Talk:Devon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is within the scope of the following WikiProjects:

Contents

[edit] Devon motto

possibly add Devon motto. not official, but on all the road signs upon entering the county, the phrase used is "Keep Devon Shipshape" (i live there, i know)

Please don't do that. It would be like saying "Please Drive Slowly" is the motto of evey village in the county, or that "Keep Britain Tidy" is the unofficial national anthem - Sakurambo 10:38, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

The official motto from the Devon coat of arms is the Latin 'Auxilio Divino' - 'by divine aid'


[edit] 1688 and all that

"Perhaps most notably, the last successful military invasion of Britain, the arrival of William of Orange to launch the Glorious Revolution of 1688, took place at Torquay."

This sounds a bit of a mess. He was invited by many wealthy and powerful people (in London and England generally) and fairly welcome, (compared to the dictator James II etc..). Invasion is too stronger a term.

- William of Orange landed at Brixham and not Torquay on the opposite side of Torbay. (appears the article has already been corrected) Quigabyte 05:03, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Jurassic Coast

There seems to be no mention of this UNESCO World Heritage Site - I'll drop a bit in before the primroses at the top - and ask that other readers look at its position (here if brief I think - or Geology if expanded) and to check they agree with any links. Thank you.

[edit] contituencies & MPs

GraemeLeggett had the good idea of linking MPs names with their constituencies - but there seems to be a standard layout similar for each county and this would be breaking a pattern - but seems a good idea. Shall we do it for Devon? By adding a number in brackets after each MPs name relating to the map. Or is this breaking any rules? I'll amend Graeme's 'Exeter' draft after 'Bradshaw' to show as an example for now... --Tony in Devon 11:27, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

I have realised that the MPs names do not tie in with the lists below - my mistake. So I will delete my (1) after Bradshaw's name.--Tony in Devon 18:10, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikiproject

I think it's time there was a wikiproject:Devon up and running. Anyone interested, come to my talkpage and we'll sort something out. Totnesmartin 16:02, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm definitely interested, but likely to be low-intensity given different projects, and am currently stalking any Devon discussion at all anywhere. I've written at totnesmartin's talk page - and am continuing to wander without a home...Stevebritgimp 21:44, 17 December 2006 (UTC) Also as a bit of a drum-beater, there is a 'Wikipedians in Devon' category people can add to their user page, and it may be of help to get things going - I've added myself. Stevebritgimp 22:02, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

The place for proposed projects is this yer [1]. Totnesmartin 22:08, 28 December 2006 (UTC) (forgot to sign again aaargh)
The project is now on: Wikipedia: Wikiproject Devon Totnesmartin 18:26, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Devon Pasty

I removed this comment, but there is some basis of truth in it - see the entry in pasty for November 2006. Might be worth adding, possibly as a trivia item, rather than Devon as a descriptor? regards, Lynbarn 22:46, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flag

Do people really believe that the green and white colours are 'those popularly identified with Devon?' Surely most devonians know that those colours were chosen purely because of the efforts of Plymouth Argyle fans to have a flag in their colours? (Sir Norris)

Devon's Rugby Union team play in Green and White. The flag was chosen by popular poll, and there is no evidence of it being driven by soccer supporters. Dewnans 12:18, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

I would say the appeal is broader than just Argyle. The question would follow, why does Argyle have Green, Black and White as its colours? The original colours of the team I believe were mostly Red. I don't think anyone can prove a chicken or egg here, and it wouldn't really matter if they could. I would agree that Green is a Devon colour, like it's an Ireland colour. Stevebritgimp 23:35, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup

As promised, my edit summary:

  • I have rewritten the introduction to be a general summary of the article, rather than random facts, some of which I'd question whether are notable enough to be on this article at all, let alone in the introduction.
  • Tried to combine related sentences in paragraphs throughout the article -- more work needed on this.
  • Expanded economy section with more statistics, and moved table to subpage -- that page needs expanding, and more stats.
  • Added info on representation to politics, and moved out of place info about a land owner to economy.
  • Turned list of settlements into prose -- this needs expanding along the same lines as what I've done so far. It shouldn't just be a list of places with no info about them, and if there's not much interesting to say about a town it doesn't have to be mentioned here.
  • Combined flag and coat of arms -- I thought the amount of info about the coat of arms was a little excessive and in places verbose. I dropped the sentence about the arms being transfered in the Local government act of 1972 altogether, for example, as it's a bit of an obscure technical detail.
  • Moved list of places of interest to List of places in Devon, per WP:UK geo guidelines. Many of these places are already mentioned in prose form in context, such as in the history and physical geography sections.
  • Cut external links which were about individual districts/towns and individual topics which have sub-articles (they belong on those more specific articles) as they were getting a little out of control. Wikipedia is not a web directory.

