From script to print to hypertext: two millennia of Devon's written heritage
TWO MILLENNIA
OF DEVON'S WRITTEN HERITAGE |
A collaborative exhibition organised by
Devon Library Services and Exeter Museums
in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum
18 September to 27 November 1999
to celebrate the richness of Devon's long written record.
Illustrated catalogue available price £4.95 from the Westcountry Studies Library.
Photographs of the exhibition, taken in the Museum can be seen on the exhibition image page.
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The woodcut of the book fool from Andrew Barclay's translation of The ship of fooles (1509) the first printed book written by a Devonian, introduces ten heritage collections in Exeter who have worked together to spin two main strands:
1. A time-line of written documents, mainly single-sheet items, reflecting the small world of the written record.
2. An alphabet of key themes reflecting the large world of ideas.
Please note: Many of the images were scanned from contact prints or similar reproductions and the quality is not always acceptable. It is intended to replace them with clearer images in due course.
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The time-line:
A.D. 1-1050. Some early riddles
The items included for this earliest period are tantalising glimpses at an entire millennium. Analogies from other parts of the country, for example the recent discoveries at Vindolanda near Hadrian's Wall, of hundreds of wooden writing tablets indicate that literacy was widespread during the Roman era, and the inscribed stones suggest that some historical records were maintained in the post-roman period providing sources from which later chroniclers drew. The garbled way in which the lives of the saints and lists of Dumnonian rulers have reached us makes it likely that oral traditions also played an important role in much of this period but from at least the eighth century the Saxon rulers were aware of the legal importance of accurate written records. The period ends with the move of the Cathedral from Crediton to Exeter but before that date there was a long tradition of vernacular literature in the south west manifested above all in the Exeter Book of poetry.
ca 30. Inscribed Celtic coins
ca 100. Roman tile from Exeter with ABC graffiti
100-400. Inscribed Roman pottery from Exeter
ca 450-650. Inscribed stones
ca. 550. Gildas. De excidio Britanniae
754. Boniface
ca 895. Alfred the Great penny.
ca. 925-939. Athelstan. Charters. Grant of land in Monketon
ca 980. Exeter Book of Anglo-Saxon poetry
1050-1485. The medieval period
The transfer of the bishop's seat from Crediton to Exeter in 1050 and the great reorganisations of Bishop Leofric, which included the establishment of Exeter Cathedral Library on a firm footing start a new era in the history of the written word in Devon. During the course of the middle ages the Cathedral gathered more than 600 books, few of which now survive in Exeter and from the 13th century administrative records start to survive in greater numbers both in the diocesan and the city archives. Many of the medieval manuscripts in Exeter Cathedral were given to the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1602 so few books from this period remain in Exeter. Even less remains of the libraries in places such as Forde Abbey and Tavistock which were recorded by John Leland when he toured Devon on the eve of the dissolution of the monasteries.
1050. Exeter Diocese. Foundation charter
1086. Domesday Book
ca. 1090. Exeter Diocese. Bishops. Osbern. Deed
1133. Plympton Priory. Charter
1230. Exeter Corporation. Custumal.
1236. Crediton. Church of the Holy Cross. Grants
1350. Exeter Receiver's accounts
1413. Monumental brass of William Langeton
1447. John Shillingford. Letter to his fellows at Exeter
1447. Exeter, Dean and Chapter. Answers to the Mayors articles
1485-1603. The Tudor period
The printing press was invented in Germany in the 1450s and did not reach England until 1476. A press which existed at Tavistock Abbey in the 1520s and 1530s was the only known example of printing in Devon during the Tudor period. All works written by Devonians had to be printed in London or abroad and indeed religious and political upheaval drove scholars and writers such as Coverdale and Bodley abroad for years at a time. This is a contrast to many provincial towns on the continent in this period. Rennes, Exeter's twin town, had a flourishing printing industry in the sixteenth century. Booksellers were active in Exeter in this period and an inventory of 1615 shows that they could hold considerable stocks of books, including school textbooks.
1490. Map of Forest of Dartmoor
1499. St Mary Arches. Notarial instrument.
1549. Rebellion in Devonshire
1562. Elizabeth I. Letter to the Mayor and Aldermen of Exeter
1567. Exeter Corporation. Rates and wages of artificers
1575. Saxton, Christopher. Map of Devon
1587. John Hooker. Plan of Exeter
1602. Thomas Bodley of Exeter, founder of the Bodeian Library
1603-1698. The Stuarts: wars and revolution
Only for two brief periods during this century of upheaval was there a printing press in Exeter, during the Civil War in 1645 and on the arrival of William of Orange in 1688. The people of Devon were reliant on London for news of the important events that were unfolding around them and during the Civil War were supplied with a series of pamphlet newsbooks that were the forerunners of the newspaper. The libraries of clergymen in Devon suffered during the Commonwealth, their books being confiscated and destroyed but after the Restoration in 1660 parish libraries built up considerable collections of books, not always on theological matters. There were close contacts with the capital. In Portledge in north Devon for example Richard Coffin employed a London agent Richard Lapthorne to keep him informed in the 1680s. Beside sending him the gazettes he added personal gossip in his regular letters and was also diligent in seeking out books for Coffin's library.
