Devon - Occupations

The Devon County Record Office holds a large amount of archival material relating to apprenticeship, ranging in date from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. However, the holdings vary enormously from parish to parish.

Articles from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post Relating to Absconding Apprentices, provided by Lindsey Withers.

Article from Trewman's Exeter Flying Post listing awards to Agricultural Labourers (1845), provided by Bev Edmonds.

The Mining History Information pages - provide "Details of events, research and work in progess in the field of mining history and archaeology . . . related to Wales and South-West England". (See also Devon's Mining History and Stannary Parliament, from the Dewnans web-site (archived copy).

Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall - website - "a registered charity that collects, preserves and celebrates the history of policing in Devon and Cornwall".

The Exeter Working Papers in British Book Trade History contain a wealth of material related to Devon people involved in the newspaper and book trade.

Glimpses into the 19th Century Broadside Ballad Trade No. 9: Some Devon printers, bt Roly Brown.

Agricultural labourers moved from parish to parish as their contracts expired in a parish and they had to seek a new master at a Hiring fair. Eve McLaughlin: "Hiring fairs were held in market towns (at least 6 miles apart), usually once a year." As an aid to tracing "Ag. Labs.", a listing of Market Towns is provided, to be used in conjunction with the "Nearby Places" button on each town and parish page. (And here is a detailed listing of Devon markets and fairs (to 1516) compiled by Samantha Letters.)

Devon Section of Steve Pickthall's Parish Clerk Index (archived copy), derived mainly from the book "The Parish Clerk", by PH Ditchfield (Metheun, London, 1907).

Stone And Quarry Men Of The West Country - Joan Taber's Genealogical Index of Stone Workers and Related Occupations In Cornwall and Devon.

Blacksmiths of Devon (A-G, H-M, N-S, T-Z) - Ann Spiro's Genealogical Index of Blacksmiths and Related Occupations, compiled from census records.

Bal Maidens Cornwall & Devon - website concerning women and girls employed in the mining industry, with a searchable database.

The Devon section of the Medical Heritage of Great Britain site provides brief histories of Devon hospitals and doctors.

Lambeth Palace Library's Directory of medical licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury 1535-1775 (archived copy) contains a section on Devon.

West Country Smugglers and Excisemen and Watch and Clockmakers - provided by Paul Mansfield. (Archived copies, from the Internet Archive, dated 31 May and 4 June 2006, respectively.)

Richard Platt's Smugglers' Britain: South-West England.

Sources for Farming History, from Devon Heritage Centre.

Brett Payne's Victorian & Edwardian Portrait Photo Collection provides genealogical information and examples of the work of a number of Devon photographers.

London & UK Pub History site - Devon section - "uses information from census, trade directories and history to add licensees, bar staff, lodgers and visitors".

Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, on Devon lacemaking.

Grace's Guide (the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain) - Things to Do - Devon

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of Parliament, Part I: The Early Plantagenet Period (1213-1227). Trans. Devon. Assoc. 44 (1912), pp. 366-381. [Index]

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of Parliament, Part II: The Middle Plantagenet Period (1327-1399) Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. 45, (1913), pp. 247-269. [Index]

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of parliament - Part III: The Later Plantagenet Period (1399-1485). Trans. Devon. Assoc. 46, (1914), pp. 478-496. [Index]

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of parliament - Part IV: The Later Plantagenet Period (1485-1603). Trans. Devon. Assoc. 47, (1915), pp. 357-371. [Index]

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of parliament - Part V: The Stuart Period (1603-1688). Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. 48, (1916), pp. 320-340.  [Index]

Alexander, J.J. Devon county members of parliament - Part VI: The Early Oligarchic Period (1688-1760). Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. 49, (1917), pp. 363-375.  [Index]

Attwood, J.S. Booksellers and printers in Devon and Cornwall in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries vol. 9 (1916-17), pp. 129-138. [Index]

Barton, Denys Bradford. A historical survey of the mines and mineral railways of East Cornwall and West Devon, Truro, Cornwall, Truro Bookshop (c1964) 102 pp.: ill.

Bellchambers, J.K. Devonshire Clockmakers (1962). [Devon FHS Library 681.113]

Benjamin, E. Alwyn. The movement of tin and copper miners from Cornwall and Devon to the North Cardiganshire lead mines, Typescript (1985). [D&CRS Library: R MIG]

Bodman, Martin. Devon Leather: An Outline History of a Lost Industry: Nineteenth Century Tanners and Tanneries by, Tiverton, Leat Press (2008) 168 pp. [ISBN 978-0-9548758-1-7]

Bond, Sue. Researching Prison Officers, Devon Family Historian, vol. 171, (2019) pp.40-41.

