The Devonshire Association (DA) is a

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

founded in 1862 by William Pengelly and modelled on the

British Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chief ...

, but concentrating on research subjects linked to

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

in the fields of science, literature and the arts.

History

The first meeting was held in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, England in 1862 with a membership of 69 and, except for 1942, meetings have been held annually in different locations around the county every year since. James Hine, a Plymouth architect and the association's president in 1897, was the last remaining founding member of the association at the time of his death in 1914. The only time the association has met outside of Devon was when it held its annual meeting in Launceston as Hine was too ill to travel. Although similar in format to older groups such as the Plymouth Institution (inaugurated in 1812) and the

Devon and Exeter Institution The Devon and Exeter Institution is a subscription library in the City of Exeter, in Devon, United Kingdom, founded in 1813 for "The general diffusion of science, literature and the arts". It is situated at 7, Cathedral Close, Exeter, in a build ...

(1813), The Devonshire Association's aims were broader and more ambitious. By 1877, there were around 500 members and this number remained fairly constant until just before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1932 the first of a number of local branches was established in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, and subject-based sections were formed, specialising in

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

buildings A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and the dialect of Devon. By 1952 membership had risen to 1,100 and to over 1,800 by the centenary in 1963. In 2009 membership stood at 1,306.

Today

The DA is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

. Annually, it publishes its ''Report and Transactions'' which includes reports from the sections and branches, and

peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (:wiktionary:peer#Etymology 2, peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the ...

ed research papers. (Subscription required for internet access) The association's three-day annual conference takes place in June, at a different Devon venue each year. At this event local visits are organised, along with a formal dinner and an AGM, at which an honorary president takes office, invited from those "of standing and importance" in the county. Since 2006 the association has also held an annual President's

Symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

on a topic of his or her choosing; the one in 2007, for instance concerned farming in Devon. (Subscription required for internet access) A number of events take place throughout the year, including presentations, visits to notable places in the county, and training courses on various aspects of the association's work. The DA also makes grants to support Devon-related research projects. The President for 2010–11 was Roger Thorne, JP, CEng, MICE, FSA who was succeeded by Professor Nicholas Orme, MA, DPhil, DLitt, FSA, FRHistS in 2011. The association's 150th anniversary in 2012 was marked by a major conference in Torquay, the home town of its founder, William Pengelly.

Some notable presidents

The year shown is the one in which the Presidential address was given. *1863

John Bowring Sir John Bowring , or Phrayā Siam Mānukūlakicca Siammitra Mahāyaśa (17 October 1792 – 23 November 1872) was a British political economist, traveller, writer, literary translator, polyglot and the fourth Governor of Hong Kong. He was ...

*1864

Charles Spence Bate Charles Spence Bate, (16 March 1819 – 29 July 1889) was a British zoologist and dentist. Life Charles Spence Bate was born at Trenick House near Truro, the son of Charles Bate (1789–1872) and Harriet Spence (1788–1879). Charles adopte ...

*1865

Charles Daubeny Charles Giles Bridle Daubeny (11 February 179512 December 1867) was an English chemist, botanist and geologist. Education Daubeny was born at Stratton near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, the son of the Rev. James Daubeny. He went to Winchest ...

*1866

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United K ...

*1867 William Pengelly *1868

John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge (3 December 1820 – 14 June 1894) was an English lawyer, judge and Liberal politician. He held the posts, in turn, of Solicitor-General for England, Attorney-General for England, Chief Justice of the ...

*1869

George Parker Bidder George Parker Bidder (13 June 1806 – 20 September 1878) was an English engineer and calculating prodigy. W. W. Rouse Ball (1960) ''Calculating Prodigies'', in Mathematical Recreations and Essays, Macmillan, New York, chapter 13. Early life ...

*1870 James Anthony Froude *1871

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the workin ...

*1872 Frederick Temple, Bishop of Exeter *1875 Richard John King *1877 Alfred Earle *1878

Samuel White Baker Sir Samuel White Baker (8 June 1821 – 30 December 1893) was an English explorer, officer, naturalist, big game hunter, engineer, writer and abolitionist. He also held the titles of Pasha and Major-General in the Ottoman Empire and Egypt. ...