Still to do:

  • Prosify culture section, move the list of residents paragraph out of the history section and prosify the list of people (probably split it up, and include people in the sections relevant to their careers).
  • Split up "Devon as a descriptor" -- a "misc" header if ever I saw one -- into the relevant sections.

I'll get to work on that later this week. There's lots of good info here, and it shouldn't take much to pull it up to GA quality. Joe D (t) 00:04, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tregear in Devon?

At the article Tregear, New South Wales it is stated:

The suburb takes its name from a village in Devon, England, the home of the Lethbridge family.

Is/was there a locality called Tregear in Devon? It isn't included in the list of localities.

Thanks for any advice / assistance,Garrie 22:19, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Sounds Cornish to me. I'll look it up for you. Totnesmartin 17:26, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
I was right, It's roughly in between Newquay and Truro - in Cornwall, our much-loved neighbour. Totnesmartin 17:31, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Text added by User:193.62.42.132 and removed by me

I just reverted an addition by User:193.62.42.132. There might be some useful information in there, but it first needs to be edited for verifiability and a neutral point of view. Here it is if you want to pick over it:

Devon's best coastline and beaches are found at the Bideford Bay coast, which stretches from Bull Point just west of Ilfracombe to awesome Hartland Point.

  • On what basis is this Devon's "best" coastline?

Bideford Bay is Devon's largest bay, and also the largest bay in the West Country.

Bideford Bay boasts clean blue water, white sand beaches (at Woolacombe, Croyde, Saunton and Westward Ho!), exhilirating Red sandstone cliff and headland scenery such as Baggy Point, picture postcard fishing villages such as Appledore and Clovelly as well as the occassional visiting basking shark and dolphin. Bideford Bay faces westwards, which means a generous swell fron the Atlantic produces impressive surf on its beaches. The Bideford Bay coastline is very similar to the Gower Peninsula across the Bristol Channel in Wales (they both have the same carboniferous and Red sandstone cliffs), and ...

  • Wikipedia is not a tourist brochure.

... a proposal has been put forward by North Devon council to have a permanent ferry operating from Ilfracombe and Swansea, 20 miles north of Devon.

  • Can someone provide a reference for this?

This will be a link between the two finest coastlines in the U.K. - Devon's Bideford Bay and the Gower peninsula in Wales.

-- Sakurambo 桜ん坊 16:27, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Devonshire

"Despite common usage, especially as regards cream teas, Devon has never been known as Devonshire. The addition of the suffix is sometimes attributed to the existence of the Duke of Devonshire, resident in Derbyshire, which is said (although hard evidence cannot be found) to have been a mistake in the making of the original letters patent for the Duchy. This mistake may have been clerical, or a direct mistake of the King (James I), whose word would have been beyond question in that era."

Actually this is almost certainly rubbish. I have seen references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to Defena-scir. It's far old than this. --MacRusgail 22:41, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Do you have a link or reference point? There is a fair body of opinion to this... If there is some good evidence to the contrary it would be good to see Owain.davies 07:45, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, but Devon HAS been known as Devonshire - there are countless references in historical literature, even carved in stone. Whether it was official or not, people have referred to it in that way, and FWIW, I feel the whole paragraph should be disregarded. I did put in an explanation about Devonshire - back in November, IIRC, but that seems to have been removed subsequently. Regards, Lynbarn 07:59, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
Not disputing that - but are the historical references before or after the reign of James I? If there are good references to it BEFORE then, then it's valid to get rid of the sentence (or rather adapt it so that confusion is removed- debunk the myth, so to speak), but if the references only post date this time, then it supports the argument. We just need some refs. Owain.davies 08:42, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
(Just to quibble -- finding more post-James references in no way "supports" the argument -- it just fails to refute it. Doops | talk 21:18, 21 June 2007 (UTC))
Norman Davies, The Isles, A History P207, mentions Dumnonia becoming Defensascir or Devonshire, in around the 8th Cent. AD. He cites a source, Susan Pearce, The Kingdom of Dumnonia, (Padstow 1978), but I don't know if that's for Defensascir, Kerno or both. There must be a source somewhere with Devonshire in English or Anglo-Saxon prior to James I.Stevebritgimp 21:12, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Extracts from the Chronicle. Not so hot on Old English myself, but presumably "Defenan" is the dative of "Defena".

