East Devon Research Articles

A recent landslide on the east Devon coast, UK

The largest landslides on the south coast of England are those associated with failure surfaces in montmorillonite- rich mudstones close to the base of the Gault Formation (mid Cretaceous). Those at Folkestone, Sussex (Trenter & Warren 1996), Ventnor, Isle of Wight (Hutchinson 2001) and Black Ven, west Dorset (Brunsden 2002) are among the largest active landslide systems in the UK. Westwards from Dorset, the Gault facies of the Albian Stage is replaced on the east Devon coast by sandstones and sandy calcarenites of the Upper Greensand Formation. These are mostly moderately strong rocks that crop out in almost continuous, precipitous cliffs between Sidmouth and the county boundary at Lyme Regis. They are a major component of the landslide debris, but the formation itself has not previously been shown to have initiated a failure. For example, the extensive Bindon landslide [SY 277 895] near Axmouth, which incorporates large masses of Upper Greensand, was attributed to failure surfaces in the Gault (Conybeare et al . 1840). However, that formation has not been recorded in a coastal section west of Lyme Regis. Joint/bedding-bounded toppling failures have been observed from time to time in the highest, more massive part of the Upper Greensand along the east Devon coast. The most recent of these occurred after a prolonged period of wet weather in 2001 when a single block of about 3000 tonnes in the highest part of the Upper Greensand fell over 120 m from the western end of Higher Dunscombe Cliff, Salcombe Regis [SY 150 878] and broke up on the beach. A similar mechanism has until now seemed to be the most likely explanation to account for the accumulations of angular blocks of Upper Greensand up to several hundred tonnes in weight that are common in the intertidal area between Beer Head and Sidmouth …

Trace fossils at the basal Upper Greensand (Albian, Cretaceous) unconformity surface in east Devon (southwest England) and the nature of the unconformity surface

Along the east Devon coast the early Cretaceous Upper Greensand Formation rests unconformably on bioturbated firmground and hardground surfaces on mid-Triassic to early Jurassic rocks (Mercia Mudstone Group to Lias Group). The classification and interpretation of the burrows and borings preserved on and beneath these surfaces are discussed, and compared with those from similar bioturbated surfaces elsewhere in Europe. In east Devon, the nature of the preservation of these trace fossils is dependent not only on the nature of the substrate but also on that of the infilling materials. These range from poorly defined, irregular infillings composed of pebbly mudstone to well-defined casts of cemented fine-grained sandstone that preserve detailed external ornaments. The most prominent trace fossils recorded are regularly spaced, flask-shaped Gastrochaenolites ornatus Kelly & Bromley produced by an as yet unidentified bivalve that rotated during penetration. At Branscombe, where the Upper Greensand rests on Triassic mudstones, many of the crypts are ellipsoidal to subhemispheroidal in cross-section. Their producer(s) are also enigmatic. Some infillings contain fragments of Myopholas or Girardotia, bivalves that rotate during penetration of soft to firm substrates. These burrows were probably initiated above the unconformity surface and extended down into an already perforated and softened mudstone surface. A few burrows may be due to a burrowing coelenterate. Bioturbation at the sub-Albian unconformity is ubiquitous in southern and eastern England, and indicates that the erosion surface was available for colonization for a considerable period of time.

EDWARDS, R. A. & GALLOIS, R. W. 2004. Geology of the Sidmouth district – a brief explanation of the geological map. Sheet Explanation of the British Geological Survey. 1:50 000 Sheets 326 and 340 Sidmouth (England and Wales). 30 pp. Keyworth: British Geological Survey. Price £9.00 (paperback). ISBN 0 85272 477 2

The Sidmouth region lies in the western part of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site at the western edge of the Wessex Basin. Although the map extends inland, interest is concentrated on the spectacular coast, whose cliffs form a readily accessible E–W cross-section. The booklet commences with Permian rocks which underlie the whole area and are possibly exposed at outcrop, but the dating at the Permo-Trias boundary is difficult. The cliffs in the west show the non-marine red beds of the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone and Mercia Mudstone groups. They are followed …

