in 936. The name Devon derives from the name of the Brythons who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at
8268-637: The main centres of surfing in Britain. A geological dividing line cuts across Devon roughly along the line of the Bristol to Exeter line and the M5 motorway east of Tiverton and Exeter. It is a part of the Tees–Exe line broadly dividing Britain into a southeastern lowland zone typified by gently dipping sedimentary rocks and a northwestern upland zone typified by igneous rocks and folded sedimentary and metamorphic rocks . The principal geological components of Devon are i)
8374-406: The majors often commanded detachments of two or more companies split from the main body. The second-in-command of a battalion or regiment is still a major. During World War I, majors wore the following cuff badges: During World War I, some officers took to wearing similar jackets to the men, with the rank badges on the shoulder, as the cuff badges made them conspicuous to snipers. This practice
8480-601: The mid-fourth century AD, Christianity was introduced to Devon. In the Sub-Roman period the church in the British Isles was characterised by some differences in practice from the Latin Christianity of the continent of Europe and is known as Celtic Christianity ; however it was always in communion with the wider Roman Catholic Church . Many Cornish saints are commemorated also in Devon in legends, churches and place-names. Western Christianity came to Devon when it
8586-582: The militia liable for service anywhere in the country, their traditional local defence duties had been taken over by the Volunteers . In November 1799 the Militia was partially disembodied, two-fifths of the men being stood down together with the whole of the Supplementary Militia. The hope was that the men dismissed from service would enlist in the Regular Army – 247 men from the North Devons did so – but
8692-453: The officers' buttons and belt-plates about 1800 was a crowned badge of the Order of the Garter , but within the garter St George's Cross was combined with that of St Andrew (thereby forming the flag of Great Britain 1707–1801); the garter bore the title 'North Devon'. By 1812 the outmoded flag was replaced by a crown within the garter, which now carried the title '2d Devonshire Regiment'. When
8798-455: The old Roman walls of Exeter, are nearly always near the coast, as in those days travelling was done mainly by sea. The Devonian villages of Petrockstowe and Newton St Petroc are also named after Saint Petroc and the flag of Devon is dedicated to him. The history of Christianity in the South West of England remains to some degree obscure. Parts of the historic county of Devon formed part of
8904-530: The regiment was converted to artillery in 1853 it adopted the RA's blue uniform with red facings. Devonshire Devon ( / ˈ d ɛ v ə n / DEV -ən ; historically also known as Devonshire /- ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / -sheer , -shər ) is a ceremonial county in South West England . It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to
9010-691: The regiments at Roborough were formed into a composite Light Battalion, which trained separately. The Militia also had to find guards for the American prisoners of war lodged in Mill Prison. The camp at Roborough was broken up on 10 November 1782 and the regiments went into winter quarters (at Taunton and Bridgwater in Somerset for the North Devons). At the end of the war the North Devons were disembodied at Bideford and Barnstaple on 4 March 1783. From 1787 to 1793
9116-607: The reign of William III, the six 'county' regiments together with the Exeter and Plymouth regiments and several Troops of Horse, mustering 6163 men. But after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 the militia was allowed to dwindle. Under threat of French invasion during the Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. Front-line Devonshire
9222-512: The resorts railway line and beaches are very near. North Devon is very rural with few major towns except Barnstaple , Great Torrington , Bideford and Ilfracombe . Devon's Exmoor coast has the highest cliffs in southern Britain, culminating in the Great Hangman , a 318 m (1,043 ft) "hog's-back" hill with a 250 m (820 ft) cliff-face, located near Combe Martin Bay. Its sister cliff
9328-557: The time of the Roman conquest of Britain known as the Dumnonii , thought to mean 'deep valley dwellers' from Proto-Celtic * dubnos 'deep'. In the Brittonic languages , Devon is known as Welsh : Dyfnaint , Breton : Devnent and Cornish : Dewnens , each meaning 'deep valleys'. (For an account of Celtic Dumnonia , see the separate article.) Among the most common Devon placenames
9434-487: The traditional infantry regiments. Their role was to man coastal defences and fortifications, relieving the Royal Artillery (RA) for active service. Under the Act, the militia establishment for Devon was fixed at two regiments of infantry and one of artillery, and the North Devon Militia was converted into the Devon Artillery Militia in May 1853. The Colonel, Lord Poltimore , retired and Lt-Col George Buck (formerly of
9540-585: The traditional orchard-visiting Wassail in Whimple every 17 January, and the carrying of flaming tar barrels in Ottery St. Mary , where people who have lived in Ottery for long enough are called upon to celebrate Bonfire Night by running through the village (and the gathered crowds) with flaming barrels on their backs. Berry Pomeroy still celebrates Queene's Day for Elizabeth I . Devon's total economic output in 2019
9646-549: The winter of 1807–8 in Bristol before spending a year at Weymouth, followed by over three years (May 1808 to November 1811) back at Plymouth. In 1809 another recruitment drive for men to transfer to the Line regiments was accompanied by balloting to bring the Militia up to strength, and the regiments were allowed to obtain recruits 'by beat of drum' (as in regiments of the Line) and by volunteers from
9752-615: Was 665 strong under the command of Lt-Col Charles Hayne. On 15 September the brigade marched to Hemerdon camp, arriving on 20 September. This camp was broken up on 22 December and the regiment moved to Portsmouth where it was quartered in Portsea Barracks and brigaded with the East Devon and North Hampshire Militia. The regiment spent the next two years in the Portsmouth area, at Gosport, Haslar , Portsea and Southsea Camp . It then spent
