PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: Plymouth Data is currently being revised to ensure that one webpage equals one printed page of text. The new style pages are denoted by PLYMOUTH DATA being in black lettering instead of white. I am astonished but proud to record that on January 7th 2008, the Plymouth Data Website was six years old. I am also proud to record that the site received 209,111 visitors during 2005; 320,186 during 2006 and a staggering 442,268 in 2007. Apparently 715,795 webpages were viewed last year. It doesn't earn me a penny but many thanks to you all, especially those who have taken the trouble to express their appreciation in writing. How it all began My interest in publishing started in 1957, at the age of 10, when I produced a book for a class exhibition at primary school. My interest in local history started around 1961 when I became curious about the name over my local sub post office -- Keyham Barton. What did the Barton refer to? When I found out that a Barton was a Manor House, and that Barton Avenue was said to be built on the site of it, I went in search of a map to prove it. My diary records that I first climbed the stairs to the Local Studies Library on Saturday December 2nd 1961. I proved that Barton Avenue was NOT built on the site of Keyham Barton and I suppose that started me on my constant quest for the truth about the dates and information used in Plymouth history. How the Plymouth Data Website came to be developed is now told elsewhere. The site currently runs to 1,350 pages and is revised or updated as quickly as I can. New pages are being added regularly and thus what is not there today may well be there tomorrow. How to use the site Start with the A - Z Contents Page. This lists all the subjects covered by the encyclopaedia. The entries are arranged by subject or in some cases by individual title. The largest sections are those on Churches and Other Places of Worship, Memorials and Monuments and Schools. When searching with Google, just type "Plymouth" in front of what ever subject it is that you are searching for and it will usually take you straight to the correct Plymouth Data webpage. Conventions Readers should be warned that some old fashioned conventions are followed in the text. The terms Mr, Mrs and Miss are frequently used in order to denote men from boys and, in the case of the females, the unmarried from the married, always helpful when trying to identify members of a family. One unusual convention is that the First World War is normally referred to as the Great War - simply because at the time it happened that is what it was known as and documents and reports of the time used that terninology. Nobody expected there to be a second one. Family history Please note that this is not a family history website but wherever possible I have included personal names as I know these will be of interest. I do not offer a research service but I will happily try to answer local history questions. However, please be patient with enquiries. All genuine enquiries will be answered but my top priority is adding information and photographs to the site and carrying out the research to enable me to do so, both of which take up a considerable amount of time. How to contact me The e-mail address for enquiries and technical problems is .... brianmoseley at plymouthdata dot info. I am sorry it is not a direct link but blame that on the spam merchants. And finally ... Finally, can I emphasise that this Website is about Plymouth past. For information about Plymouth present, like hotels, attractions, events, etc., please see the Tourist Information Centres page. There are also some useful sites in Links. This site is run on a not-for-profit basis although sales of the remaining volumes of "Plymouth Through the Lens" do contribute towards the cost. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Mrs Marian E Beckford was the Local Studies Librarian when I first visited it in 1961. It was due to her encouragement that my interest in old Plymouth was nurtured. Sadly, she died on June 3rd 1972 at the early age of 60 years. The staff have changed several times over (Owen Baker, the late Ken Burns, Michael Crews, Anique Williams, John Smith, 'Polly' Lamb, Ann Landers, and currently Joyce Brown, Ian Criddle and Malcolm Matthews) -- but without their continuing help, and the facilities that the library provides, very little of the Plymouth Data Website would be possible. Likewise the staff of the main Reference Library have had to put up with me for 46 years as well. I also acknowledge the help of Sam Johnston, Anne Morgan, Deborah Watson, Ian Conday, and Alan Barclay of the Plymouth & West Devon Record Office. I still remember when former archivist Keith Holt introduced me to the collection of old newspapers that were housed in the basement of the Library building, way back in the 1960s. I also acknowledge the enormous debt that the City owes to its other historians like Worth, Yorkshire-born Llewellyn Jewitt, Whitfeld, Bracken, Exeter-born R A J Walling, Crispin Gill, and Sussex-born Chris Robinson. Thank you for visiting the Plymouth Data Website. Brian Moseley
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