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The Eifelian-aged Hangman Sandstone Formation of southwest England is a unit of the 'Old Red Sandstone' that has traditionally been considered relatively barren of trace fossils. Following recent investigations, we here show it to contain the most diverse Middle Devonian non-marine ichnofauna known globally. The fluvial-lacustrine facies of its constituent Trentishoe Member contain representatives of 21 ichnogenera including Archaeonassa, Arenicolites, Beaconites, Bifungites, Circulichnis, Cruziana, Diplichnites, ? Gluckstadella, Gordia,?Halimededes,?Lockeia, Merostomichnites, Palmichnium, Petalichnus, Planolites, Polarichnus, Rusophycus, Siskemia, Spirophyton, Steinsfjordichnus , and Taenidium, as well as several microbially induced sedimentary structures. The transitional marine-influenced facies of the underlying Hollowbrook Member are less extensively exposed but contain four additional unique ichnogenera in the form of Cochlichnus, Halopoa, Phycodes , and Teichichnus , as well as further examples of Cruziana, Planolites and Taenidium. A revised ichnological assessment of the unit reveals several notable features, including the youngest known example of the arthropod refugia trace, Polarichnus , as well as a transitional trace fossil form of Diplichnites-Beaconites , demonstrating that the latter was produced by arthropods. As the Hangman Sandstone Formation records the culmination of a marine regression, its ichnofauna can be compared with that of the conformably underlying Lynton Formation, which was deposited in a sandy marine shelf setting. The ichnological differences between these units are acute, with 88% of the Hangman Sandstone Formation trace fossils being exclusive to non-marine or transitional facies. This observation sheds light on the terrestrialization process and indicates that the segregation of marine and non-marine trace fossil communities had accelerated by the Middle Devonian. Internal variability in ichnological signatures within the Hangman Sandstone Formation is also pronounced, with greater ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity in distal fluvio-lacustrine facies than in proximal fluvial facies. By viewing the depositional environment of the unit as a regionally extensive distributive fluvial system, this variability can be partly explained by a bias arising from the distribution of true substrates (bedding planes that demonstrably preserve an ancient sediment-air interface) in the unit, with such phenomena being more readily preserved in the lower energy outer reaches of the depositional system. • 25 ichnotaxa are reported from the Middle Devonian Hangman Sandstone Formation. • 88% are exclusively non-marine forms, showing Mid Devonian acceleration of terrestrialization. • Surficial trace fossils are made available by true substrates within a distributive fluvial system • Transitional forms between Diplichnites and Beaconites show the latter was formed by arthropods. • Youngest examples of Polarichnus and the first reported non-marine ?Halimededes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alleged presence of non-native felid species in the British countryside – popularly, though in part erroneously, known as ‘British big cats’ or ‘alien big cats’ – is a long-standing and controversial topic, perennially of interest to both the mass media and amateur naturalists, and with little apparent acceptance from the technical zoological community. Nevertheless, a number of carcasses and captured live specimens have demonstrated the occasional presence within the region of escapees that potentially explain at least some ‘British big cat’ eyewitness records. We report here the existence of a probable Canada lynx,Lynx canadensis, shot in Newton Abbot, Devon, England, in or prior to 1903, and then accessioned to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. The specimen (represented by extensive skeletal material and a stuffed taxidermy mount) is Bobcat-like in some respects but is identified as a Canada lynx on the basis of skeletal morphology with a high degree of support; attempts to extract DNA were unsuccessful. Stable strontium isotope analysis supports either a recent introduction from western Canada or long-term acclimation to the local area of Devon where it was collected. Although the specimen was undoubtedly an ‘alien’ (an escapee or release from a collection), it is significant as material evidence in demonstrating, for the first time, the presence of a wild-caught, feral, exotic felid dating to the early years of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present-day Anglicans have an ambivalent attitude to the Victorians. There are, however, as illustrated by a recent project in the diocese of London, important ways in which critical engagement with the past can inform constructive thinking in contemporary churches. In particular an understanding of patterns of church attendance in the nineteenth century provides context for evaluating more recent statistics, while knowledge of the circumstances leading to the building of Victorian churches can inform decisions about their present-day use. Awareness of the sometimes bitterly divided Victorian church helps to set current internal Anglican tensions in proportion, while a long historical perspective can be of assistance in the setting of realistic expectations in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small but intense convective system affected parts of east Devon during the early hours of 30 October 2008, producing an estimated 200 mm of precipitation, including locally over 20 cm of hail, within a 3 h period. This exceptional storm and its environment are studied here from an observational perspective. Upper air and satellite observations show that the storm developed within an environment characterized by a trend for increasing instability and dynamic forcing for ascent, associated with an approaching upper level cold pool and small positive potential vorticity anomaly. Analysis of surface observations reveals that convective development was strongly focussed by localized, persistent low-level convergence and moisture convergence in the vicinity of a mesoscale surface low pressure area, which rapidly deepened before becoming slow moving over east Devon. Radar, wind profiler and other available observations are used to describe the development and evolution of the convective system, and to identify some additional factors contributing to the exceptional rain- and hail-fall totals. Finally, the role that real-time, simultaneous analysis of these various observation types could play in nowcasting of localized, extreme rainfall events is discussed. © Crown Copyright 2010. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the knowledge construction process of an archaeological site in East Devon, UK. Bouncing off an oral historical account of the site that seems to run against scientific truth claims, the author investigates the story of how knowledge of the site has developed over the last two centuries. Building on previous work that explores the history and practice of archaeology, the article opens up questions of what counts as evidence. Then, taking a cue from more recent work that suggests a more dynamic and open-ended engagement with the landscape, the article turns to examine how the meaning of a site can be made and remade. As part of this endeavour, questions of what as well as who can 'speak' are examined and some space is opened up for the agency of 'minor figures', both human and non-human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cow Cave is an important Quaternary paleontological site in Chudleigh Gorge, Devon, UK., now known to have a sequence of cave-earths and stalagmite floors that range in age from Upper Middle Pleistocene (MIS 7 interglacial) through to the Holocene (Flandrian) and the present day. Excavations in 1927-1934, and again in 1962-3, have provided a rich fauna, with some artefacts. Here, the stratigraphy of the deposits is now more fully described and the faunal remains are considered in their stratigraphical contexts. Data supporting the existence of former cave entrances are presented along with an analysis of the processes of sedimentation and taphonomy with their climatic interpretations. Based on recent U-Th dating of a critical Stalagmite horizon, a chronology of the mid-Pleistocene to Holocene sequence is discussed. Finally, further excavation in Cow Cave and nearby sites is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current English policy and practice allows, and in places encourages, site specific estimates of arsenic oral bioavailability to be used in detailed quantitative human health risk assessment. English land contamination legislation does not differentiate between natural and man made arsenic soil contamination. English planning guidance requires developers to demonstrate that new houses are fit for purpose, including ensuring that there are no unacceptable risks to human health from soil contaminants. Naturally occurring arsenic in soils at a new housing site in southwest England was demonstrated not to pose unacceptable risk to human health by site specific estimates of bioavailability and region specific estimates of soil to plant uptake factors. Independent lines of evidence were used to justify the arsenic exposure factors for oral bioavailability and soil to plant uptake. Using site specific assessment criteria based on tools and information that give a better estimate of the actual exposure avoided both unnecessary public concern and considerable local authority expenditure across the outcrop of such soils as part of their legal duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on recent analyses of 'heterogenous agri-cultures' this paper considers the potential of an oral history approach to explore the geographies of farming cultures and the processes of agricultural and landscape change. Drawing on case studies from the Peak District and Devon (UK) the paper advocates a less mechanistic methodological approach that taps into oral histories and offer a more nuanced appreciation of this change 'from the ground'. The understandings embedded within these oral histories are investigated with attention given to how these may contribute to recent discussions of the role of farmers' knowledge(s) in the current and future management of the countryside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines a relatively new form of landscape archaeology known in England as Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC). Whilst it seeks to present and analyse the ‘historic character’ of landscapes, HLC is also a forward-looking approach that uses its distinctively ‘archaeological’ perspective to inform planning for the future. The article argues that HLC is particularly well placed to facilitate communication between landscape scholars from different disciplines and other people concerned with landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the structure of waste reduction, reuse and recycling behavior within the context of wider research on environmental action in and around the home. Using a sample of 1265 households from Devon, England, the research examined a range of environmental behaviors, focusing on energy saving, water conservation, green consumerism and waste management. Using factor analysis, the data were analysed to examine how the different behavioral variables related to each other. The research found that waste management behaviors were evident in two of the three factors identified. These related not only to recycling or reuse behaviors but also to consumption practices, such as purchasing recycled products. However, an analysis of the frequency of each of these factorially-defined behaviors revealed that recycling was still the activity most practised by individuals, with reduction behaviors least popular. This was explored further by the use of cluster analysis, which defined four distinctive behavioral types with different demographic characteristics. Accordingly, the research demonstrates that examining waste management behaviors within the context of wider environmental actions can be of use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]