1612. Exeter Coroner. Deposition on murder of William Peter
1641. Exeter Corporation. Petition on economic conditions
1643. Charles I. Proclamation of pardon to citizens of Exeter
1645. A full and exact relation of the storming and taking of Dartmouth
1660. Letter to General Monk from gentry of Devon
1673. Nathaniel Herne. Statement relating to election in Dartmouth
1674. Exeter Corporation. Petition regarding amalgamation of parishes in Exeter
1681. Duke of Buckingham. The character of a Tory
1685. Account of the proceedings against the rebels at an assize holden in Exeter
1688. William of Orange's declaration to the people of England
1688. A true and exact relation of the Prince of Orange his publick entrance into Exeter
1690. Great news from Tingmouth, Torbay and Exon
1691. William III. Proclamation to mariners (broadsheet WSL)
1698-1789. The arrival of the provincial press
The printing press only found a permanent home in Exeter in 1698 and immediately made a number of developments possible. Perhaps the most important was the establishment of local newspapers, the first of which appeared in Devon in about 1704. While these had little local news in the early part of the century, being largely reprints from the London press, they gave merchants and tradesmen the opportunity to insert local advertisements. A local printer also made the production of posters, broadsheets and election literature and other ephemera much easier and local authors found a new opportunity to see their sermons, poems or other writings in print. The development of charity schools meant that there was a growing market of literate people in Devon who could read the products of the local presses.
1708. Edmund Elys. To the laity conformists in Exeter
1717. Five of the letters which passed between G.Gyllenborg and B.Sparre
1727. The Totness address, versified
1731. William Emmett, house carpenter. Trade card
1741. An account of the Devon and Exeter Hospital
1745. Exeter Citizens. Declaration of loyalty
1748. The state of the Devon and Exeter Hospital
1752. To Capt ---- (on election of City Officers)
1756. Heath, Benjamin. Some considerations on the expediency of frequenting the theatre
1761. Proposals for carrying into execution a scheme for erecting a general academy at Exeter
1763. Britain excis'd, or a copy of verses on the duty on cider
1767. A case of great distress
1770. Nathaniel Spry, mercer. Advertisement
1780. The new-year's-gift of the men who deliver the Sherborne Journal
1781. Brice, Andrew. Address of thanks from the English virgins of sixteen
1782. The maid's lamentation for the loss of her shepherd [and] Rodney triumphant
1782. Life of Rebecca Downing
1782. The lamentation of Rebecca Downing, condemn'd to be burnt
1784. Exeter Theatre. Miss Andrew's benefit acrobatic performance
1787. Dying behaviour of Mr Patrick
1789-1860. Revolution and evolution
The French Revolution alarmed many in this country and brought about a number of changes. Radical literature was suppressed, the works of Tom Paine being burned in towns throughout Devon, and printing presses had to be registered. An interesting side-effect was the growth of tourism in Devon as the continent was closed to the grand tour. As the century progressed and communications improved printers met this new demand with guidebooks, topographical prints and similar items. Circulating libraries also catered for the influx of visitors and the merchants were catered for by the provision of annual trade directories. Newspapers remained expensive because of the stamp duty imposed on them but, as this was reduced, new titles were established in Plymouth, Barnstaple, Torquay, Teignmouth, Sidmouth, Dawlish and other places, many of them coastal resorts.