Born, Anne. Blue slate quarrying in South Devon: an ancient industry, Industr. Arch. Rev., vol. 11, no. 1, (1988) pp.51-67.

Browne, Nigel. Six Centuries of Organ Building in Devon. At The Sign of the Pipe (2015) 250 pp. [ISBN-13: 978-0956710222]

Buck, J.A. Devonshire Clock and Watch Makers. Devon Notes & Queries vol. 3, Part 6 (1905) pp. 155-156. [Index]

Burton, Anthony. Mines and Miners of Cornwall and Devon: The Tin and Copper Industries. Pen & Sword (2020) 224p. [ISBN-13: ‎978-1526773388]

Chanter, Rev. J F. First Report of the Church Plate Committee. Trans. Devon. Assoc. (1905), vol. 37, illus. pp. 146-153. [Contains a comprehensive listing of Devonshire goldsmiths and plate workers] [Index]

Chanter, Rev. J F. Devonshire Goldsmiths. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 4, (1907), p. 88. [Transcript]

Chapman, Stanley D., (Ed.). The Devon Cloth Industry in the Eighteenth Centuries, Torquay, Devon and Cornwall Record Society, New Series, Vol. 23 (1978) xxvi + 159pp.

Chope, R P. The Aulnager in Devon. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 44 (1912).[Describes the cloth trade in Devon from 1292 to about 1724, and a Fulling mill at Chumleigh. (An Aulnager was a government official who sealed bundles of cloth presented by merchants to verify the amount of cloth supposed to be in the bundle.) [Index]

Chope, R.P. Is there Coal in Devonshire? Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913, pp. 57-62. [Transcript]

Chope, R.P. West-Country Clock and Watch Makers Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913. pp. 242-24. [Transcript]

Coleman, Heather. Mines & Minerals of South-West England [CD-ROM] [SoG Library: CD-ROM Cabinet DE/GEN]

Collins, Joseph Henry. A handbook to the Mineralogy of Cornwall and Devon, London: Longmans, Green, Reader & Dyer. Truro: Printed by Heard & Son (1871). illus., 15 pp. [Subscribers]

Davies, E.J. The Royal North Devon Golf Club 1864-1989, Westward Ho!, The Club (1989) 202p: ill. [ISBN 1872323014] [Barnstaple Library 796.352/WES 7/DAV]

Dell, S. Policing the Peninsula (1850-2000): Celebration of West Country Policing, 43 Courtlands Road, Tavistock, Devon (2000) [ISBN 0952729792].

Edmonds, Bev. Devon Agricultural Society - Agricultural Labourers, Devon Family Historian, vol. 150, (2014) pp.30-31. [Listing of annual award winners, from Trewman's Exter Flying Post, 1845]

Fortescue, Sir J. W. Records of stag-hunting on Exmoor - by John Fortescue; With illustrations by Edgar Giberne. London: Chapman and Hall, (1887), map, illus. 286 pp. [Index]

Greeves, Thomas Anthony Patrick The Devon tin industry 1450-1750: an archaeological and historical survey. Ph.D. Thesis, Exeter University, History Department (1981) 415p.

Guthrig, Sylvia. One Hundred and One Runaways, Exeter, Sylvia Guthrig (2000) 43pp. [DFHS Library P391] [On runaway apprentices, soldiers, wives, etc., and abandoned children]

Guthrig, Sylvia. Inns, Taverns & Alehouses, Exeter, Devon Family History Society (2001) 50pp.

Hamilton Jenkin, A.K. Mines of Devon, Volume 1: The Southern Area, Newton Abbot, David & Charles (1974) 154pp.

Hamilton Jenkin, A.K. Mines of Devon: North and East of Dartmoor. Sydenham Dameral - Lydford - Wheal Betsy, Wheal friendship Okehampton - Sticklepath - Chagford - Buckfastleigh - Ashburton - Ilsington - The Teign Valley - Newton St. Cyres - Upton Pyne, Exeter, Devon Library Services (1981) 226pp.

Hamilton Jenkin, A.K. Mines of Devon, Landmark Publishing Ltd (2005) 192pp. [ISBN 1843061740]

Hawker, Revd. Treasurer. Devonshire Farm Labourer Now and Eighty Years ago, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 14, (1882) pp.329-336.

Hawker, Revd. Treasurer. Devonshire Cyder, Trans. Devon. Assoc., vol. 15, (1883) pp.237-245. [Index]

Hinchcliffe, Peter. The Police in the First World War - Part One, Devon Family Historian, vol. 171, (2019) pp.24-29. [A detailed well-referenced account].

