Exeter Local History Society
Exeter Local History Society members are hooked on history. If you share our fascination, why not join us? We have between 6 and 12 lecture meetings a year (details below), plus we occasionally have long-distance outings, and we cover an incredibly diverse range of subjects from Roman remains to post-WW2 redevelopment.
Our regular monthly meetings at Leonardo Hotel Exeter are usually held on the second Thursday of a month. Full details of future walks and talks are given below.
The charge for each meeting is normally £5 (free to members) and the annual membership fee is £12 (£16 for joint membership). If you sample a meeting and decide to join, the £5 cost will be deducted from your first annual fee. Walks and visits normally cost £5 p.p. for members and visitors alike.
We also produce six newsletters a year — how about we email you the most recent as a free taster? To request a copy just email us at:
And do check out this website and see for yourself the great selection of subjects with which we entertain our members. Just click on "Past Events" to explore our programme! Click on "How To Join Us" for an application form. Please fill out this form if you wish to stay updated on our events and receive newsletters.
We hope we will see you soon at one of our many events!
Plant Hunters and Pioneers
The Veitch Family Nurseries of Exeter & Chelsea
with Caradoc Doy on Thursday, 10 July 2025
at 7pm at Leonardo Hotel Exeter [Jurys Inn Exeter Hotel]
Caradoc Doy travels widely to give interesting and entertaining gardening talks. He has also become a specialist studying the work of the Veitch nurseries of Exeter and Chelsea and their many pioneering plant collectors, as well as other horticultural stories.
This talk is a brief history of a remarkable nursery which sent twenty-three plant collectors to numerous countries, mainly during the Victorian period. William and Thomas Lobb, Richard Pearce, John Gould Veitch and Peter Veitch, Frederick Burbidge, Charles Maries, Ernest Wilson and others all worked for the Veitch family nurseries of Exeter and Chelsea.
The presentation highlights some of the well-known and interesting varieties introduced by these pioneering plant hunters who discovered many hundreds of new species. So successful were they that there is scarcely a garden in the British Isles that does not contain a plant derived from their introductions.
Our speaker, Caradoc Doy, is an experienced horticulturist and an authority on the history of plants introduced during the Victorian period.
Tickets for this event can be secured by following the link below. The event registration is free for the members of the Society; there is a very small (£5) fee for non-members.
Semper Fidelis:
Rebellion, history and identity in Tudor & Stuart Exeter
on Wednesday, 6 August 2025
from 2 pm until 5 pm at Exeter Guildhall
The event will feature two talks:
Professor Mark Stoyle, "Semper Fidelis: The Civic Community of Exeter and the Memory of the Western Rising of 1549"
Exeter people have long been proud of their city's ancient motto Semper Fidelis (i.e., "Ever Faithful"). But how ancient is that motto? Why was it chosen in the first place? And how does it relate to the so-called "Jesus Day" festivities which were formerly celebrated in the city every 6 August? Mark Stoyle's lecture will explore these questions, and, in the process, will reveal that the motto which lies at the heart of Exeter's modern-day "civic brand" has its roots in the bitter religious rivalries of the mid-sixteenth century.
Dr Todd Gray, "Exeter's myths and manuscripts of the 1500s"
Exeter has a particularly rich archive for the Elizabethan period and yet the city's history has had some extraordinary fabrications. In this lecture, Dr Gray will outline some of those myths and reveal the staggering documents that we take for granted.
The tickets to this event cost £6 and are available from Exeter Corn Exchange. You can get tickets by clicking on the link below:
Loggerheads Toll House, Exeter Image courtesy of Tim Jenkinson.
The Toll Houses of Devon
with Tim Jenkinson on Thursday, 11 September 2025
at 7pm at The Mint Methodist Church Centre (Rowe Room)
Turnpike Trusts in Devon were set up through various Acts of Parliament from 1753-1831 resulting usually from vigorous petitioning by local worthies about the state of the roads in the County. Their remit was to repair existing roads and where necessary widen and build new sections. The Exeter Turnpike Trust was the first be formed and at its peak had responsibility for around 150 miles within the County.
Tolls were to be charged to horse drawn travellers to fund the road repairs and to facilitate a 24-hour presence of their collectors the Turnpike Trusts built small associated dwellings at their gates: - the toll-houses. They generally comprised very minimal accommodation of two rooms with a scullery and privy attached, although larger types did become more common in later years. Usually one or two storeys high, the houses came in many shapes and sizes. They were both functional and to some extent expressions of architectural style often employing an octagonal ground plan to advertise their special purpose. Today in the first half of the 21st Century many of these roadside buildings survive as private dwellings in Devon.
Shaldon Bridge Toll House, Teignmouth Image - Tim Jenkinson
Tim’s illustrated talk will show examples of survivors within the County and will place particular emphasis on those houses that operated for the Exeter Turnpike Trust with some tales of the toll-collectors from the mid to late 19th Century. There will also be reference to turnpike related items such as milestones including a remarkable set of markers running from the city out to Chudleigh that received Grade II listed status as recently as 2017.
Our speaker, Tim Jenkinson, has lived in South Devon since 1988. He has had successful careers at the University of Plymouth, where he taught nursing, and as a local historian. As a historian, he has written and published a number of articles and books about the history of Devon, including books about toll houses.
Tickets for this event can be secured by following the link below. The event registration is free for the members of the Society; there is a very small (£5) fee for non-members.
Print 