Devon County

Devon was one of the first areas of England settled at the end of the last ice age. About 6000 years BC. er the first hunters and gatherers settled in the Dartmoor area, they cut down most of the oak forests that grew in the current swamps. From those times, 500 Neolithic sites remained in Dartmoor .

In 43 AD, the Romans came to the southwestern peninsula of England, and by the year 55 they conquered the entire region that was inhabited (according to research by the historian William Camden) of the dumnonium - the Celtic tribe, on whose behalf the Devon name originated. The Romans kept the future county under their rule for 250 years. However, it was not as strongly influenced by Roman influence as neighboring Dorset and Somerset , mainly Roman footprints are found in the present capital of Exeter and the city of Topscheme, founded by the Romans as a seaport.

Around 410 AD er the Romans left Devon, and on the basis of the Roman settlements formed the British state Dumnoni . In the middle of the 9th century, Wessex consumed it.

Since the Norman Conquest of England, Devon has served as the arena of many civil conflicts and hostilities - including the Scarlet and White Rose War , the pretender of the pretender Perkin Warbek in 1497, the Western uprising (caused by the reformation of the church) of 1549, of course, did not bypass the county and English revolution . In 1688, the arrival of William of Orange launched the Glorious Revolution in Brixham ^[4] .

Being a county with an originally agrarian economy, Devon, as well as Cornwall lying to the west, is less developed than the rest of the southern counties, due to the decline in traditional industries - especially in fishing, mining and agriculture. The outbreak of foot and mouth disease that broke out in 2001 severely damaged the local economy.

After the railroad was built in Devon in the 19th century, seaside resorts flourished in the county, which was facilitated by both the local mild climate and the historical heritage, coupled with wonderful nature. At this time, tourism became the mainstay of the Devonian economy. However, from the middle of the 20th century, the country experienced a decline in seaside tourism, and only in recent years did a certain revival of tourist interest in the county begin, mainly due to national parks. In 2004, the income from this industry was 1.2 billion pounds ^[4] .

Devon spawned many customs and even sports, such as his own form of wrestling. Back in the 19th century, a 17,000 crowd gathered in a fight between the champions of Devon and Cornwall in Devonport. Another Devonian sport was “outhurling”, which was played until the 20th century. The Dartmoor Steppe lived to our days - a special dance, and in the city of Otter the traditional form of celebrating the Night of Guy Fawks is still preserved - people who have lived in the city for quite a long time invite people to run along the streets with barrels of burning tar on their backs.

Also in the county is partially located the only natural heritage site of UNESCO in England - the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon ^[4] .

Devon secondary schools are mostly general education, although there are grammar schools (lyceums) in Coliton, Churston and Torquay. There are 37 state and 23 private schools in the county. In most schools, you can study in the preparatory (before the university) class. Among the many Devonian colleges worth noting Darlington College of Art, which has international recognition. Universities in county two - the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter, although higher education can be obtained at the Plymouth College of St. Mark and St. John and at the so-called “Plymouth University College Network”.

Famous sailors were born in Devon - Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, as well as writer Agatha Christie, poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and vocalist of the rock group Coldplay Chris Martin. The city of Teignmouth is the birthplace of Muse rockers, as well as Sergio Pizzorno, the guitarist of Kasabian , from the city of Newton Abbott.

The geological period is named after Devon by the scientist Adam Sedgwick. The motto of the county is the phrase "with God's help", which was the motto of Sir Francis Drake.

• Devon is mentioned in the book " Ten Little Indians ".
• Events in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle " The Hound of the Baskervilles " and " Silver " from the series of works about Sherlock Holmes occur in Devon.
• In Devon live heroes of a series of novels about Harry Potter - the Weasley family.
• Devonshire is mentioned in the game “Heroes of Might and Magic 4: The Coming Storm”, which tells of five heroes traveling to defeat the dark magician Hexis.
• In Devon lives and works well-known English illustrator in the style of fantasy Brian Froud .
• British rock band Deep Purple was preparing material for the Fireball album in December 1970, renting the Hermitage mansion in the village of , North Devon County, 1 km from the Atlantic Ocean.
• The county gave the name to the geological period in the history of the Earth - the Devonian period , because Geological rocks of this period are common on its territory.
• The Russian rock band " Jan Koo " is named after the river spirit from the Devonian folklore ^[5] .

• List of sites of special scientific value of Devon

• Official site (English) of the Devon County Council .
• News from Devon on the BBC News website.
• Genuki / Devon (eng.) Historical, geographical and genealogical information.
• Devon in the directory directory Open Directory Project (dmoz) (Eng.)