Offspring birthweight is not associated with paternal insulin resistance

Low birthweight is associated with insulin resistance and other insulin resistance-related phenotypes: diabetes, hypertension, and vascular disease in later life. The underlying mechanism is unclear. The foetal insulin hypothesis proposes that a single genetic predisposition to beta cell dysfunction/insulin resistance results in both reduced insulin-dependent foetal growth in utero, hence low birthweight, and predisposition to type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to test whether, as predicted by the foetal insulin hypothesis, there is an association between measures of paternal insulin resistance and offspring birthweight. The Exeter Family Study of Childhood Health (EFSOCH) is a community-based study within central Exeter (UK), established to test the foetal insulin hypothesis prospectively. Associations were tested between offspring birthweight and paternal insulin resistance, calculated by homeostasis model assessment analysis in 986 families using data relating to singleton, non-diabetic, UK white pregnancies. Ethics approval was given by the North and East Devon local ethics committee. Offspring birthweight was not significantly correlated with log paternal insulin resistance (r=0, p=0.91), log HDL cholesterol concentration (r=-0.02, p=0.47) or log triglyceride concentration (r=0, p=0.99) when corrected for paternal BMI and common confounders. Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that paternal insulin resistance was not an independent predictor of offspring birthweight. Results from a young, adult, non-diabetic population do not support the foetal insulin hypothesis as an explanation for the association of low birthweight with insulin resistance.

Winter daily precipitation variability over the South West Peninsula of England

Daily precipitation totals for five consecutive winters (1995–99) were obtained for 127 stations in Devon and Cornwall to explore spatial variations in rainfall. This dataset was assembled with the explicit aim of assessing the appropriateness of current arrangements for daily rainfall forecasts in the SW Peninsula of England. Firstly, the extent to which fundamental geographic variables determine precipitation was investigated by correlating each station’s mean wet day amount (WDA) and percentage of wet days (PERWET) with altitude, latitude, longitude and distance from the coast. Altitude emerged as the most important control on precipitation, with a two-variable multiple linear regression model containing altitude and latitude being able to explain 39.3% (29.8%) of the variance in WDA (PERWET) values. The main spatial modes of variability in the region’s precipitation field were identified by using S mode principal components analysis (PCA). Six PCs were statistically significant and explained 83.4% of the geographic variance in precipitation over Devon and Cornwall. The components were interpreted physically by examining the synoptic flow environment (pressure and wind anomalies) on days with high positive and negative PC scores. Explaining 25.1% of the variance, the most important pattern (PC1) depicts a location’s degree of exposure or shelter in a moist, unstable W–NW airflow. The higher PCs describe modes of variability that accentuate rainfall in East Devon (PC2), Cornwall (PC3), Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor (PC4), South Devon (PC5), and North Cornwall and NW Devon (PC6) relative to other areas of the Peninsula. Finally, a winter precipitation regionalisation was derived by applying agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis to the PC loadings of the significant components. In most cases, the six coherent precipitation regions do not reflect the familiar administrative or topographic areas used for forecasting, suggesting that forecasts issued on such a basis are likely to be insufficiently detailed and misleading.

Conservation implications of genetic variation between spatially and temporally distinct colonies of the endangered damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale

Abstract. 1. Good conservation management is underpinned by a thorough understanding of species' historical and contemporary dispersal capabilities along with the possible adaptive or neutral processes behind any spatio‐temporal genetic structuring. These issues are investigated with respect to the rare damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale (Charpentier) – the only odonate species currently listed in the U.K.'s Biodiversity Action Plan – in east Devon where its distribution has become fragmented.2. The two east Devon C. mercuriale populations, only 3.5 km apart, have accumulated strong differences in frequencies of alleles at 14 microsatellite loci as a consequence of poor adult dispersal and drift. There is no contemporary migration between sites.3. A genetic signature of population decline at both sites corresponds with known demographic reductions. Coenagrion mercuriale in east Devon are now significantly genetically less diverse than those from a population stronghold in the Itchen Valley.4. Colonies would benefit from improved connectivity between areas and possibly by a transfer of individuals from other ecologically similar areas.5. Because C. mercuriale has a semivoltine life cycle throughout the U.K., the possibility that alternate‐year cohorts are reproductively isolated is explored. Genetic differentiation among cohorts is an order of magnitude less than between sites, suggesting that some larvae delay their development into adults for a year and recruit to a different cohort.6. To our knowledge, this is the first study to document migration and gene flow between alternate‐year cohorts in a species of odonate. From a conservation standpoint, the cohorts do not require separate management.

The influence of visitors on intertidal biodiversity

The Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve lies within the boundary of the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site on the south coast. This study investigated the influence of visitors on intertidal biodiversity at Kimmeridge Bay, the only accessible part of the reserve. The assemblages present on two rock ledges were compared: Washing Ledge, which is regularly visited and utilized by people, and Yellow Ledge, which is more isolated and visited much less regularly. At each ledge, three habitat types were investigated: open rock, rockpools and the fucoid zone. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed significant differences in assemblages between ledges and among habitat types. The differences observed in the communities of the two ledges can be explained to some extent by natural ecological processes, but human impacts were also detected. The most obvious contrast associated with trampling was a reduction in the larger, branching species of algae and an increase in ephemeral and crustose species in the more heavily utilized areas.

