Devon

Devon is a large in , bordered by  to the west, and  and  to the east. It is unique among English counties, in that it has two separated coastlines, on the and  branches of the. Although Devon is the official county name, Devon and Devonshire are commonly used interchangeably in general use, with Devonshire often indicating a traditional or historical context.

Devon is the third largest of the English counties, with a population of 1,109,900. The is the cathedral city of, and the county contains two independent , the port city of  and the  conurbation of seaside resorts, in addition to  itself. Much of the county is rural or National Park land (365 s or so, or about 945, are occupied by ), and it has consequently, by British standards, a relatively low population density.

The Dorset and East Devon Coast, otherwise known as the for its geology and geographical features, is the only natural UNESCO  in England. Geologically, Devon, along with its neighbour Cornwall, is known as the "Cornubian massif". This geology gives rise to the unique landscapes of and, both. In addition to these, Devon has many seaside resorts and several historic towns and cities, plus a mild climate, accounting for the large tourist sector of its economy.

There is some dispute over the use of Devonshire instead of Devon, and there is no official recognition of the term 'Devonshire' in modern times. Theories have included that the 'shire' suffix is due to a mistake in the making of the original letters patent for the, resident in. However, there are references to 'Defenascire' in old English texts from before 1000AD, which translates to modern English as 'Devonshire'. The term Devonshire may have originated around the 8th century, when it changed from Dumnonia to Defensascir.

History
Devon was one of the first areas of settled following the end of the last. is thought to have been settled by  peoples from about 6000 BC. The name 'Devon' derives from the name of the ic people who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at the time of the  c. 50AD, known as the, 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 and , and it was absorbed into Wessex by the mid-9th century. Devon has also featured in most of the civil conflicts in England since the Norman Conquest, including the, 's rising in 1497, the of 1549, and the. Perhaps most notably, the arrival of to launch the  of 1688 took place at.

Devon has produced, and other metals from ancient times. Devon's tin miners enjoyed a substantial degree of independence through Devon's, which dates back to the twelfth century. The last recorded sitting was in 1748.

Devon is also known for its mariners, such as Sir, Sir , Sir , Sir and Sir. The poet, the crime writer , the painter and founder of the , , and the dog breeder were born in Devon. The county was also the childhood home of psychology pioneer and more recently the home of comedian. A devon is also a breed of milk and meat cow. They came from England to America in 1623.

Economy and industry
Like neighbouring to the west, Devon has been disadvantaged economically compared to other parts of southern England, owing to the decline of a number of core industries, notably fishing, mining and farming. Consequently, most of Devon has qualified for the  status, particularly around,   and the  peninsula which is somewhat cut off from industrial Britain by road and rail transport (although North Devon is only 20 miles, or 32 km, by boat from  in Wales). The harmed the farming community severely. Nearly half of the holdings of the are in Devon, including a large area of farmland.

Since the rise of seaside resorts with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, Devon's economy has been heavily reliant on tourism. The county's economy has followed the trend of British seaside resort decline since the mid-20th century, with some recent revival. This revival has been ball sack aided by the designation of much of Devon's countryside and coastline as the and  national parks, and the  and  World Heritage Sites. In 2004 the county's tourist revenue was 1.2 billion.

The attractive lifestyle of the area is drawing in new industries which are not heavily dependent upon geographical location;, for instance, has recently seen a significant rise in the percentage of its inhabitants involved in the financial services sector. In 2003, the, the UK's 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
The  lies wholly in Devon, and the  National Park lies in both Devon and. In addition, Devon is the only county in 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 runs along the entire length of both. Inland, the county has attractive rolling rural scenery, and villages with ed cottages. All these features make Devon a popular destination. The variety of habitats means that there is a wide range of wildlife (see ). A popular challenge among is to find over 100 species in the county in a day. The county's wildlife is protected by the, a charity which looks after 40 nature reserves.

The landscape of the south coast consists of rolling hills dotted with small towns, such as, , amongst others. The towns of and  are the principal s on the south coast. The north of the county is very rural with few major towns except, , and. East Devon has the first seaside resort to be developed in the county, and the more upmarket Georgian town of, headquarters of the East Devon District Council. 's popularity as a seaside resort faded as it was one of the last towns to get a rail link. Until 1861 visitors had to take a coach from or a ferry from. marks the western end of the.

Devon has also given its name to a geological era: the era (the era before the carboniferous stage), so-called because the distinctive red  of  was studied by geologists here. Devonian sandstone/ is also found in neighbouring (such as, where the castle is made from Devonian slate), and across the  in  (the // 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 mountain system of Wales continued over to (what is now) Exmoor and Dartmoor. Devon's other major rock system is the carboniferous sandstone which stretches from to just outside  in Cornwall, which is generally better quality than the Devonian sandstone, and also contributes to a gentler, greener, more rounded landscape.

Devon's Exmoor coast has the highest cliffs in southern Britain, culminating in the Great Hangman, a 1043 ft (318 m) "hog-backed" hill with an 820 ft (250 m) cliff-face, located near Combe Martin Bay. Its sister cliff is the 716 ft (218 m) Little Hangman, which marks the edge of Exmoor. The coast of Devon, along with Wales and Cornwall, has more miles of than any other region. Around 65% of Devon's 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 northern and southern coasts are impressive, in particular, which is the where the meets the /.