  1. "Her Ceorl aldormon gefeaht wiþ hæþene men min Defenascire æt Wicganbeorge..."
  2. "7 þæs ilcan wintra wæs Inwæres broþur 7 Healfdenes on Westseaxum on Defenascire mid .xxiii. scipum"
  3. "foran ða þanon west oþ þæt hy coman to Defenan" Click here for text --MacRusgail 11:05, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
on the basis of the chronicle extracts, and earlier comments, I move to delete the entire paragraph - it is inaccurate in parts, duplicates information in others, and may even mislead. Regards, Lynbarn 12:19, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
I came here to complain about the same passage, and the Chronicle bit settles it for me. Here's a translation of each of these occurrences:
  1. Here lord Ceorl accompanied by the men of Devonshire fought against heathen men at Wicganbeorge
  2. And that same winter was Inwaer's and Healfdene's brother among the West-Saxons in Devonshire with 23 ships;
  3. they went west from there until they came to Devon
Anyway, maybe there's a larger issue here. It does seem that many Devonians object rather strongly to any use "Devonshire" in a modern context. Perhaps that is something to note in the article? --Saforrest 18:49, 29 June 2007 (UTC)


I think we need to have a paragraph about this, else it will keep popping up again and again, so how about this (or some variant of it) as an alternative phrase:

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 Duke of Devonshire, resident in Derbyshire. However, there are references to 'Defenascire' in old english texts from before 1000AD,[1] which translates to modern English as 'Devonshire'. The term Devonshire may have originated around the 8th century, when it changed from Dumnonia to Defensascir.[2]

Anyone think this is a good solution? Owain.davies 19:55, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I think that covers just about all the bases! well done. Regards, Lynbarn 20:06, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
Yes, I'm sure that would be fine. The M>F change may have only occurred in the British language (Welsh speakers will understand this - compare Demetia and Dyfed, but we have Elfed in Welsh and Elmet in English, so it doesn't always work) and became fixed in English, but of course that's just my potted theory and we don't have much in the way of a detailed timeline of names that were used in the area, by whom, and under what circumstances. Anyway - para above = good. Stevebritgimp 12:41, 1 July 2007 (UTC)
As everyone seems fine so far, i'll replace the contentious para with this one. As ever, people can always change it later if they don't like it. It IS a wiki after all... Owain.davies 16:54, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Financial services sector in Dartmoor

In the Economy and industry section, someone has added the following statement:

Dartmoor, for instance, has recently seen a significant rise in the percentage of its inhabitants involved in the financial services sector .

According to a report by the Dartmoor National Park Authority (HTML cache), the numbers employed in this sector only increased by 0.7% between 1994 and 2004. This is minuscule compared with other sectors like hotels & catering (+16.4%) or distribution (+15.9%). Is this statement based on more recent information, or is it just plain wrong? -- Sakurambo 桜ん坊 18:51, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dewnans

Do we need this in the infobox? it keeps getting put there with no explanation as to what it means, or what language it is. Opinions please. Totnesmartin 17:41, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