Mapping choice in the NHS: cross sectional study of routinely collected data

Objective To identify where in England there are likely to be most constraints on choice of hospital for patients waiting longer than six months for elective care.Design Cross sectional study...

Concerning women: questionnaire survey of consultations, embarrassment, and views on confidentiality in general practice among women in their teens, thirties and fifties

BackgroundConcern exists that women, and in particular teenagers, do not consult in general practice, particularly for contraception because of embarrassment and concern over confidentiality. The aim of this study was...

Early Modern

HistoryVolume 90, Issue 297 p. 125-146 Early Modern First published: 27 January 2005 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-229X.2005.00326.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Books reviewed: Helen Parish and William G. Naphy (eds), Religion and Superstition in Reformation Europe. James van Horn Melton (ed.), Cultures of Communication from Reformation to Enlightenment: Constructing Publics in Early Modern German Lands. Perez Zagorin, How the Idea of Religious Toleration Came to the West. Thomas F. Mayer (ed.), The Correspondence of Reginald Pole 1. A Calendar, 1518–1546: Beginnings to Legate of Viterbo. Sarah Covington, The Trail of Martyrdom: Persecution and Resistance in England. Narasingha P. Sil, Tudor Placemen and Statesmen: Select Case Histories. Jennifer Loach. Edited and with an introduction by George Bernard and Penry Williams, Edward VI. Andrei Pavlov and Maureen Perrie, Ivan the Terrible. Monique Weis, Les Pays-Bas Espagnols et les États du Saint Empire 1559–1579: Priorités et enjeux de la diplomatie en temps de troubles. Alexandra Shepard, Meanings of Manhood in Early Modern England. Pamela Sharpe, Population and Society in a East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 1540–1840. J. Chynoweth, N. Orme and A. Walsham (eds), The Survey of Cornwall by Richard Carew. Mark Stoyle, Circled with Stone: Exeter's City Walls 1485–1660. Joad Raymond, Pamphlets and Pamphleteering in Early Modern Britain. S. Mutchow Towers, Control of Religious Printing in Early Stuart England. Reid Barbour, Literature and Religious Culture in Seventeenth-Century England. Glyn Redworth, The Prince and the Infanta: The Cultural Politics of the Spanish Match. Robert Bireley, The Jesuits and the Thirty Years War: Kings, Courts, and Confessors. Brennan C. Pursell, The Winter King: Frederick V of the Palatinate and the Coming of the Thirty Years’ War. John P. LeDonne, The Grand Strategy of the Russian Empire 1650–1831. Orcutt Frost, Bering: The Russian Discovery of America. Janis Langins, Conserving the Enlightenment: French Military Engineering from Vauban to the Revolution. M. John Cardwell, Arts and Arms: Literature, Politics and Patriotism during the Seven Years’ War. Susan Juster, Doomsayers: Anglo-American Prophecy in the Age of Revolution. James Kelly, Sir Edward Newenham MP, 1734–1814: Defender of the Protestant Constitution. Volume90, Issue297January 2005Pages 125-146 RelatedInformation

BRUNSDEN, D. (ed.) 2003. The Official Guide to the Jurassic Coast. Dorset and East Devon's World Heritage Coast. A Walk through Time. 64 pp. + fold-out map. Wareham: Coastal Publishing. Obtainable by mail order from >http://www.jurassiccoast.com/< or direct from the World Heritage Team at Dorset County Council, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ for £7.00. Price £4.95 (paper back). ISBN 0

So now the East Devon and Dorset Coast ranks alongside the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. This is an area not just of striking topography, but of very great historical interest because of the wealth of geological information which it has generated from the days of Mary Anning’s discoveries right up to today. For these reasons this 155 km of coastline from Exmouth to Studland Bay was proposed to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and culminated in the area being formally designated on 13 December 2001 as the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Coast. Although popularly termed the ‘Jurassic Coast’, major contributions to the geology are made also by Triassic rocks which form the spectacular red sandstone cliffs of the south Devon coast, and Cretaceous rocks, including the Chalk and Upper Greensand, which overlie a …

Living with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): perceptions of patients and their carers

A study designed to explore the experiences of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their carers, particularly with regard to ongoing and palliative care needs. The participants were nine men and one woman with severe COPD and the carers of eight of the men, in East Devon, UK. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken, transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The emergent themes were of losses, adaptation, relationships with health professionals and effect on carer. Losses reflected the loss of personal liberty and dignity and of previous expectations of the future. Adaptation included strategies to cope with the effects of the disease. Relationships related to both positive and negative aspects of contact with health professionals. There was appreciation for continuity of care and reassurance. The effect on the carer was evident particularly as they had to take on multiple roles. They also experienced some of the same losses as the patient and appeared enmeshed with the illness. This study confirmed the inexorable decline in activities of daily life and social isolation for patients with severe COPD. Adaptive strategies were common and some positive aspects were identified. Support from the primary health care team was appreciated. The strain on carers was very apparent. The concept of a more structured sharing of information and a surveillance role mediated by health care professionals known to the patient and carer would be a pragmatic approach to improving care.