1789. Weatherdon's School, Newton Abbot. Performance of Hamlet
1790. Hunter's sweepstakes, Newton Abbot
1791. Weavers of Exeter. Appeal on pay
1792. Robbery of Exeter Mail
1792. Hell in an uproar; or, Tom Paine below stairs
1793. The loyal Briton: a song
1803. The execution of Col. Despard1803.
1807. Upham, Edward. State lottery begins drawing 13th January, 1807
1814. Joanna Southcott caricature
1814. Speech of Charles Stanhope (printing in gold)
1815. Philip Hedgeland, printer, advertisement
1826. Miss Mend's establishment for the education of young ladies
1836. Prospectus of the South Wester Railway
1839. Axmouth landslip
1843. Great Western Railway timetable
1848. Exeter City Council Guy Fawkes Night warning
1849. The Exeter Hospital waltz
1850. Wrestling match for a purse of sovereigns
1855. Dawlish Dispensary poster
1855. Wilson, John. Opening of the North Devon Railway
1856. Exeter City Council. Commemoration of end of Crimean War
1860-1942. The spread of mechanisation
The introduction of the steam powered printing press made it possible to produce the first daily newspaper in Devon, the Western morning news in 1860. Improvements in typesetting and paper manufacture brought down the cost of printing in the later part of the century. Posters could boast a range of type faces and it was possible for local societies to produce regular publications, such as parish magazines. It became possible to include photographic illustrations in books and this gave a new dimension to topographical writing in Devon. This technical advance was often at the expense of quality, as the many disintegrating volumes from this period bear witness on the shelves of Exeter's libraries. The education acts meant that universal literacy seemed a realistic goal and from 1870 the establishment of the public library service in Exeter brought books into the hands of everyone.
1866? Execution broadsheet of Mrs Winsor, the baby farmer
1869. Edward S.Shapley's sparkling champagne cider
1870. Exeter City Library. Regulations
1880. Ilfracombe. Grand international steeple chaise
1883. An olde Englyshe fayre
1884. Commital of John Babbacombe Lee, the man they could not hang
1885. A grand banquet at the Boer's Head Hotel
1887. True account of the terrible fire at Exeter
1895. Western Counties Musical Association
1901. Exeter City Council. Proclamation of Edward VII
1923. Palladium Cinema, Exeter
1928. League of Nations Union
1930s National socialist newsletters
1938. Strand Super Cinema, Bideford
1940. Fouling of footpaths by dogs - a peril of the blackout
1942-2000. War and revival.
The blitz in 1942 not only affected the premises of several Exeter printers but it also destroyed Exeter and Plymouth Public Libraries. Exeter City Library did not receive new premises until 1965 and several printers moved permanently away from the centre of Exeter. The Express and Echo was among those moving to out-of-town industrial estates in the 1990s, combining the move with an investment in the next stage of printing technology with heavy dependence on electronic news gathering. The growth of information and communication technology has greatly affected the way the written word is now received, with access to the Internet in libraries, offices and private homes throughout Devon.
1942. Exeter Blitz (front page of Express and Echo)
1943. Exeter Holidays at Home
1951. Festival of Britain
1952. Lynmouth flood
1953. Coronation programme
1954. University of Exeter
1970s Motorway pressure groups publicity
1973. Northcott Theatre poster for Edward Bond's Bingo
1974. Exeter's last royal charter
1977 Alternative magazines: Worthless words
1996. Publicity from Cyber cafe
1999. ABC written by young Exeter schoolchild
2000. Millennium ball
Themes:
A. Art and Architecture
The artist has always been called on to embellish and explain the written word, from the illumination of medieval manuscripts to the engravings that accompany many private press books in the 20th century. The development of a range of illustrative techniques has meant that the book, essentially a textual medium, has been able to present the visual arts to a wide public. Albrecht Dürer was one of the first major artists to exploit printing, and illustrations have been used to explain the work of architects such as Vitruvius and Palladio and to reproduce the works of artists such as Reynolds. Critics like Pugin and Ruskin and drawing masters such as Cox have used text and illustration in combination, the engraver or lithographer often providing as great an artistic contribution as the master who produced the original artwork.
Vitruvius. De architectura, 1521
Palladio, Andrea. I quattri libri dell'architettura, 1601
Reynolds, Sir Joshua. Seven discourses delivered in the Royal Academy, 1778
Cox, David A treatise on landscape painting,1841
Pugin, Augustus Charles. Specimens of Gothic architectire, 1821-23
Ruskin, John. Modern painters, 3rd ed. 1846
Morris, William. Some hints on pattern designing, 1899
B. Bookbinding and typography
The care lavished on many manuscripts shows that the book could be considered as an object of beauty, and many early printers also took pains over the appearance of their publications. Type design was a meticulous craft and alphabets were designed for the new medium of typography: roman, italic, fraktur, civilité and the modern style typefaces of the 18th and 19th centuries which cut loose from the calligraphic origins of letter forms. The techniques of the woodcut, engraving and, from the 19th century, lithography made it possible to present illustrations to accompany the text, even before the advent of photography and the protective covering provided a further design opportunity for the bookbinder. Gold tooling replaced blind-stamped decoration and in the 19th century publishers' casings replaced traditional binding, opening up a new medium for decoration which publishers were quick to exploit.
