DEWNANS - CELTIC DEVON

This website attempts to uncover some of the real history of Devon - a Celtic Devon - proud, unique, and independent.

Most people are aware that Devon has beautiful varied scenery, a rich Maritime history ( with names such as Drake, Raleigh, Gilbert, Grenville, etc...) and a vibrant tourist industry.

However Devon is much, much more than that.

Devon was the cornerstone of one of Britain's most significant Celtic Kingdoms (Dumnonia), and retains a significant heritage from those days. Devon's people are predominantly of Celtic stock, with the Celtic language (which also resulted in Cornish) being spoken well into the dark ages, and is retained today in place names, dialect, as well as in customs and culture.

This is not to say that the Saxons, who 'conquered' Devon in the eight and ninth centuries (and who militarily conquered Cornwall in the ninth and tenth centuries), or the Normans who did the same to the whole of England in the eleventh century, are without merit or contribution. However the point of this web-page is to promote that part of Devon's history which for some strange reason appears to have been repressed - that of Celtic Devon.

Devon's Cornish Celtic name is Dewnans although another Celtic name for it is Dyfneint (meaning 'deep valley dwellers') and it is this that gives Devon its name.

Devon was one of the last areas of what is now known as England to be conqured by the Anglo-Saxon invaders, and was not formally claimed by the Saxon Kindom of Wessex until the early ninth century (805 AD - only a couple of decades before Cornwall was 'conquered', although Cornwall retained some degree of independence thereafter), and even after this (as noted in King Alfred the Great's will in 900 AD), Devon's Celtic people were called Wealcynn (wealas being the Anglo-Saxon word for Celts, and literally translates as 'foreigner').

Perhaps it is surprising that this history of Celtic identity is not better known. How can this be so? A number of factors probably came into play. The Victorian era prized all things teutonic because (for some reason) they equated it with civilised society. Even in the mid/late twentieth century schools teach a 'unified' english history with little focus on regional history. Devon's own Celtic history has been overlooked and neglected. This story is not unique to Devon. History, language and culture have been suppressed in many parts of the Celtic world (eg Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany - to name a few). In Devon's case its proximity to Cornwall, with its own rich Celtic ancestry, has probably also hindered recognition of Devon's own history.

The question of Devon's Celtic identity is not new. In 1870 Professor Thomas Huxley, President of the Royal Society, President of the Ethnological Society and friend of Charles Darwin who stated that '(Devonians) are as little Anglo-Saxon as Northumbrians are Welsh' by which he meant that Devonians are genetically descended from the Brythonic Celts, rather than the germanic tribes of the Angles or Saxons who give the term 'Anglo-Saxon' (and the term England) its name.

The 'pro-teutonic' prejudices of the Victorian era were Huxley's target, and sadly his views were not universally accepted. The ramifications of this 'Victorian prejudice' continued well into the twentieth century, and distorted the real history. However the issue is now being revisited, and the truth is slowly emerging.

Recent genetic evidence (from the BBC 'Blood of the Vikings' series) has indicated that the Celtic peoples in South Western Britain not only survived, but that their gene pool are predominant in the current population.

Norwegian based research indicates that Devon (and Cornwall) has a far greater proportion of black hair colour than other english counties, a tendancy also seen in Ireland and Scotland. Perhaps this also provides evidence of a common Celtic background, and certainly supports the theory that the Tamar is no 'racial' boundary.

This web-page isn't intended to be the full story, nor to be a formal academic document, but like our friend above, it may open a few eyes and encourage you to search further.

I have provided a few useful links, and hope to add more with time.

Please explore the following additional pages on this site

Ancient Dumnonia
Western (Prayerbook) Rebellion
Devon's Mining History and Stannary Parliament
Devon Folklore, Customs, Culture and Language

and/or - check these links out

Celtic Devon
The Somerset Flag

If you would like to provide feedback on this site
please do so to by clicking on the button

OTHER LINKS AND CREDITS
Thank you to Celtic Web Art for a number of the designs on this web-site
Other links Everything Keltic on the web - the NEW one!

DEVON's Rugby Team has won the 2007 County Championship (now called the Bill Beaumont Cup) by beating Lancashire 27-6 at Twickenham on May 28. This result avenged last years loss to Lancashire, and gives Devon its third championship in four years. After beating Middlesex, Hertfordshire, and Gloucestershire, Devon convincingly beat Lancashire in the Final at Twickenham, avenging last years narrow loss. Devon won the championship in 2004 and 2005 and was the losing finalist in 2006..

Does Devon Matter??

The UK government has proposed an elected regional assembly for the South West that would cover seven counties and stretch from The Scillies to Swindon. A counter proposal suggest Devon should be absorbed into a so called 'Wessex' region stretching from the Tamar to Berkshire.

If the elected regional assembly comes into being the government have indicated that they will eliminate either Devon County Council or your district or borough council?

Do you agree that this would be an attack on Devon's very identity?
Devolution may be a good thing in principle, but why not to a unified DEVON authority?

See the discussions (1) and (2) - and if you agree please sign the petition