Welcome to the Dartmouth History Research Group

Welcome to the Dartmouth History Research Group

The Dartmouth History Research Group is a small voluntary and community group, founded in 1991. We research the history of Dartmouth and surrounding villages and make it available to the general public through publications, events and this website, to promote public understanding of local history and heritage. The “Dartmouth Archives” section provides resources enabling you to explore the rich and fascinating history of Dartmouth and the local area, and discover more about local people and places. It contains an extensive collection of documents and records, built up by members of the Group over several years and still growing. The timeline section gives a brief account of key event’s in Dartmouth’s history. Other sections of the website tell you more about us and about what we do.

Our next meeting

Monday 2 June 2025

10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Our next meeting will be on Monday 2 June 2025 at our usual venue. It will be a “History and Cake” meeting.

Everyone is welcome. If you are new to the group and plan to come, it would be helpful if you could email us by clicking this link so that we have some idea of numbers. We look forward to seeing you!

Join Us

Membership of DHRG is free and open to all and everyone is welcome at any of our meetings. We usually meet on the first Monday of each month in the Church Hall, Baptist Church, Carey Road, Townstal, 10.00 – 12.00 noon (see the “Contact” page for more details). As arrangements may change at short notice, please let us know if you plan to come to any of our meetings.

Our Books

The DHRG has published many books and booklets about aspects of the history of Dartmouth and surrounding villages. Books and booklets are sold at a price sufficient to cover our costs. Please go to the “DHRG Books” section of the website to see what’s available and for information about how to purchase our current titles. Out of print titles are free to download as PDFs from this website.

Latest DHRG News

15th January 2024          Latest Additions to this Website

The programme for the Group’s event “A History of Dartmouth in Four Houses” at the Flavel on 18 November 2023 can be found here.  As part of the preparation for this event, a detailed guidance note has been produced on how to research the history of a house in Dartmouth.  To access it, please visit our Guidance and FAQs page.

Following the sad death on 19 September 2023 of Ray Freeman, a founder and first Chair of the DHRG in 1991, we have published a page dedicated to her memory, giving an account of her life and work.

One of our publications – “A Wrens-Eye View of Wartime Dartmouth” compiled by Ray Freeman – is no longer in print and is now available as a free-of-charge download from our Books page.

Several items have been added to the Archive, including

  • cine films showing Dartmouth taken in 1947 and 1950 kindly made available by the Arnold family
  • the 1831 and 1868 reports on the proposed boundary of the borough of Dartmouth as a parliamentary constituency, taking account of population, including maps.

 

DHRG on Facebook

Dartmouth History Research Group

7 days ago

Dartmouth History Research Group
80 years ago today, early in the morning on 7 May 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of all Germany’s armed forces. With the rest of Britain, Dartmouth heard the news later that day on the radio. Third Officer WRNS Patricia Thornycroft remembered:“The message spread through Dartmouth with the speed of lightning. The always welcome “All Clear” on the sirens brought everyone onto the streets to shout, cheer, clap, sing and dance ... When the glorious sound of the church bells rang ... I don’t think there were many dry eyes. As the next day dawned, thoughts of celebrations were uppermost. Union Jacks of all sizes appeared from the windows and the rooftops of most houses. Where they did not, one’s hearts and prayers went out in deepest sympathy and understanding.”In nearly six years of war, Patricia herself had lost two brothers, her fiancé, and many friends. Some of Dartmouth’s war memorials are shown in the picture. Our book, When War Came to the Dart, published 2021, tells the story of those tumultuous years. It includes a roll of honour of all those commemorated locally who died during the Second World War. At our meeting on Monday 12 May, to mark VE Day 80, there will be a short talk about “Researching Dartmouth’s returning Prisoners of War”. For time and venue, see our website.#dartmouth #localhistory #discoverdartmouth #VE80 ... See MoreSee Less

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Dartmouth History Research Group