Horace. Poemata omnia, 1519 (Aldus Manutius)
Vaenius, Otho. Amorum emblematica figuris aeneis incisa, 1608
Pine, John. Publii Virgilii Maronis Bucolica et Georgica, 1774
Blair, Robert. The grave, 1808 (engravings by Schiavonetti after Blake)
Bewick, Thomas. A general history of quadrupeds, 3rd ed, 1792
Prior, Matthew. The works, 1835 (Pickering edition)
Wordsworth, William. Poems, 1866
Poe, Edgar Allan. The poetical works, 1867
Caxton, William. The golden legend, 1892 (Kemlscott press)
Burns, Robert. Songs, 1901 (Guild of Women Binders)
Shakespeare, William. Twelfth night, 1932 (Golden Cockerell Press)
Artists' books (a selection from Plymouth University Library)
C. The christian church
During the middle ages it was largely theological works that filled the shelves of monastic and cathedral libraries, and it was through theology that the printing press came of age during the Reformation with controversial religious pamphlets pouring from the presses of Europe after Luther had nailed his theses to the door of Wittenberg church. Sermons and other religious tracts formed the largest class of publications during the earliest decades of English provincial printing, and sectarian and millenarian works such as those of the Devonian Joanna Southcott have always commanded a ready sale among followers. With the presence of Exeter Cathedral Library and several parish libraries in the custody of the University of Exeter, the items included represent only a few examples from many thousands of titles.
Augustine. De civitate dei, 1475
Bede. Historia ecclesiastica, 1601
A Kempis, Thomas. De imitatione Christi, 1622
Luther, Martin. De lucubrationum pars una, 1520
Church of England Boke of common prayer, 1552
The Bible, translated according to the Ebrew and Greeke, 1594
Foxe, John. Acts and monuments of matters most speciall ..., 8th ed., 1641
Jewel, John. Apolgia ecclesiae anglicanane, 1599
Hooker, Richard. Of the lawes of ecclesiastical politie, 1611
Southcott, Joanna. The strange effects of faith, 1801
D. Devon's history
The history of Devon's history is not entirely a happy one. The county does not boast a multivolume work to rival those of some other counties, nor has the Victoria County History extended beyond the first volume, despite several attempts to revive it. Nevertheless antiquarians and historians have been studying Devon since the sixteenth century when John Leland included the county in his itineraries. The first to compile a county survey was John Hooker, Exeter's first Chamberlain in the 1590s. Although never completely printed, his work served as a quarry for other antiquaries in the seventeenth century whose work also circulated for many years in manuscript before being published. Polwhele at the end of the eighteenth century and Daniel Lysons at the start of the nineteenth both saw their histories appear in their lifetimes. In the 20th century the presence of the influential historian W.G.Hoskins in Exeter resulted in the best recent one-volume history of the county and his techniques also set a model for future work in local history across the country, extending its scope to the study of the whole community. In this section some of the early histories are included with notes on the problems they faced in seeing the light of day.
Hooker, John. "The synposis chorographicall of Devonshire", manuscript, 1599
Risdon, Tristram. "The decimes, or a chorographicall description of the county of Devon", manuscript, c.1630
Risdon, Tristram. A continuation of the survey of Devon, 1714
Chapple, William. A review of part of Risdon's Survey of Devon, 1785
Risdon, Tristram. The chorographical description or survey of the county of Devon, 1811
Westcote, Thomas. [A view of Devonshire], manuscript, c.1680
Westcote, Thomas. A view of Devonshire in MDCXXX, 1845
Pole, Sir William. Collections towards a description of the county of Devon, 1791
E. Encyclopedias and dictionaries
The printing press, with its ability to produce hundreds of identical copies of a text, made it much easier to refer to specific pieces of information within a work. From early times works of reference such as dictionaries and encyclopaedic works began to appear in print. Books were soon provided with numbered pages, tables of contents and indexes, features which could not be standardised when books were individually produced by hand. Language dictionaries were required as a basis for editing and interpreting classical texts and printers like Estienne were involved in a scholarly capacity in their compilation. The growth of scientific knowledge and the contribution of Bacon to the systematisation of learning inspired the encyclopaedists of the Age of Enlightenment and the growth of literacy and the development of mechanisation in the 19th century made possible the mass-production of cheap reference works published in parts at the cost of as little as one penny per issue.
