BLACKAWTON AND STRETE HISTORY

Our aims:
To research, collate and record historical information on the twin parishes of Blackawton and Strete; and

To publicise activities and outcomes.





WHO ARE WE?

We are a group of people who are interested in the local history of the area and want to find out more about it but we are not all historians by any means!

The two parishes have been closely linked for a long time. Strete became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1881 but only became a separate civil parish in 1935, so that early records of events in Strete are recorded in Blackawton's parish council minutes.

BASH came into being soon after the new millennium. It started small but has gradually become well-known in the area and now has a membership of about 50. A small annual subscription is payable.

Members are encouraged to do their own research and can be supported by others. We ran a project to digitise all the 1840 tithe map information when many members did just a little transcription work each; we were even helped by a few non-members. Computer skills are helpful but not essential.

WHAT DO WE DO?

We research and publish books on local history projects, sometimes with just a single author but sometimes as a collaborative effort. Our books are sold at both village shops and at Strete Village Day.

We have run several very successful film nights at the Flavel, Dartmouth, offered free to the public. For these one of our members, a professional film-maker, manned the camera and produced films based on the content of our research and publications. We can arrange appropriate training for our members, such as the deciphering of writing on old documents and use of equipment.

Member evenings are held alternately in Blackawton and in Strete with a speaker and a cup of coffee afterwards and we hold an Annual General Meeting every autumn. Events are free to members. We hold a BASH party every Christmas. Sometimes we arrange visits to places of interest, such as local museums and Start Point lighthouse; these may incur a small charge.

PUBLICATIONS

Blackawton & Strete Heritage Appraisal
Robert Waterhouse - the archaeology, geology and history of the parishes, with many illustrative maps

A Walk Around Blackawton
Alison Denham & Anne Harvey - a guide to the village from the Normandy to the George

Our Farming Heritage
ed. David Stranack - the histories of various farms in both parishes

Lest We Forget
James Mussen - the two village war memorials and the stories of the men commemorated on them

Strete, My Favourite Place
Jean Parnell - a personal memoir of a long life spent in Strete

Strete, Tales & Pictures from the Past
David Stranack - an illustrated miscellany of stories about Strete

St Michael's Church, Strete
Roger Sinnott - the story of the church through the ages

Strete Past and Present
ed. Kate Gill - a reprint of Marion Smithes' 1933 account of village life with many illustrations of original watercolours

LINKS

Devon Rural Archive (DRA)
Members are kept informed of events, including a monthly speaker meeting, held at the DRA, which is in the grounds of Shilstone, near Modbury

South West Heritage Trust (SWHT)
This is based in Sowton, Exeter, houses the county archives and is a useful research centre

Dartmouth History Research Group (DHRG)
This group concentrates on the history of Dartmouth, our nearest town

Devon History Society (DHS)
BASH is an affiliated society and we ran the Spring event for DHS in 2015, holding part of the day in each of the villages

Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Totnes Museums
All our local museums contain a wealth of useful information to help with research

RESOURCES

The BASH archive contains more than 1000 photographs of local people and places taken over the years and we're still collecting. You may be able to help us add to the collection.

We have a number of reference books, a stills camera, a video camera and a voice recorder as well as computer equipment. All these are available to members for use on their projects.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Whatever your interests, we shall welcome you as a member, whether or not you wish to get involved in active research. We shall be interested in any ideas for new projects, and also with photographs, documents and any unrecorded memories you may be able to offer.

If you would like to find out more, contact info@historybash.co.uk

Copyright 2018 - Blackawton and Strete History