Stokenham is a village a mile or so inland from Start Bay. It has its own history society.
Stokenham Community History Group
Our informal group meets in the Wesley Smith Reading Room at 8pm on the first Tuesday of the month (excepting August and January). We hold our AGM at the end of January and follow it with an Open Evening when we have a speaker. We have other open evenings during the year and our Speakers generally inform us about the area. We have heard about the Anglo Saxons, Lost Devon, The Castles of Devon, Murders and other unsolved crimes, smuggling, wrecks and marine treasure finds. Our aim is to research and discuss matters of local history: industries, fishing and farming, buildings and boundaries. The Stokenham and Huccombe School Log Books from the 19th century have been digitised and are available at Genuki; they make fascinating reading and give an excellent indication of local life.
Current projects include researching the names on our War Memorial, to find out as much as possible about the families they came from and their working lives before they were called up, what ships or regiments they served in, where and how they died. We also continue to update the names on the graves in Stokenham Churchyard. We are building on the excellent research of our great local historian, Bob Roberts, and the wealth of information held in the Research Centre at the Cookworthy Museum. We try to help individuals researching their families and answer queries about the houses or farms they may have lived in.
New members are always welcome: for further information, email the Secretary, mail@clarepawley.com, or telephone 01548 580129
East Portlemouth