Plinius Secundus. Historie of the world, 1601
Estienne, Robert. Dictionarium seu latinae linguae thesaurus, 1536
Harris, John. Lexicon technicum, 1704
Chambers, Ephraim. Cyclopedia, 2nd ed., 1738
Encyclopédie: recueil de planches, new ed, 1778-81
Johnson, Samuel. Dictionary of the English language, 2nd ed., 1760
Webster, Noah. A dictionary of the English language, 1831
Penny cyclopedia, 1833-46
Encyclopedia britannica, 11th ed, 1910-11
New English dictionary, 1888-1933
F. Film and moving image
Film might seem to have little to do with the written word, being centred so much around the visual, an image on the screen. However the industry which surrounds the films themselves depends to a very large extent on words. A film will begin life as a screenplay, a text submitted to the studio by a writer. Words are, and have been, essential to the publicity used to promote films before their general release to the public. And many of the products which are produced in the aftermath of a film's screening rely heavily on words - books giving the story of the film, biographies of the stars, fan magazines, are just a few of the many examples of the importance of words to the film industry. The Bill Douglas Centre has a very extensive library of books and periodicals relating to films and their history, as well as commemorative programmes, sheet music, posters and other ephemera.
Kirchner, Athanasius. Ars magna lucis et umbrae, 1671
Hepworth, Cecil M. Animated photography, 1897
Dickson, W.K.L. History of the kinetograph, kinetoscope and kineto-phonograph, 1895.
Menu: first private view of Mr Thomas Edison's marvellous kinetoscope, Wednesday October 17, 1894
Lumiere, Louis. Postcard, 1941
Mason's series of lectures for the lantern. No. 8: A holiday in Devonshire, c.1900
La Scala, Saltcoats. Ophans of the storm, 1923
Empire Theatre, Chatham. Blackmail, 1929
British Board of Film Censors. Lone Ranger, ep. 1: Hi jo silver, 1950s
Cathay Circle Theatre. Hollywood premiere. Charles Chaplin ... in The great dictator, 1940
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscars: 70th annual Academy Awards, Monday, March 23, 1998
Ealing Studios. Passport to Pimlico, 1949
The pictures. Vol. 1, no. 1, 1911
Mitchell, Margaret. Gone with the wind, 1941
Howard, Sidney. GWTW: the screenplay, 1979
Arai, Yoshio. The first American teenager: James Dean, 1977
G. Genealogy and heraldry
Genealogy has always been an important human preoccupation, from the pedigree of Christ as given in the Bible, through the descent of the rulers of Wessex from Norse gods and heroes as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to the rights to bear arms as drawn up in the heraldic visitations of Devon and other counties during the 16th and 17th centuries. In many instances the ability to prove descent also proved entitlement to estates, so there were legal and financial reasons for accurate genealogical research. Today genealogy is a very popular hobby and researchers can draw on a wide range of earlier compilations which are held in several collections in Exeter. Not all of these were necessarily compiled with genealogical research in mind and so much linking together of scattered references is required to build a family tree.
Courtenay Family. "Parentalia Courtenayorum", manuscript, c.1308-1313
West Country arms, manuscript, c.1595
Vincent, Augustine. A discoverie of errors in the first edition of The catalogue of nobility, 1622
Prince, John. Danmonii orientales illustres; or, the worthies of Devon, 1701
Prince, John. "Danmonii orientales illustres, volume the second", manuscript, 1846
Burke, John. A genealogical and herladic dictionary of the peerage and baronetage of the British Empire, 4th ed, 1832
College of Arms. The visitation of London in the year 1566, 1869
Ottery St Mary. Parish. The registers of baptisms, marriages and burials of the parish of Ottery St. Mary, 1908-29
H. Health and medicine
There has for many centuries been a strong tradition of medicine in Exeter and it is not surprising that medical literature is well represented in Exeter libraries. It was an Exeter physician, Dr Robert Vilvaine, who was instrumental in rescuing the Cathedral Library during the Commonwealth, and in the late 18th century the extensive medical collection of Dr Thomas Glass (1709-86) was bequeathed to the Cathedral Library "for use of any physician of the city". The Devon and Exeter Hospital was founded in 1741, and in 1813 the Exeter Medical Library was established to serve the medical staff of the Hospital. There were also many individual medical practitioners in Devon, such as William Musgrave and George Baker, who published the results of their researches and observations. Today Exeter Medical Library accesses medical information on CD-ROM or through the Internet.
John of Gaddesden. "Rosa medicinae", 14th cent.