*1879 Robert Collier, 1st Baron Monkswell *1884 Thomas Roscoe Rede Stebbing *1887 William Dallinger *1889 Wilfred Hudleston Hudleston *1895

Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury Hardinge Stanley Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury (3 September 1823 – 11 December 1921) was a British barrister and Conservative politician. He served three times as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, for a total of seventeen years, a reco ...

*1896

Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould (; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 pu ...

*1897 James Hine *1901 Roper Lethbridge *1903

Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon, (19 August 1857 – 1 November 1941) was a British politician, diplomat, art collector and author. He played an important role in the negotiations behind the 1925 Locarno Pact between Germany and its ne ...

*1905 Basil Thomson *1906

Frederick Thomas Elworthy Frederick Thomas Elworthy (1830–1907) was an English philologist and antiquary. Life He was the eldest son of Thomas Elworthy, woollen manufacturer, of Wellington, Somerset, and his wife Jane, daughter of William Chorley of Quarm, near Dunster. ...

*1907 Archibald Robertson, Bishop of Exeter *1908

Robert Collier, 2nd Baron Monkswell Robert Collier, 2nd Baron Monkswell (26 March 1845 – 22 December 1909), was a British Liberal politician. He was briefly Under-Secretary of State for War under The Earl of Rosebery in 1895. As a young man, he was a first-class cricketer act ...

*1909 Charles Stubbs, Bishop of Truro *1911 Robert Burnard *1917

William Philip Hiern William Philip Hiern (19 January 1839, in Stafford – 28 November 1925, in Barnstaple) was a British mathematician and botanist. Life Hiern attended St. John's College, Cambridge, from 1857 to 1861 and attained a "first class degree" in math ...

*1919 Henry Gamble, Dean of Exeter *1922 Henry Duke, 1st Baron Merrivale *1926 Richard Pearse Chope *1927

William Cecil Dampier Sir William Cecil Dampier FRS (born William Cecil Dampier Whetham) (27 December 1867 – 11 December 1952) was a British scientist, agriculturist, and science historian who developed a method of extracting lactose (milk sugar) from whey. H ...

*1928 Emma, Lady Radford *1929

George Parker Bidder III George Parker Bidder (21 May 1863 – 31 December 1953) was a British marine biologist who primarily studied sponges. He was the President of the Marine Biological Association (MBA) from 1939 to 1945. Life and career George Parker Bidder wa ...

*1930 R. Hansford Worth *1931 Howard Masterman, Bishop of Plymouth *1934 J. C. Squire *1936 Robert Newman, 1st Baron Mamhead *1947 Ralegh Radford *1948

Leo Amery Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in ...

*1952 Margaret Cruwys *1953 Frederick Stratten Russell *1956 Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue *1957 Rev. S. C. Carpenter *1959 Leonard Knight Elmhirst *1960 Tony Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury *1962 Robert Mortimer, Bishop of Exeter *1964 Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory *1967 Wilfrid Westall, Bishop of Crediton *1971 G. Wilson Knight *1973 Lord Foot *1974

Richard Acland Sir Richard Thomas Dyke Acland, 15th Baronet (26 November 1906 – 24 November 1990) was one of the founding members of the British Common Wealth Party in 1942, having previously been a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). He joined the Labour ...

*1975 Sir Charles Cave, 4th Baronet *1978 William George Hoskins *1981 Frank Barlow *1984 Basil Greenhill *1988 John Parker, 6th Earl of Morley *1989 Joyce Youings *1997 Sir Hugh Stucley, 6th Baronet *2000 Richard Hawkins, Bishop of Crediton *2001 John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset *2003 Eric Dancer *2007 Justin Leigh *2011 Nicholas Orme *2016 Todd Gray *2017 David Fursdon, Lord Lieutenant of Devon *2018 Dame

Suzi Leather Dame Susan Catherine Leather, DBE, DL (born 5 April 1956), known as Suzi Leather, was chair of the Charity Commission from 1 August 2006

References

External links

* {{authority control Culture in Devon Organizations established in 1862 Scientific societies based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Devon 1862 establishments in England Regional and local learned societies of the United Kingdom Charities based in Devon