About Devon

Devon is England’s third largest county, with the longest road network of any county in England and approx 2,600 square miles (7,000 square km) of land.  Like its neighbour Cornwall, Devon has both north- and south-facing coastlines, with the major rivers, the Dart, Exe, Plym, Tamar, Otter, and Teign flowing south into the English Channel and the Taw and Torridge flowing to the north into the Bristol Channel. The South West Coastal Path covers 90 miles along the north coast and 115 miles along the south coast. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site along the south Devon coast, stretching from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon into east Dorset and Old Harry Rocks near Swanage, a distance of 95 miles (153 km). Dartmoor and Exmoor are National Parks, with the large granite mass of Dartmoor covering 368 square miles (954 square km) of central Devon, whilst Exmoor’s predominantly red sandstone (265 square miles or 686 square km) is in the northeast of the county. With its neighbour, Cornwall, West Devon is part of the Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Historically, Devon’s two cities are Exeter, the administrative centre for most of Devon, and Plymouth which, like Torbay, is a unitary authority.

During the Roman occupation Devon was inhabited by the Celtic Dumnonii, the “Deep Valley Dwellers”, with the major Roman base at Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter). The Dumnonii flourished for nearly five hundred years until the early 680s, when the Anglo-Saxons drove the Celts west, over the Tamar. The Saxon name of Dyfneint later evolved into Devon. William the Conqueror divided Devon’s farmland amongst his Norman barons and their descendants became established Devon families. Devon mostly favoured Parliament during the English Civil War and following the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, Judge Jefferies held a “Bloody Assize” at Exeter. In 1688 the Prince of Orange (later William III) began the “Glorious Revolution” by landing at Brixham and marching via Exeter to London.