Hippocates. Opera, 1588
Galen. Opera omnia, 1541
Vesalius, Andreas. De humani corporis fabricia, 1555
Cowper, William. Anatomie of humane bodies, 2nd ed., 1737
Harvey, William. Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis, 1737
Musgrave, William. De arthritide, 1703
Paré, Ambroise. The works of that famous chirurgeon Ambrose Parey, 1678
Jenner, Edward. An enquiry into the causes and effects of the varoiolae vaccine: the cow pox, 2nd ed., 1800
Baker, George. An essay concerning the cause of the endemial colic of Devonshire, 1767
Alcock, Thomas. The endemial colic of Devonshire not caused by a solution of lead in the cyder, 1769
Stopes, Marie Carmichael. Contraception, 1924
National Library of Medicine. Medline, 1992-1998
L. Literature and writers
This section concentrates on writers who have links with Devon. The University of Exeter Library has gathered in the papers of several Westcountry writers notably those of Henry Williamson, A.L.Rowse, Jack Clemo, and Charles Causley. The Westcountry Studies library also has some literary manuscripts, including several by R.D.Blackmore. The preservation of such papers is important in showing the often tortured way in which works of literature were created, with many writings and rewritings before they reach printed form. Literary works have always formed an important role in expressing individual and social consciousness and poetry is among the earliest surviving written works. The Exeter Book of Old English poetry features elsewhere in this exhibition and the first work by a Devonian to appear in print was a work of poetry, the translation of The ship of fools, by Alexander Barclay, which appeared in 1509.
Williamson, Henry. "Tarka the otter", manuscript and typescript drafts, c.1925
Blackmore, R.D. "Christowell", manuscript, 1881
Gay, John. Fables, 1793
Baring-Gould, Sabine. Songs and ballads of the west, 1891
Phillpotts, Eden. "The forest on the hill", manuscript, 1912
Galsworthy, John. "The apple tree", manuscript, 1916
Christie, Agatha. Dead man's folly, 1956
M. Maps and plans
Maps combine text and graphics to convey information in an unique manner. Although the development of cartography in this country lagged somewhat behind that on the mainland of Europe, collections in Exeter have fine examples of the mapmaker's art. The University holds the Constable Collection as well as the Townsend Collection built up by the Exeter family of printers and publishers, from which the Exeter maps in this section are taken, while the Westcountry Studies Library includes the Batten and Bennett Collection of county maps of Devon. The first accurate map of Devon to a scale of one inch to a mile was completed by Benjamin Donn in 1765, winning him an award from the Royal Society of Arts. Devon Record Office holds large scale tithe surveys of most of the county dating from about 1840. The Ordnance Survey completed its six inch to a mile map of the whole county only in 1891. Devon's mapping today is held in digital form by the Ordnance Survey and it is possible to hold the entire map of Devon at a scale of 1:2,500 (25 inches to a mile) on a single CD-ROM.
This section concentrates on Exeter maps from the Constable Collection in Exeter University, and the Westcountry Studies Library.
N. Natural history
From classical times there have been compilations on natural history. The medieval herbals were frequently blind copies of illustrations from earlier manuscripts rather than being based on an examination of original specimens and wild theories about fantastic creatures such as the mandrake or the barnacle tree were handed on from one compiler to another. The Renaissance remedied this and all types of illustration techniques were seized on to depict the plants or animals as accurately as possible. The resulting books are often regarded today as fine artistic works rather than as scientific textbooks. At least as important as the illustrations are the way the works reveal the gradual progress in identifying the different families of plants and animals through the work of scientists such as Linnaeus and the theories of Charles Darwin.
Turner, William. The first and second parts of the herbal, 1568
Gerard, John. Herball, or generall historie of plantes, 1597
Parkinson, John. Theatrum botanicum, 1640
Culpeper, Nicholas. The English physician enlarged, 1754
Buffon, George Louis Leclerc. Histoire naturelle, 1774
Linnaeus, Carolus. Genera plantarum, 5th ed., 1754
Curtis, William. Botanical magazine, 1790
Darwin, Charles. On the origin of species, 1899
Gosse, Philip Henry. A history of the British sea-anemones and corals, 1860
Kingsley, Charles. Glaucus: or, the wonders of the shore, 5th ed, 1873
Gould, John. The birds of Great Britain, 1873
O. Official and legal
The growth of collections of records during the middle ages both by the City and the Cathedral in Exeter show the importance attached to correct and accurate documentation of the rights and activities of institutions and recourse was frequently had to the muniments in cases of dispute. Nationally authorities like Henry de Bracton and locally writers like John Hooker attempted to codify legal and constitutional matters, and the arrival of the printing press soon made such compilations generally available. From about 1800 the publication of statutes, official publications and reports of proceedings became standardised and with the growth of local government publications since World War 2 and the added layer of European documentation there is now a surfeit of official and legal information overwhelming us.