If it is to be there, it should be explained - perhaps in the text. I have removed it for now. If you know what it means/refers to, then please tell us. Regards, Lynbarn 21:59, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
I know what it means - it's the name for Devon in Dewnansek, the (reconstructed) Celtic language of Devon. It has no place in an infobox. in fact I'm fairly sure there's no article about it. This is all I can find in English, although it looks like there's some stuff in Cornish. Anyway, the upshot is, let's keep it out of the infobox. Totnesmartin 23:39, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Dewnans does indeed mean "Devon". It must be said that Dewnansek is actually Kernowek by another name with some slightly dubious additions from older Devonian sources. Personally I call both languages Brythonek to both same time and partially protest the Cornish co-opting of our shared heritage (I'm Devonian if you hadn't guessed). I guess that it could be added to the infobox in much the same way as Cornwall includes Kernow and The ROI includes Éire. It very much depends on whether or not you accept that the historic indiginous Celtic language of the SW peninsula belongs to everyone now living there, or just one subset of those peoples. In my opinion it ought to be the case that anyone living in modern counties that hold territory which was previously held by the Dumnonii should be able to learn their ancestral language. I'm not saying that others couldn't also learn but the four SW-most counties should be given the first crack at it. Just my £0.02 and I'm open to dissenting opinions for debate.Heliotic (talk) 09:01, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
The main point is, I think, whether Dewnansek (spell it how you will) is well-established enough to be on the infobox. In my opinion it's not (but the future is unwritten, as The Clash said once). As for "ought...to be able to learn their ancestral language" Wikipedia is not a soapbox, so no promoting what ought to be, but what we can do is mention Dewnansek in the text, perhaps under history or culture. Totnesmartin (talk) 12:47, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Just to add my two quid: My heart and feelings are with Heliotic, right down to the British/Pretanek self-identification. But we need to stick to facts. A Devon language, or indeed a South West British language, however obvious, isn't established among linguists, so a clear identification that 'this is Cornish' would be needed. Apart from this, I would be very interested in the origin and attestation of 'Dewnans' as a word. You'd think the Cornish would have had a word for Devon. The Welsh have access to their own word for it from their own literature (Dyfneint) - it could be argued even Irish has a word for Devon. Is 'Dewnans' attested in Cornish literature, or is it just reconstructed from the 'Dewnansek' exercise? If the latter, this would devalue the word considerably, and it wouldn't be right to ever include it here. Stevebritgimp (talk) 13:45, 7 December 2007 (UTC) Add just to be even shittier: Cornish itself has half a dozen orthographies that people get very, very animated about. So even with an established term, spelling would depend on the brand of Cornish used. Until everyone chills out and makes a decision on that things are largely in limbo. Optimistically that might take 2-5 years. Otherwise who knows? Stevebritgimp (talk) 13:48, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Totnesmartin, I know that, as per WP:SOAPBOX my opinions have no place in the actual article, which is why I expressed them in the Talk section instead of making a very ill-advised edit to the article and starting yet another Celtic-based edit-war. Dewnansek itself is probably not notable enough (YET) to merit a mention, but it might be worth making an edit to the effect that some Devonians who wish to reverse the tide of anglo-saxon culture and reassert their ancestral anglo-celtic one are attempting to spread the use of Cornish into the rest of the peninsula under a variety of different names and banners including Dewnansek and Brythonek. There is a ready-made place for this edit in the Culture section where Brythonic words for geograpical features such as Coombe and Tor are discussed. Heliotic (talk) 19:01, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
Stevebritgimp, Thankyou for the support and I wholeheartedly agree about sticking to facts. If you read the reply to Totnesmartin you'll note that I also agree that the language is, for all intents and purposes, Cornish by another name. Linguistically, Dewnans (Cornish), Dyfnaint (Welsh) and Devon (English) derive from the name of the original Celtic inhabitants of the area, the Dumnonii, and all P-celtic languages have followed nearly the same path to reach their current forms. Dewnans is most certainly not part of the "Dewnansek exercise" as the cornish themselves use "Dewnans" on their own language Wikipedia[2], along with Dewnens and Deunans from other orthographies. Dewnens appears to be the Kw Wiki standard but nearly every other source I can find anywhere sees Dewnans with an A as the defacto standard spelling. Those are the facts as near as I can figure them, if you have contradictory or supporting evidence I would be only too happy to look at it and, if necessary, revise my own stance. Heliotic (talk) 19:01, 7 December 2007 (UTC)
Yes, edit wars and their parallel talkpage arguments are very destructive and tedious things - I've read quite a few on this general subject, and will be keeping out of them as much as possible. Indeed Dewnans, Dyfneint, Devon, as well as Domnonee derive from Dumnoni which is a latinised form of a word we no longer have, itself maybe related to Fir Domhnain and Dobunni. This in itself doesn't answer where Dewnans originates. Dyfneint is found in ancient Welsh epic poetry and is interpreted as Devon, or Greater Dumnonia - and can be put into a Welsh dictionary as part of the 'Welsh exercise'. So we can see Dewnans as part of Cornish, so it hasn't been invented outside of the 'Cornish exercise', the next step is where did it originate there? Have the Cornish found the word necessary to invent, or is found in Cornish letters, or in a Breton source? Meanwhile you can find Aberplymm on the Kw Devon page - this is a literal translation of Plymouth, an English word - is it a term actually used by the Cornish in olden days, or a modern innovation? It should be safe ground to specify that Dewnans means Devon in Cornish. The sticky bit is the relevance of that fact to modern Devon, because people without what we might call a 'Celtic consciousness' see Cornish as pertaining strictly to Cornwall, and don't see it as a grey area, and don't subscribe to the 'Devon exercise'. Meanwhile among people with a 'Celtic consciousness' we have arguments where one group can accuse the other of invention, where they themselves have had no alternative but to invent. My position is that it is important to stay chilled, see the whole picture without drawing arbitrary lines around things, and be aware of the true origins of the things we hold to be true (and not cover up where things are dodgy). If people could stick to that, maybe there might be less destructiveness - but that is a discussion for elsewhere. Currently these ideas have been of interest to a narrow group of people, so I too would be cautious in inserting them in areas that would fall under WP:SOAPBOX. Enough speechifying from me - incredible amounts have been typed on Wikipedia about this, probably why they're having a funding drive ;) Stevebritgimp (talk) 16:19, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Eureka!! Stevebritgimp (talk) 02:42, 15 December 2007 (UTC) Found on a discussion board:[3] "It is interesting that William Camden, in his 1607 edition of “Britannia”, describes Cornwall and Devon as being two parts of the same ‘country’ which, “was in ancient time inhabited by those Britains whom Solinus called Dunmonii, Ptolomee Damnonii, or (as we find in some other copies) more truly Danmonii. ... . But”, he says, “the Country of this nation is at this day divided into two parts, known by later names of Cornwall and Denshire [Devonshire] ... The near or hithermore region of the Danmonians that I spake of is now commonly called Denshire, [or] by the Cornish-Britains ‘Dewnan’, and by the Welsh Britains ‘Duffneint’, that is, ‘low valleys’, for that the people dwell for the most part beneath in Vales; by the English Saxons [it is known as] ‘Deven-schire’, whereof grew the Latin name ‘Devonia’, and by that contraction which the vulgar people useth, ‘Denshire’.” "