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish. Reproducing Colyton, 1540-1840. By Pamela Sharpe (Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. xv, 408 pp.)

Journal Article Population and Society in an East Devon Parish. Reproducing Colyton, 1540–1840. By Pamela Sharpe (Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. xv, 408 pp.) Get access David Levine David Levine OISE/UToronto Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Social History, Volume 38, Issue 1, Fall 2004, Pages 257–259, https://doi.org/10.1353/jsh.2004.0092 Published: 01 October 2004

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 1540–1840. By Pamela Sharpe. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Pp. xv, 408. £45.00.

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 1540–1840. By Pamela Sharpe. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Pp. xv, 408. £45.00.

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton, 1540-1840

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton, 1540-1840

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 15401840. By Pamela Sharpe. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Pp. xv, 408. 45.00.

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 15401840. By Pamela Sharpe. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Pp. xv, 408. 45.00.

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 1540-1840 (review)

Population and Society in an East Devon Parish: Reproducing Colyton 1540-1840 (review)

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article:Phillipp R. Schofield, Peasant and Community in Medieval EnglandIan Kershaw & David M. Smith (eds.), The Bolton Priory CompotusMichael Jones (ed.), Revolution and Consumption in Late Medieval EnglandPeter Northeast (ed.), Wills of the Archdeaconry of SudburyPamela Sharpe, Population and Society in an East Devon ParishDonald Winch & Patrick K. O'Brien (eds.), The Political Economy of British Historical ExperienceS.D. Smith, ‘An Exact and Industrious Tradesman’Nicola Verdon, Rural Women Workers in Nineteenth‐Century EnglandJ.R. Wordie (ed.), Agriculture and Politics in EnglandLewis Johnman & Hugh Murphy, British Shipbuilding and the StateJairus Banaji, Agrarian Change in Late AntiquityAngeliki E. Laiou, The Economic History of ByzantiumAdriaan Verhulst, The Carolingian EconomyAdam Steinhouse, Workers' Participation in Post‐Liberation FrancePatrick Major & Jonathan Osmond (eds.), The Workers' and Peasants' StateRainer Karlsch & Raymond Stokes, The Chemistry must be RightMonica Chojnacka, Working Women of Early Modern VeniceHarold James & Jacob Tanner (eds.), Enterprise in the Period of Fascism in EuropeWendy Z. Goldman, Women at the GatesDavid Armitage & Michael J. Braddick (eds.), The British Atlantic worldSteven W. Usselman, Regulating Railroad InnovationNikki Mandell, The Corporation as FamilyBruce L. Gardner, American Agriculture in the Twentieth CenturyStefano Battilossi & Youssef Cassis (eds.), European Banks and the American ChallengeGeoffrey Jones & Lina Galvez‐Munoz (eds.), Foreign Multinationals in the United StatesMauro F. Guillén, The Limits of ConvergenceDennis O. Flynn, Arturo Giráldez & James Sobredo (eds.), Studies in Pacific HistoryNick Tiratsoo, Junichi Hasegawa, Tony Mason & Takao Matsumara, Urban Reconstruction in Britain and JapanDavid Zweig, Internationalizing ChinaCharles H. Feinstein & Mark Thomas, Making History CountPhillip Mirowski, Machine Dreams

LEGITIMATE EXPECTATIONS, POLICY, AND THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSISTENCY

In R. v. North and East Devon HA ex p. Coughlan the Court of Appeal significantly clarified the doctrine of substantive legitimate expectations. The facts of the case are familiar. The applicant had been very severely disabled in a road traffic accident in 1971 and was subsequently placed in the care of a local area health authority. In 1993 she and seven other seriously disabled patients were moved by the health authority with their consent to a new facility at Mardon House after receiving an assurance that they could live there “for as long as they chose”. Following a public consultation in 1998, the health authority decided to close Mardon House and transfer the applicant to a local authority home.

Development of Integrated Children's Services in Exeter: A Case Study

This article describes the experience of designing and implementing a joint health/social services/education strategy for children with special needs and their families in the Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon and North Devon Primary Care Trust localities. While partnership with parents was a guiding principle and beneficial changes in policy and practice were introduced, the article gives practical illustrations of how easily a gap can emerge between rhetoric and reality during implementation.