Historical Records

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Historical Records

Welcome to the Devon Record Office website

Directions and a location map together with our opening times, can be found in the Visiting Us section.

There is a service point at the Westcountry Studies Library in Castle Street, Exeter. Here microfilm and microfiche of parish registers and Inland Revenue wills, 1812-1858, are available.

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The Devon Record Office exists to collect and preserve the historical records of Devon and to make them available to all who wish to study them. There are three record offices which share this task.

The Devon Record Office at Exeter houses all types of historical records relating to the county of Devon, the city of Exeter, and East, Mid and South Devon, including Torbay. These include the records of the parishes, and of innumerable individuals, families, estates, businesses, societies, chapels and schools.

Searchroom at the Devon Record Office

It also holds the ecclesiastical records of the Diocese of Exeter, and administers the Exeter Cathedral (Dean and Chapter) Archives in the Cloister Library.

The North Devon Record Office at Barnstaple has a wide range of historical records for the North Devon area.

Since 1998 the Devon Record Office has provided an archives service for both Devon County Council and Torbay Council under a joint arrangement between the two authorities. Records relating to the Torbay area are generally deposited at the Exeter office.

The Plymouth and West Devon Record Office holds records of the old borough and modern city of Plymouth, as well as the west Devon area. From the 1st April 1998, it has been run as an independent archive service by Plymouth City Council.

Microfiche or microfilm of some records, in particular parish records relating to the whole of Devon, are available in the search-rooms of all three record offices.

What's new?

Commemorating the birth of George Monck - Merton's Kingmaker

George Monck, born in Devon, engineered the Restoration of Charles the Second after the English Civil War and Commonwealth and, in the process, established our system of constitutional monarchy and democratic government. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Monck’s birth, the North Devon Record Office is joining forces with Explore North Devon, the Devon Family History Society and the Monck 400 Group to host a Merton History Day image - PDF icon (55KB - pdf help) at Clinton Hall, Merton on Saturday 27th June.

Digitization of Devon Tithe Maps

A major project is in progress this year to scan all Devon's tithe maps and apportionments and to make them available in digital form. Some of the scanning will be carried out at the Devon Record Office in Exeter during the autumn, but some maps will be taken to a very large digital camera outside the county, and this will mean that they are out of the office for a few weeks and so unavailable for consultation. The first batch will be leaving on Friday 12 June. The microfiche copies will still be accessible, and for some parishes a second copy of the map has been deposited, but for others there may be no usable copy. If you are intending to visit the office to consult tithe maps, please telephone, email, or ask at the searchroom desk beforehand, to check which maps are unavailable. We will endeavour to keep the maps out of circulation for as little time as possible.

Explore North Devon

Explore North Devon is a window to the rich and diverse heritage of one of the most beautiful and historically important areas of the United Kingdom.

It contains collections of pictures, documents, filmed and recorded memories, stories and recollections - all contributed by organisations and individuals associated with North Devon, past and present. Visit the online resource.