Hinchcliffe, Peter. The Police in the First World War - Part Two, Devon Family Historian, vol. 172, (2019) pp.24-28. [A furtherdetailed well-referenced account].

Hutchings, Walter. Out of the Blue: A History of the Devon Constabulary. Devonshire Press (1957) 204p. [Lookups]

Jenkinson, Tim. Turnpikes and Toll Collectors, Family Tree, vol. 27, no. 10 (2011) pp.50-52. [Collectors covered: Joseph Stamp (b. Exeter, 1791), John Strong (Bampton), The Blee Family (Tavistock), Clara Squire (Hatherleigh) and William & Mary Stook (South Hams)]

Mayers, Lynne. A Dangerous Place to Work! - Women and children of the Devon & Cornwall mining industries, www.balmaiden.co.uk (2008) 108 pp. [ISBN 978-0-9556896-0-4]

Maxted, Ian The Devon book trades: a biographical dictionary. Exeter: Maxted (1991) - (Exeter working papers in British book trade history; 7).

Messenger, M.J. North Devon Clay: The History Of An Industry And Its Transport, Twelveheads (1982) 102pp, photos, diagrams, maps.

Minchinton, W. Devon at Work: Past and Present, Newton Abbot (1974) 112p.

Northway, A.M The Devon fishing industry, 1760-1860. M.A. Thesis, Exeter University, Economic History Department (1969).

Phillips, J. The Potter’s Art in Devonshire. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. XIII, (1881), pp. 214-217. [Transcript]

Polwhele, Richard. Poems, Chiefly by Gentlemen of Devonshire and Cornwall: In Two Volumes. Bath: Printed by R. Cruttwell and sold by D. Cadell, C. Dilly, C.C.J. and J. Robinson, London, Fletcher, Oxford, and Merrill, Cambridge (1792). 240 pp. [Advertisement (with details of the various poets)]

Ponsford, C.N., (Ed.). Devon Clocks and Clockmakers, (1985) 360 pp.

Powell, Brenda. Devon Farners & Labourers in 1808, Devon Family Historian, no. 125, (Feb 2008) pp.28-33.

Radford, Lady. Early printing in Devon. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 60 (1928).

Radford, Lady. Notes on the tinners of Devon and their laws. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. 62 (1930).

Rice, Iain. Devon Firefighter - A Century of Courage & Service, Tiverton, Halsgrove Press 176 pp. [ISBN 1855227606]

Rolt, L.T.C. The Potters' Field: A History of the South Devon Ball Clay Industry, Newton Abbot, David & Charles (1974) 159 pp.

Scott, C.G. Photographers in Devon 1842-1939, compiled from resources in the Westcountry Studies Library, (1997) [Devon FHS Library p770.94235]

Slee, A.H. Some dead industries of North Devon. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 70, (1938) pp.213-221.

Soltau, G.W. Trout Flies of Devon and Cornwall, and When and How to Use Them, London: Longman & Co., Printer: Edward Nettleton, Plymouth (1847), illus., 100 pp. [Index]

Spargo, Thomas. The Mines of Cornwall and Devon: Statistics and Observations. London: Emily Faithfull (1865) xii, 188pp. [Index]

Sweetland, Carol. South West Police Heritage Trust Records, Devon Family Historian, vol. 165, (2018) p.38.

Urman, Mr. (pseud.). Reaping and Harvesting in Devonshire. Gentleman's Magazine (Nov. 1816), pp. 408-409.

Willcocks, W K. Devonshire men at the Inner Temple, 1547-1660. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. 17 (1885), pp. 246-265. [Index]

Worth, R.N. The History of Printing in Devon. Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. 11. (1879), pp. 497-515. [Index]

Wright, W.H.K. West-Country Poets: their lives and works, being an account of about four hundred verse writers of Devon and Cornwall with poems and extracts, London, Elliot Stock (1896). [Partial transcription, by Sandra Windeatt.]

Returns of Apprentices Attendance At Church - 1802-1803 - Abbots Bickington, Black Torrington, Bradford, Bradworthy, Bridgerule, Clawton, Hollacombe, Holsworthy, Luffincot, North Petherwin And West Putford, Exeter, Devon Family History Society, (Booklet & PDF D109). [Foreword]

Devonian Medical Worthies. Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries 13 (1925), p.142 Abbott-Butler, p,227 Caird-Dyer, p.373 Eccles-Huxham, 14 (1926) p.45 Inglett-Martin, p.138 Martin (William) to Pycroft, p.234 Radley-Vinson.

The Art of Devon Lace, Devon Family Historian, no. 188, (2023) pp.36-37.