Rising temperatures have led to Devon becoming the first place in modern to commercially cultivate.

Politics and administration
The administrative centre of Devon is the city of. The city of, the largest city in Devon, and the conurbation of (including the towns of ,  and ) are now  separate from the remainder of Devon which is administered by  for the purposes of.

The is currently considering whether  should become a new unitary authority.

Devon County Council, controlled by the Liberal Democrats, consists of 33 , 23 , four and two independent councillors. At a national level, Devon has five Conservative, three Liberal Democrat MPs, and three Labour MPs.



Cities, towns and villages

 * For a complete list of settlements see .

The main settlements in Devon are the cities of Plymouth, a historic port now administratively independent, Exeter, the, and , the county's tourist hotspot. Devon's coast is lined with popular tourist resorts, many of which grew rapidly with the arrival of the railways in the 19th century. Notable examples include, and  on the south coast, and  and  on the north. The conurbation of,  and  on the south coast is perhaps the largest and most popular of these resorts, and is now administratively independent of the county. Rural s in the county include, , , , , ,  and.

Symbols
There was no established for the county until 1926: the arms of the City of  were often used to represent Devon, for instance in the badge of the. When a county council was formed by the it was required to adopt a common seal. The seal contained three shields depicting the arms of Exeter along with those of the first chairman and vice-chairman of the council ( and the ).

The county council received a grant of arms from the on,. The main part of the shield displays a red crowned lion on a silver field, the arms of. The chief or upper portion of the shield depicts an ancient ship on wavers, for Devon's seafaring traditions. The motto adopted was Auxilio Divino (by Divine aid), that of Sir. The 1926 grant was of arms alone. On, a further grant of crest and supporters was obtained. The crest is the head of a rising from a "Naval Crown". This distinctive form of crown is formed from the sails and sterns of ships, and is associated with the. The supporters are a and a sea lion. 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 which has been dedicated to, a local saint with dedications throughout Devon and neighbouring counties. The flag was adopted in 2003 after a competition run by 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 team, and the Green and White flag flown by the first  at the  (now on view at the Teign Valley Museum), as well as the county's most successful  team,. On, 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.

Culture


Devon's place names include many with the ending 'coombe/combe' or 'tor' - Coombe being the Brythonic word for 'valley' or hollow whilst tor derives from a number of Celtic loan-words in English (Old Welsh twrr and Scots Gaelic tòrr) used as a name for the large formations of rocks commonly found on the moorlands. Its frequency is greatest in Devon, where it is the second most common place name component (after 'ton', derived from the Old English 'tun' meaning farm, village).

Devon has been home to a number of unique customs, such as its own form of wrestling. As recently as the 19th century, a crowd of 17,000 at Devonport, near, 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 survive include step dancing, and ''.
 * Devon also has a rich variety of festivals and practices. One example of these include the flaming tar barrels in, where people who have lived in Ottery for long enough are called upon to celebrate by running through the village (and the gathered crowds) with flaming barrels of tar on their backs.

Sport

 * Devon has three professional football teams, based in each of its three most populated towns and cities. Competing in the, are the biggest and most successful team in the region.  and  both compete in the . Plymouth's apex came in  when they finished seventh in the , while Torquay and Exeter have never progress beyond the third tier of the league.
 * The county's biggest non-league club is which competes in the.
 * is popular in Devon. Two teams -  and  are currently (2007) in.
 * In, play in the . , also based in , are Devon's only other representatives in the National Leagues.
 * is also well supported in the county, with both the and  succeeding in the National Leagues in recent years.

Devon as a descriptor

 * The, involving , and , is a local speciality, and may well have originated in Devon (neighbouring counties also claim it); in other countries, such as  and , it is known as a 'Devonshire tea'.
 * Devon is the name of a variety of, which (presumably) comes from Devon. In , , is a name for luncheon meat (processed ham). The name changes in different states of Australia (for example, 'Fritz' in , 'Polony' in ) but all describe the same type of meat.
 * The  originated here.
 * and are breeds of  that originated in the county.
 * The is a period in the

General information about Devon

 * Devon 24 The website of the North Devon Gazette, Exmouth Journal, Sidmouth Herald and Honiton and Axe Valley Midweek Herald.
 * The Devon information page
 * Devon County Council
 * This is Devon The website of the Western Morning News, Mid Devon Gazette and North Devon Journal.
 * Genuki Devon Extensive general historical and geographical as well as genealogical information

Tourist information

 * Cornwall & Devon (DACOM) Devon and Cornwall Overseas Marketing website in French, German and Dutch
 * Discover Devon County Council site
 * Essential Devon Heart of Devon Tourism Partnership
 * Devonshire Heartland Tourism Association Devonshire Heartland Tourist Information
 * Devon info Tourist information, listings, maps, photos and beach guide
 * Beautiful Devon
 * DevonLink Information for the towns and villages of Devon
 * Devon Guide Focuses on the South Hams area of Devon

Photographs

 * Dartmoor Virtual Tour Landscape Leaps: Dartmoor 360°. Interactive Virtual Tour of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England