Well that will put the cat amongst the pigeons - on both sides of the Tamar! I would say that with a bit more background, that extract could form the basis of a separate entry, linked to both the Devon and Cornwall entries.
Regards Lynbarn (talk) 13:25, 15 December 2007 (UTC)
Yes, I was up all night reading some of the h2g2 discussions - it does seem that a lot of these sources are very hard to nail down. The one in question apparently has several editions. It also appears that what was once consensus among Victorian and older scholarship has fallen from people's attention. But at least it appears Dewnan is a genuine word.Stevebritgimp (talk) 18:31, 15 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Huccaby

I believe we need an article on the place called Huccaby, in Devon. I think it's a village. Badagnani (talk) 03:50, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

Same could be said for a lot of other places. (80.42.201.205 (talk) 21:18, 18 January 2008 (UTC))

[edit] Good article but pictorically South Devon is over represented

Just noticed that all the pictures apart from foreland point depict South Devon. Supposed (talk) 22:11, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Agreed - I am currently (well about to may be a better phrase) working on South West media on Commons. Specifically I am working up the Cornish page & plan to do the same for Devon in the next week or so. However feel free to poke around the Devon category there and change some. Cheers --Herby talk thyme 09:51, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Formatting of this page

The [edit] links don't seem to be displaying properly. Compare this page to Hertfordshire. Does anyone know how to fix this on the Devon page? C.harrison1988 (talk) 07:38, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

They have been displaced by all the photos following the infobox, I can't offhand recall how to fix this, but when I do I will return. DuncanHill (talk) 09:10, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
I have fixed it (I think) by moving the pictures about. DuncanHill (talk) 09:19, 14 May 2008 (UTC)