With a new year come new challenges and changes for the North Devon Athenaeum. Last year the way we work with the North Devon Record Office changed as did the public area we share with them. This year will hopefully see some exciting changes behind the scenes. We will be closed in early February to …
The End of an Era
The man who "came up with documents" is leaving us today after 28 years service.
Behind the Scenes…Stocktaking 2016
Ever wonder what we get up to when we close for stocktaking? Well here's what we did this year...
The Jones Connection
For the past fortnight we have had Philip with us on work experience. He has written this post on what he found about his Jones ancestors by using the resources we have in the Athenaeum and our partner departments, the North Devon Record Office and the Local Studies Library...Barum Athena During the previous two weeks, …
Thomas Lock Hill a Fishmonger
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. …
The Tale of Ulalia Page
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 …