North Devon Record Office collects records relating to the North Devon area. These include the records of local government, Anglican and nonconformist churches, individuals and families, businesses, societies, schools - any of the groups who have contributed to the past life of this part of Devon or who do so today.
North Devon's documentary heritage has survived only because the creators and inheritors of these records have taken care of them, and we are very grateful to those owners who have placed their documents in the Record Office. We accept documents either as a gift, whereby we become legal owners, or on deposit, where the depositor retains legal ownership. In both cases, we endeavour to ensure the permanent public availability of the records. We store these documents in a strong-room where the temperature and humidity are controlled, and protection ensured by fire and intruder alarms. They are then sorted, catalogued and indexed to make sure that they are accessible for researchers in the future.
Record Office staff will also willingly examine papers kept in private custody or by an institution (whether these are old or of recent date) and advise on their safe-keeping.
We do not have our own conservation department. However, any documents needing repair or conservation are regularly dealt with by the conservation team at the Devon Record Office, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter.
The conservation team can provide you with information and advice on the best way to create records which will last into the future, and on how to preserve and store records still in the care of another institution or in private custody. They can also offer advice to organisations wishing to display documents in an exhibition.
We provide facilities for members of the public to look at and use our records for their own research. If you are interested in the records we hold you are welcome to visit our search-room, where we can provide basic information on the types of document we hold.
If you are unable to come to the record office in person, you can write or email us for information on our records. Members of staff can undertake limited searches without charge through the indexes and records we hold, provided that precise information is provided (email: ndevrec@devon.gov.uk). For more complex or lengthy enquiries we offer, at a fee, our own research service.
Staff are able to give talks on the work of the Record Office and on various aspects of local history.
Tours of the Record Office can be arranged for students, family history and local history groups.
Devon Record Office issues a newsletter twice a year, in May and November. Current and past issues can be accessed on this website.
We have produced a series of leaflets - mainly guides to various types of sources and research topics. Lists of our publications and leaflets are available on this website. Some of the leaflets are also published on this website.
You can read here about our policies on:
Anyone can come along to the record office and carry out their own research using original documents. Our visitors come from a wide range of backgrounds. You may be researching family history, or finding out about the history of your house. You may completing a school or university project on an aspect of local or general history, or researching the history of your own parish. Professional record agents, archaeologists, architects, land agents, school teachers and academic staff of universities and colleges are also regular visitors to the office.
It is advisable to prepare for your visit by obtaining information on our holdings and services from this website before you arrive. If the information you require is not on our web-pages, please contact us by email, fax, letter or telephone. We can check our indexes and suggest items for you to consult. Our search-room can be busy and we may not have as much time as we would like to discuss your particular requirements if you arrive unprepared. This applies particularly if you are a student planning an essay, dissertation or project. If you are unsure whether sources exist for your research topic, it is best for you to consult us at an early stage in the planning of your work, and before you actually make your first visit.
We will also endeavour to direct you to other repositories if the sources you are seeking are not held at our office.
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