Devonshire Association
William Pengelly, founder The Devonshire Association (DA) is a learned society founded in 1862 by William Pengelly and modelled on the British Association, but concentrating on research subjects linked to Devon in the fields of science, literature and the arts. [1] Contents 1 History 2 Today 3 Some notable presidents 4 References 5 External links History The first meeting was held in Exeter in 1862 with a membership of 69 and, except for 1942, meetings have been held annually in different locations around the county every year since. [2] Although similar in format to older groups such as the Plymouth Institution (inaugurated in 1812) and the Devon and Exeter Institution (1813), The Devonshire Association's aims were broader and more ambitious. By 1877, there were around 500 members and this number remained fairly constant until just before the Second World War. In 1932 the first of a number of local branches was established in Plymouth, and subject-based sections were formed