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| Devon Archaeological Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Devon Archaeological Society |
| Formation | 1928 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | Exeter, Devon |
| Region served | Devon |
| Language | English |
Devon Archaeological Society is a learned society based in Exeter, Devon, dedicated to the study and preservation of archaeological and historical heritage across Devon, Dartmoor, Exeter Cathedral, Torbay, Plymouth, North Devon, and South Devon. It collaborates with academic institutions such as the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, National Trust, English Heritage, and Historic England while engaging local museums including the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery.
The society was founded amid interwar antiquarian activity connected to figures associated with Exeter University College, the Society of Antiquaries of London, and regional initiatives like the Devon County Council archaeology service. Early members included archaeologists who worked on sites such as Castle Drogo, Powderham Castle, Bradninch, and investigations near Otterton and Brixham. During World War II the society coordinated salvage and recording efforts similar to those undertaken by the Council for British Archaeology and contributed to documentation comparable to projects at Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall records. Postwar decades saw collaboration with scholars connected to British Museum, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, and curators from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The society aims to promote archaeological research and heritage management across locales such as Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor, Cornwall and Devon borders, and maritime zones off Torbay and Lyme Bay. It facilitates fieldwork, records historic houses like Compton Castle and manor studies related to Powderham and Cary families, and liaisons with conservation bodies like Natural England and the Environment Agency. The society organizes lectures referencing themes from Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon England, Medieval England, Tudor and Stuart period studies, and collaborates with researchers linked to the Institute of Archaeology (UCL) and the School of Archaeology (Oxford).
The society publishes annual and periodic journals and monographs distributed to institutions such as Bodleian Library, British Library, Cambridge University Library, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and specialist libraries at Kew Gardens and the Hunterian Museum. Its journal features contributions on topics including Neolithic field systems, Bronze Age ring-cairns, Iron Age hillforts like Hembury, and Roman villa discoveries near Isca Dumnoniorum. The society’s output is cited alongside works from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and reports used by Historic Environment Records.
Project work has ranged from landscape survey on Dartmoor tors to urban archaeology in Exeter and coastal investigations at Brixham and Ilfracombe. Excavations have employed methods parallel to those at Ravenna, York, and Bath, addressing topics such as medieval town plans, Victorian urbanisation, port archaeology connected to Tudor shipping, and prehistoric paleoenvironmental sampling akin to work in Somerset Levels. The society has partnered on digs with teams from National Oceanography Centre for maritime contexts and archaeobotanists affiliated with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for environmental reconstructions.
Members include amateur and professional archaeologists, historians, curators, and conservation officers from bodies like Torbay Museum, Devon Heritage Centre, South West Heritage Trust, CBA South West, Historic England Senior staff, and academic staff from University of Bristol, University of Warwick, and University of Cambridge. Governance follows a committee model with elected officers who liaise with licensing authorities such as Natural England and planning bodies including Teignbridge District Council and East Devon District Council, while safeguarding policies reference standards set by the Institute for Archaeologists and comparable professional organizations.
The society maintains archival material, field notes, plans, photographs, and artefact catalogues comparable to holdings at Plymouth and West Devon Record Office and the Devon Heritage Centre, with items ranging from prehistoric flint scatters to medieval ceramics linked to sites like Topsham and Tavistock Abbey. Finds and records have been used in exhibits at Royal Albert Memorial Museum and loans to national venues such as the National Maritime Museum and the Ashmolean Museum. Conservation work aligns with frameworks used by the Museum of London Conservation Department.
Educational activities include public lectures at venues such as Exeter Phoenix, guided walks across Dartmoor and along the South West Coast Path, workshops in partnership with English Riviera Geopark, schools outreach tied to curricula in collaboration with Devon County Council Education Services, and volunteer training modeled on programmes by the Archaeology Data Service and Portable Antiquities Scheme. The society engages with media outlets including BBC South West and regional press to communicate findings to audiences across South West England.
Category:Archaeological organisations in the United Kingdom Category:History of Devon