Devon - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Devon Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
1,004,722,084 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Devon

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.

Devon

Enlarge picture
Locator map for the English administrative region of Devon.
Enlarge picture
In many parts of Britain the evidence of former climates still exists. One of the more common features are terracettes or sheep walks. These are very small ridges or banks, caused by the down slope mass movement of soil. This occurs as a result of the wetting and drying of soil, the freezing and thawing of water in the soil, and the compaction of these ridges by animals, especially sheep.
Enlarge picture
The building of New Bridge across the River Torridge, north of Bideford in Devon. The finished structure has eight spans with a total length of 641 m/2,104 ft and is 24 m/79 ft above the spring tide water level. The opening of the bridge has greatly eased the pressure of traffic on the town of Bideford.
Enlarge picture
The River Tamar rises only 6.4 km/4 mi from Bude, on the north Devon coast, flowing south for almost 80 km/50 mi before emptying into Plymouth Sound and the English Channel. It accounts for most of the boundary line dividing the counties of Devon and Cornwall and is crossed by, among others, the Brunel Railway Bridge and the Tamar Suspension Bridge.
Enlarge picture
Torquay is a popular resort town on the south Devon coast. Today its harbour is a major centre for recreational sailing. During the Napoleonic Wars the town served as a centre for officers awaiting orders to move overseas. Many of the houses in the old town date from this period.
Enlarge picture
Wistman's Wood, Dartmoor, Devon. Wistman's (or Wiseman's) Wood is one of only three remaining ancient upland oak copses in Devon. Originally, oak and birch forest covered all but the very highest reaches of the moor.

County of southwest England; Plymouth and Torbay have been separate unitary authorities since April 1998.

Area

6,720 sq km/2,594 sq mi

Towns and cities

Exeter (administrative headquarters); resorts: Barnstaple, Bideford, Exmouth, Ilfracombe, Sidmouth, Teignmouth, Tiverton

Physical

rivers: Dart, Exe, Plym, Tamar (94 km/58 mi), Taw, Teign, Torridge; National Parks: Dartmoor, Exmoor

Features

Lundy bird sanctuary and marine nature reserve in the Bristol Channel

Agriculture

sheep and dairy farming, beef cattle; cider and clotted cream; fishing

Industries

kaolin; Dartington glass; quarrying (granite, limestone, sandstone); minerals (copper, iron, lead, manganese); tourism

Population

(2001) 704,500

Famous people

St Boniface, Henry de Bracton, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Davis, Francis Drake, Humphrey Gilbert, Richard Grenville, John Hawkins, Charles Kingsley, Thomas Newcomen, Walter Raleigh, Joshua Reynolds, Robert F Scott, Joanna Southcott

Boundaries

Devon is bounded by the Bristol Channel on the north; by Cornwall on the west; by the English Channel on the south; and by Dorset and Somerset on the east.

Topography

The surface of Devon is hilly, with the rolling uplands of Dartmoor, and its numerous rugged tors, in the southwest. On the lower slopes of hills the soil is fertile, especially in the lower Exe valley, which has orchards and market gardens. The northern coast is very rugged, with cliffs 122-152 m/400-500 ft high; there are also rocky inlets, the largest of which is Bideford Bay. On the southern coast are the headlands Bolt Tail and Start Point, and the harbours Tor Bay and Plymouth Sound, one of the best harbours in Britain.

History

Parts of Devon, particularly Dartmoor, are rich in prehistoric remains. It was one of the last counties to be conquered by the Saxons, and became one of the wealthiest parts of England, with an economy based on farming, fishing, mining, and the tin and woollen trades. There was also a large overseas trade; however, this began to decline during the 17th century.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
 Email
Feedback
?Sign in SSL protected
Email:
Password:
Register

? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"From Devon and Wales--most of them," said Jip--"The wind is coming that way.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Lofting, Hugh View in context
As far as this portion of the Devon coast was concerned, that seemed to have been over for many years, but neither were there any people.
The Lost Continent by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context
The woods, the rivers, the lawns of Devon and of Dorset, attract the eye of the ingenious traveller, and retard his pace, which delay he afterwards compensates by swiftly scouring over the gloomy heath of Bagshot, or that pleasant plain which extends itself westward from Stockbridge, where no other object than one single tree only in sixteen miles presents itself to the view, unless the clouds, in compassion to our tired spirits, kindly open their variegated mansions to our prospect.
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, Henry View in context
More results
 
Hutchinson browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Hutchinson Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.