Bracton, Henry de. De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae, 1569
Machiavelli, Niccolo. Tutti le opere, 1550
Howard, John. The state of the prisons in England and Wales, 4th ed., 1791
Parliament. Abstract of the answers and returns ... population, 1803
Hansard, T.C. Parliamentary debates, 1812
Statues. Public. 2 & 3 Wm 4 c. 45. An act to amend the representation of the people in England, 1832
Pankhurst, Charitable. Unshackled: how we won the vote, 1959
Mawson, Thomas H. & Sons. Exeter of the future: a policy of improvement within a period of 100 years, 1913
P. Press and newspapers
The ability of the printing press to distribute information on current events is seen in the growing number of newsbooks during the course of the 16th century. These were produced on specific occasions, often to report fires, floods and other natural disasters, or sometimes naughty vicars, for example Fourtie articles in the High Court of Parliament against William Lang who was vicar in the parish of Bradworthy (1641). In London in 1622 they began to be numbered and produced in series. This innovation developed naturally into the newspaper, the format growing from that of a pamphlet to a larger (broadsheet) size. Britain's first daily newspaper, the Daily courant appeared in 1702. Periodicals began to appear in the 17th century, among the first being the Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society (1665). In the 18th century a growing number of specialist titles appeared, including the first women's magazines.
Milton, John. Areopagitica, 1698
A true relation of those sad and lamentable accidents, which happened in and about the parish church of Withycombe ..., 1638
London gazette, numb. 1830, 1683
The ladies monthly museum, 1813
The comic almanack, 1835-
Illustrated London news, 1842
The yellow book: an illustrated quarterly, 1894-97
Byrom, John. The universal shorthand, 1767
R. Records and archives
From the earliest times institutions have recognised the legal, financial and historic significance of maintaining full records of their activities and from the middle ages onward recourse was frequently had to the muniment room or the locked document chest to settle matters of dispute. Today Devon Record Office contains rich collections of archives dating from medieval times to the present day. Most of these records have been deposited for safe custody and do not belong to the Record Office. Over the centuries many documents have suffered and action needs to be taken to preserve them for future generations. This section gives details of the specialist work carried out by the Conservation Unit of the Devon Record Office on two contrasting items, the Dartmouth Borough Court Book, 1537-1555, a single volume which needs to be kept together as a unit and the Exeter City Archives volumes of Ancient Letters, an artificial assemblage of single sheet items.
S. Scribes and manuscripts (located in the Cathedral Library)
For 1,500 years manuscripts were the only means of recording and storing information and many of the earliest Devon examples are held in Exeter Cathedral Library. The Exeter Book is a foundation volume of English literature and can be seen both as looking back to a time of oral transmission of poetry by illiterate bards, some at least of the poems being written versions of much older recited verse, and looking forward in the timeless themes of, say "The wanderer" and the riddles. The Exon Domesday provides a very early example of a comprehensive administrative record. The very end of the period saw the revolution of the printing press, with the earliest incunables clearly showing their origins in written letter forms, sometimes indeed being a combination of printed text and handwritten initials and decoration.
Exeter Book, manuscript, c.960/980
Exon Domesday, manuscript, 1086
Grandisson, John. "Legenda de sanctis", manuscript, 14th cent.
Rabanus Maurus / Isidore of Seville, manuscript, 10th cent.
Saint Helen's Psalter, manuscript, 13th cent.
Grandisson, John. Ordinale, manuscript, 15th cent.
Isidore / Seneca, manuscript, 13th cent.
Cicero. De officiis, 1465
Celsus, Aurelius Cornelius. De medicina, 1497
T. Technology and invention
The printing press was an ideal vehicle for the spread of new scientific ideas, although in the early years there was an emphasis on getting the works of classical writers into print rather than publishing new researches. Progress was often hindered by conflict with religious dogmatism and the need to reconcile scientific theories with scriptural writings. There was also the understandable desire for secrecy where a new discovery might have commercial benefit. In the 20th century scientific publishing has experienced an exponential growth and has been a major influence on the development of information technology to keep track of the vast numbers of scientific papers.
