The History Society Buckfastleigh has been established for almost two years. It aims to learn from and distribute, knowledge and information about local history and relevant history further afield. There are also visits to other museums and historical sites.
Each month a talk is held in Buckfastleigh, usually in the Valiant Soldier Museum and Visitor Centre. It is intended to offer a range of talks, such as: the History of Buckfast Abbey, Victorian Ladies Toilette, Buckfastleigh Caves, 200 Years of the RNLI, History of the Stover Canal, Kelly Mine – Iron Ore Mining, Walking with the Ancestors – Prehistory in South Dartmoor, Roman Devon, Women in Agriculture WW1, Pubs of Victorian Buckfastleigh, Vikings in the West Country, History of Slapton, Mapping the Graves – survey project of Holy Trinity churchyard. These are just some of the talks we have offered and talks are organised until April 2026.
The History Society is currently carrying out two research projects: one to map the graves in Holy Trinity Churchyard. In 1992 the church was destroyed by arson. The church records of the position of the graves were also destroyed. We are working to provide a database with details, Ordinance Survey records and photographs of where the graves are situated. This will allow local people and visitors looking for the graves of relatives to be found. This is a long process and so far over 350 names have been located and recorded. The records will be held in the Valiant Soldier and the library.
The second project is to record the lives of former military personnel who live in the area. This is in the form of a recorded interview. Eventually, when there are enough names, it will be produced in the form of a book/booklet.
The History Society Buckfastleigh can be contacted through the Secretary on 07542 187137 or historysocietyvs@gmail.com.
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