9858-465: Was a drive to induce militiamen to volunteer for the Regular Army (or the Royal Marines , in the case of men from Devon and Cornwall). During the summer of 1805, while Napoleon 's 'Army of England' massed at Boulogne and threatened invasion, the regiment was camped at Woodbury and then moved to Lympstone Camp, where it joined Lt-Gen Charles Lennox 's militia brigade. On 1 September the regiment
9964-579: Was adopted in 2003 after a competition run by BBC Radio Devon . The winning design was created by website contributor Ryan Sealey, and won 49% of the votes cast. The colours of the flag are those popularly identified with Devon, for example, the colours of the University of Exeter , 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
10070-465: Was approved by both Devon County Council and Torbay Council to create a Combined County Authority with various powers such as transport, housing, skills, and support for business devolved from the UK Government. The main settlements in Devon are the cities of Plymouth, a historic port now administratively independent, Exeter, the county town , and Torbay , the county's tourist centre. Devon's coast
10176-478: Was at Plymouth three days later, where it served in the garrison until 4 February 1816. It then returned to Barnstaple to disembody on 9 February. In 1817 an Act was passed that allowed the annual training of the Militia to be dispensed with. So although officers continued to be commissioned into the regiment and the ballot was regularly held, the selected men were rarely mustered for drill. The regiment assembled at Barnstaple for 28 days' drill in 1820, and for 21 days
10282-706: Was carried out. Under the sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve , a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for Regular units serving overseas in wartime. Although the Devon RGA (M) was due to transfer to the Special Reserve Royal Field Artillery (under the title Devon Royal Reserve Field Artillery , all these units were disbanded in March 1909. The following served as Colonel of
10388-748: Was embodied for full-time duty in home defence from January 1855 to June 1856 during the Crimean War . It volunteered for overseas service but was not accepted. After the Cardwell Reforms the Militia were controlled by the War Office rather than their county Lord Lieutenant, and officers' commissions were signed by the Queen. A mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned places to Militia Artillery units in an order of battle for
10494-647: Was embodied on 9 March 1885 when an international crisis arose over the Panjdeh incident while much of the Regular Army was simultaneously engaged on the Nile Expedition , but it was stood down on 30 September 1885. The garrison artillery divisions were reduced to just three from 1 July 1889, and county titles were adopted once more, with the Plymouth unit becoming The Devon Artillery (Western Division, RA) . The Devon Artillery were embodied from 1 May to 17 October 1900 during
10600-518: Was frowned on outside the trenches but was given official sanction in 1917 as an alternative, being made permanent in 1920 when the cuff badges were abolished. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the Royal Air Force maintained the rank of major. It was superseded by the rank of squadron leader on the following day. By World War I , majors were often commanding independent companies, squadrons , and batteries , but those that were organically part of
10706-503: Was given a quota of 1600 men to raise. There was a property qualification for officers, who were commissioned by the Lord Lieutenant. The size of the militia was increased as the war continued. Once again, the maritime counties were to the fore: the first issue of arms to the Devon Militia was made on 5 December 1758, and they were embodied on 23 June 1759. Two, later four (North, South, East and Exeter), battalions were formed in Devon under
10812-517: Was named after Devon by Roderick Murchison and Adam Sedgwick in the 1840s and is the only British county whose name is used worldwide as the basis for a geological time period. Devon's second major rock system is the Culm Measures, a geological formation of the Carboniferous period that occurs principally in Devon and Cornwall. The measures are so called either from the occasional presence of
10918-509: Was over a long period incorporated into the kingdom of Wessex and the jurisdiction of the bishop of Wessex. Saint Petroc is said to have passed through Devon, where ancient dedications to him are even more numerous than in Cornwall: a probable seventeen (plus Timberscombe just over the border in Somerset), compared to Cornwall's five. The position of churches bearing his name, including one within
11024-495: Was over £26 billion, larger than either Manchester, or Edinburgh. A 2021 report states that "health, retail and tourism account for 43.1% of employment. Agriculture, education, manufacturing, construction and real estate employment are also over-represented in Devon compared with nationally". Major (United Kingdom) Major ( Maj ) is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines . The rank
11130-515: Was stood down ('disembodied') in 1761, after which the militiamen's peacetime obligation was for 28 days' annual training. This was widely neglected, but the Devonshire regiments do appear to have completed their training each year. However, when the militia was called out again in 1778 during the War of American Independence (when Britain was threatened with invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain),
11236-535: Was very similar to that found in Cornish 'tre-' settlements, however these are generally described with the local placename -(a)cott , from the Old English for homestead, cf. cottage . Saxon endings in -worthy (from Anglo-Saxon worthig ) indicate larger settlements. Several 'Bere's indicate Anglo-Saxon wood groves, as 'leighs' indicate clearings. Devon has a variety of festivals and traditional practices, including
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