Bacon, Francis. De dignitate et augmentiis scientiarum, 1645
Newton, Sir Isaac. Opticks, 4th ed, 1730
Burnet, Thomas. The theory of the earth, 3rd ed, 1697
Hutton, Charles. The theory of the earth, 1795
Priestley, Joseph. Observations on different kinds of air, 1772
Lavoisier, Antoine de. Opuscules physqiues et chymiques, 1774
Smeaton, John. A narrative of the building and a description of the construction of the Eddystone lighthouse with stone, 1793
Mudge, Thomas. A description with plates of the timekeeper invented by the late Thomas Mudge, 1799
Bourne, John C. The history and description of the Great western Railway, 1846
Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue of the Great Exhibition, 1851
V. Voyages and travel
Among the earliest printed accounts of travel are guides for pilgrims to the Holy Land, for example the work of Breydenbach (1486) and the letter reporting Columbus's discovery of the New World (1493). The Spanish and Portugese were not keen that news of their discoveries were broadcast too widely and only after 1550 did accounts of explorations increase in numbers. The important collections of Hakluyt and others date from this period. In the 18th century scientific expeditions began to take place and a number of artefacts collected during the expeditions of Cook and others are to be found in the ethnographic collections of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. The heroic travels to polar regions completed the voyages of discovery in the period around 1900.
Drake, Sir Francis. The world encompass'd, 1628
Purchas, Samuel. Purchas his pilgrimage, 3rd ed, 1617
Cook, James. A voyage toward the South Pole, 1777
Park, Mungo. Travels in the interior of Africa, 2nd ed., 1799
Gilpin, William. Observations on the western parts of England relating chiefly to picturesque beauty, 1798
Livingstone, David. Missionary travels, 1857
Nansen, Fridtjof. Fram over Polhavet, 1897
Scott, Robert Falcon. Scott's last expedition, 1913
W. War and revolution
The press has long been used for propaganda purposes by governments and those seeking political change. It has also proved its value in providing rapid information, though not always reliable, on the progress of conflicts. The first surviving English newsbook relates to the Battle of Flodden in 1509. During the English civil war accounts of campaigns could be published in a matter of days, and the telegraph made communications instantaneous during the 19th century. After the events came the official and unofficial accounts of the conflict and memoirs of those involved. The political cartoon with its linking of pictures and text, often requiring a considerable familiarity with current affairs, has also been an effective way of informing and moulding opinion during periods of conflict and some examples are included in this section.
Hywood, Abel. A famous victory obtained before the city of Exeter, 1643
Sir Thomas Fairfax's proceedings about the storming of Exeter, 1646
Complete collection of papers relating to the great revolutions ..., 1689
Ray, James. Complete history of the rebellion ... to its total suppression at the glorious Battle of Culloden in April 1746, 1755
Burke, Edmund. Reflections on the revolution in France, 3rd ed, 1790
Paine, Thomas. The rights of man, 4th ed, 1791
Gillray, James. The plumb-pudding in danger, 1805
Marx, Karl. Manifesto of the communist party, 1941
Mr Punch's history of the Great War, 1919
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf, 1939
Y. Younger readers
While grammars and similar textbooks have existed in print from the fifteenth century and were among the earliest items issued by Exeter's first publisher Martin Coeffin in about 1510, the market for books specifically designed for children is largely the creation of the London publisher John Newbery in the 18th century. From the earliest times extensive use was made of woocut and engraved illustrations and, while the specialist publishers were mainly located in London, local printers in Exeter and Plymouth also produced some literature suitable for children. Most of the items in this section are taken from the public library's extensive collection of early children's books.
Comenius, Johannes Amos. Orbis sensualium pictus, 1705
L'Estrange, Sir Roger. Fables of Aesop and other eminent mythologists, 1692
An alphabet &c, c.1808
The infant's letter box, 1803
Hieroglyphic bible, c.1800
The orphan; or, the interesting life of little Fanny Fairchild, 1795
The book of trades, 1804
Martin, Sarah Catherine. The comic adventures of old mother Hubbard and her dog, 1805
Cowper, William. The history of John Gilpin, 1829
Aliva, Rene. The anti-spelling book, 3rd ed., 1834
House that Jack built, c1845
Peter Parley's game of British sovereigns, c.1840
Bunyan, John. The pilgrim's progress in words of one syllable, 1869
Lang, Andrew. The lilac fairy book, 1914
Caldecott, Randolph. The hey diddle diddle picture book, 1883
Barrie, James M. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, 3rd ed, 1907
Montessori, Maria. The Maria Montessori method, 1912
The aims of the exhibition:
- To stimulate learning and foster pride in the wealth of written resources that have been built up over the centuries in libraries, record offices and museums in Exeter.
- To show that these resources reflect all aspects of local as well as European cultural development over the past two millennia.
- To display selected items that are not readily accessible to the general public.
- To create a sympathetic attitude toward the problems of conserving this material into the next millennium and to raise general awareness of the responsibilities placed on us all to protect Devon's written and printed heritage.
- To enable the various resource collections in the City to work with each other and with local scholars in a major project fostering closer links between institutions.
Ian Maxted, County Local Studies Librarian
February 2000
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