An online journal for the North Devon Athenaeum
The Defence of the Realm Act came into force on 8th August 1914, just four days after the declaration of War. What follows is the coverage of the first case in North Devon to be brought before the Magistrates regarding the visibility of light from a property facing the Bristol Channel. Any light visible from …
Continue reading "Put That Light Out! — Failing to Obscure Lights in Lynmouth"
The Carnage dreadful beyond description...Lieut. John Roberts 18th June 1815 In our document collection is a small pocket diary chronicling one man’s experience of the final campaign against Napoleon which led to the Battle of Waterloo and the eventual overthrow of the Emperor. In 1815 Lieut. Roberts, of Bideford, said goodbye to his wife and …
Continue reading "Diary of an Officer at the Battle of Waterloo"
Northward of Egham, between the town and the Thames, is Runnymead, which will ever be celebrated in the history of this country as the spot where the assembled barons, in 1215, compelled King John, who had in vain resorted to the most criminal prevarications, to grant what is emphatically denominated Magna Charta, the great charter …
Today marks the 560th Anniversary of the start of the War of the Roses which saw the country descend into civil war until, the recently reinterred, Richard III lost his life at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The first battle was fought on this day in 1455 in the town of St. Albans, Hertfordshire. …
Continue reading "Discover the War of the Roses…On Our Shelves!"
During the First World War German citizens, or enemy aliens, were required to register with the authorities and had strict restrictions placed on their movements. The following article, taken from the North Devon Herald in May 1915, involves the case of a German alien, Fritz Adler, who was fined £20 (roughly £1,400 in today's money) for breaching the regulations when he hired a pony and joined two local hunts...
Pte. F. T. Hookway, of the 2nd Devons, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hookway, of Richmond-street, Barnstaple, has been invalided home from the Front in consequence of a serious attack of pneumonia and rheumatism, brought about through a most trying, dangerous, and thrilling adventure which he experienced. Pte. Hookway participated in the famous bayonet …
“I am looking forward to returning to the firing line and having another go at the Germans.” Such were the sentiments expressed to a “Herald” representative by Pte. T. Passmore, of Pugsley's street, Green lane, Barnstaple, who is spending a fortnight in his native town, having been wounded while serving with the 1st Devons at …
This week we have had Josh, a work experience student with us, who has written this post on what he discovered about one of his ancestors by using the resources we have here...Barum Athena. This past week, I have been studying my families’ past, and I have come across some things I have found fascinating. …
An interesting story in the annuals of Barnstaple’s history is that of Ulalia Page of Plymouth who was sentenced to death for murdering her husband when the Assizes were held in Barnstaple in 1590. In Sketches of the Literary History of Barnstaple John Roberts Chanter tells Ulalia's tale using as a guide a diary written …
Each February we close to the public for a fortnight for stocktaking. This gives us a chance to check our collections and carry out important work we can't do while we are open to the public. This year we focused on accessioning and cataloguing a large donation of library items, checking our pamphlet collections and …
Tales From the Archives 