4 weeks ago

Dartmouth History Research Group
100 years ago this week, which was just after Easter, newspapers reported the results of "Egg Day" in local schools:“Dartmouth Cottage Hospital obtained 1558 eggs ... Dartmouth Girls Council School contributed 144, Boys’ School, 150; Infants, 90; Catholic School, 133; Secondary School, 179; Dittisham Church School, 120,; Kingswear School, 111; Stokefleming School, 117; Bedford House School, 127; Broadstone School, 48; Fairview College, 306; and Mrs Woodward’s market basket, 33.”The National Egg Collection for the Wounded began during the Great War. Local branches ran collections and ensured eggs brought in by the public reached local hospitals promptly. The practice continued after the war to help provide a nourishing diet for sick and convalescing patients in local hospitals (and because it was an eggsellent idea ..!)Wishing you all a Happy Easter exploring our local history!#localhistory #discoverdartmouth #Dartmouth ... See MoreSee Less

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Dartmouth History Research Group

1 month ago

Dartmouth History Research Group
If you're in Dartmouth, come and see us for a local history chat on Friday 11 April 2025 in Dartmouth Library, in the Flavel Centre, from 10am to 12noon. We can't promise a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we'll do our best to answer your questions about people and events in Dartmouth's rich history, or perhaps we can help you look into your family or house history. We look forward to meeting you!A big thank you to Dartmouth Libr#localhistoryn#dartmoutha#dartmouthlibraryt#flavelmouthlibrary #flavel ... See MoreSee Less

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Dartmouth History Research Group

1 month ago

Dartmouth History Research Group
One hundred years ago this week Hauley Road was opened for traffic. In fine weather, a large crowd watched the Mayor, Dr H J Campbell, cut the tape.Connecting Newcomen Road to the Embankment, Hauley Road replaced the narrow Burrough’s Slip. Newspapers reported that “the old-fashioned construction of the lower part of the town, with its narrow alleys and roads, has proved a great inconvenience ... with the ever-increasing amount of traffic on the roads, a new thoroughfare to lead to the Quay without using the narrow corner in Fairfax Place was a necessity”. The Town Council had purchased a large block of old property running the whole length of Burrough’s Slip, four years before, and demolished the buildings. The new road was “a very pleasant public thoroughfare with a wide pavement on either side”. The rest of the land was soon to be used for shops and for building the Hospital extension.Though the road was very much a modernising improvement, the Town Council chose to name it after John Hawley d1408, Dartmouth's most prominent medieval resident. He may well have known the buildings demolished to make way for the road named after him!#dartmouth #localhistory #discoverdartmouth #devoninthe1920s ... See MoreSee Less

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Dartmouth History Research Group

2 months ago

Dartmouth History Research Group
Here’s a question on International Women’s Day. How many women are remembered in Dartmouth’s street names? If we discount Britannia Avenue, named (presumably) for HMS Britannia, the answer seems to be only one - Queen Victoria. She visited Dartmouth on several occasions, the first time as a girl, in 1833. When she became Queen in 1837, Victoria Place, newly built at the time, was named for her accession.Ten years later she and her husband Prince Albert paid a brief call in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert; and in 1846 they stopped overnight in the harbour due to bad weather. Victoria wrote in her journal that Dartmouth reminded her of “the beautiful Rhine”, a phrase much used afterwards to promote the town to visitors. Her fourth visit was in August 1856, again in the yacht. After an official reception, the Royal Party toured choice coastal viewpoints by carriage. The Royal Yacht remained overnight, with all the houses illuminated by candlelight. Dartmouth Regatta was due to start so she donated a prize of £25; and from then on, it was the Royal Regatta. The whole visit was front page news in the Dartmouth Chronicle. But it was not until her Diamond Jubilee, in 1897, that the New Road (completed in 1826) was renamed Victoria Road, in her honour. #dartmouth #localhistory #internationalwomensdayPhoto left, the listed street name on the old medical centre marks Victoria Place, and photo right, Victoria Road, looking east towards the town centre. ... See MoreSee Less

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