Hi Elizabeth: You'll find *lots* of items listed under Biography and History on the Northam page in GENUKI/Devon - and a few items in the Buckland Brewer page, but not much in the West Alvington page Cheers Brian Randell [Please excuse brevity - sent from my iPad] email: Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk tel: +(44)191 222 7923 On 28 Dec 2013, at 20:00, "Elizabeth Drummond" <e_m_drummond@yahoo.co.nz> wrote: > First of > all, Happy New Year to everyone! > I know it’s > a long shot but maybe somebody has come across a diary or journal about the > areas around these parishes. I know of no relevant published books and have > trawled through “British manuscript > diaries of the 19th century: an annotated listing”, to no avail. Any > suggestions would be gratefully received. I’ll be in the UK next summer > so could read any manuscripts then- if there are any! > Beth Drummond from NZ > ------------------------------------------ > The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon > ( http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/ ) > and > the Devon FHS (http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ ) > List archive for Devon can be found at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/DEVON/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DEVON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Elizabeth, Try looking at the various trade directories for Devon - Kelly, Slater etc. They give a summary or the village then a list of "worthies" and tradesmen. I use Historical Directories http://cdm16445.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16445coll4 . Use either http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html or buy a Godfrey Map to understand the geography of the time. Before your visit, search Access to Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/ for the villages. West Alvington has 1251 hits. In particular look out for Tithe information and taxes such as the Hearth Tax. These will give an overview of the village and their social standing. There will Documents are shared between the National Archives in Kew and the local records. A subscription to newspapers online or findmypast will also turn up aspects of village life. Stories were often syndicated (by stagecoach not the internet). Cheers Paul -----Original Message----- From: devon-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:devon-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Brian Randell Sent: 28 December 2013 21:57 To: Elizabeth Drummond; <devon@rootsweb.com> Cc: DEVON@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [DEV] Background reading for West Alvington, Northam, Buckland Brewer areas Hi Elizabeth: You'll find *lots* of items listed under Biography and History on the Northam page in GENUKI/Devon - and a few items in the Buckland Brewer page, but not much in the West Alvington page Cheers Brian Randell [Please excuse brevity - sent from my iPad] email: Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk tel: +(44)191 222 7923 On 28 Dec 2013, at 20:00, "Elizabeth Drummond" <e_m_drummond@yahoo.co.nz> wrote: > First of > all, Happy New Year to everyone! > I know it's > a long shot but maybe somebody has come across a diary or journal > about the areas around these parishes. I know of no relevant published > books and have trawled through "British manuscript diaries of the 19th > century: an annotated listing", to no avail. Any suggestions would be > gratefully received. I'll be in the UK next summer so could read any > manuscripts then- if there are any! > Beth Drummond from NZ > ------------------------------------------ > The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon ( > http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/ ) and the Devon FHS > (http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ ) List archive for Devon can be found at > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/DEVON/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DEVON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------------------ The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon ( http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/ ) and the Devon FHS (http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ ) List archive for Devon can be found at http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index/DEVON/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DEVON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message