Who are the people of North Devon? New museum exhibition reveals all
The Peopling of North Devon runs at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon from October 17 to January 30 and looks at the many different people who have settled the region over the past thousand years and more…
The people of North Devon, their heritage and ancestry will form the basis of a brand new exhibition at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon.
The Peopling of North Devon looks at how generations of migration shaped the communities who live here today, from the earliest Celtic and Saxon times up to the present day.
The exhibition opens on Saturday (October 17) and brings together local family stories, archaeology, scientific research and museum collections to explore how migration has shaped the region over the centuries.
It explores the movement of people associated with the Celts, Saxons, Vikings and Normans, as well as migration from much further afield.
In more recent centuries, North Devon has welcomed workers and families from Ireland, Wales, the Commonwealth and Eastern Europe.
The region has also provided a place of refuge for people fleeing persecution and conflict. These include Huguenots escaping religious persecution in France in the 18th century, Jewish refugees from central Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries and Ukrainian families who have sought safety in North Devon in recent years.
The exhibition will feature the results of the museum’s recent call for volunteers to take part in DNA analysis, delving deeper into some of the more intriguing local family stories.
It will also present research into the human remains discovered at the site of the former Barnstaple Castle, now the location of Barnstaple Library. Some of the skeletons were traditionally described as ‘Saxon’, but scientific analysis has revealed a more complex picture.
The research was undertaken by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London as part of the 1000 Genomes Project, an international research programme which ran from 2008 to 2015 and sought to create a catalogue of human genetic variation.
Museum director Alison Mills said: “North Devon may sit at the western edge of England, but it has never been isolated from the wider world.
“People have been arriving, settling and becoming part of our communities for generations.
“The Peopling of North Devon brings together archaeology, science, family stories and objects from the museum to explore those journeys.
“It is a chance to look at the history of our region and perhaps to see our own family stories in a new light.”
This Saturday will see a special exhibition launch event at the museum on the Square in Barnstaple from 2pm to 4pm. Entry to the museum is free and the exhibition runs until January 30.
You can find out more about The Peopling of North Devon exhibition at https://barnstaplemuseum.org.uk/whatson/the-peopling-of-north-devon