COLOURFUL characters, both past and present, old photographs of the villages, and intriguing anecdotes and historical detail are all contained in four new fascinating, informative and entertaining books in publishers Halsgrove?s community history series.

All four contain a wealth of images to stir up memories for old and young alike and the research is impressive ? although the author of the Bridestowe book states ?this is not a scholarly edition of the history of Bridestowe but perhaps a starting point for someone who may wish to achieve such a history?.

Nevertheless, the information contained is copious and all four are written in an easily-read style. The four titles are ?The Book of Bridestowe ? Gleanings of a Devonshire Parish?, ?The Book of Chagford ? A Town Apart?, ?The Book of Buckland Monachorum and Yelverton ? A Portrait of the Parish,? and ?The Book of Peter Tavy and Cudlipptown ? Two Coats Colder Than Tavistock?.

The memories of local residents abound, and there are tales of murder and intrigue alongside the portrayals of life in villages, in local industries and farms. They are the ideal place to find embarrassing photos of your neighbours in years gone by!

l The Book of Bridestowe was written by Richard Cann, who was born and bred in the village.

Chapters cover the development of Bridestowe, local families, the infrastructure, folklore, the village school, St Bridget?s Church, industry, parish administration and ?a village miscellany?.

Some local families included are the Bidlakes, Ebsworthys, Millatons, Shilstons and Calmady-Hamlyns, and the ?infrastructure? section covers the development of housing ? including a squatter?s cottage ? alongside a history of Bridestowe Water Works, bridges, roads and the railway.

Industries of the area were farming, slate quarrying, wool and cloth, peat working, mining, lime quarries, stone quarries, tanners, timber and corn mills ? most long-since gone. Spoils from lime quarry working lie at Combebow and Water Gate ? the Combebow Quarry being the earlier, with reference to it in a document dated 1170.

Lists of typical churchwarden?s and constable?s duties are to be found under parish administration, together with payments to the poor, and the ?village miscellany? includes law and order in the village, the Civil War, Venville men, rights of way, parish charities, the Sporting Green and village gossip.

l The Book of Chagford is by Iain Rice, who has lived in the village for 30 years.

The Corporation Dustcart ? a donkey called Sweet and cart along with sweeper Bob Cann ? is one of the myriad of pictures, having once been the subject of a popular postcard.

Extracts from the school log provide an insight into times past. In 1892 it is reported that one third of the school was absent as they found the novelty of a fire at some cottages and the farmhouse at Westcott a greater attraction than lessons!

On March 16 1891 an entry reports snow from 15 to 25 feet deep ? ?such weather as the oldest inhabitant in the parish cannot recollect? ? whereas on July 14 1911 singing was taken instead of physical exercises, the heat being too great for the latter!

Chapter titles are similar to the Bridestowe book, but with special chapters for ?market and trade? and ?tourism, leisure and the arts?.

The Rev George Hayter-James aimed to bring about a change in Chagford?s fortunes, and by the time he died in 1886 ?Chagford was firmly established as a fashionable resort for the tourist of means, with an appreciation of country pursuits, fine scenery, art and antiquities?, according to the author.

l The Book of Buckland Monachorum and Yelverton is the work of Pauline Hamilton-Leggett, who grew up in the parish.

Each of the villages of Milton Combe, Crapstone, Clearbrook, Buckland Monachorum and Yelverton get their own chapter, with Buckland Abbey and Harrowbeer Aerodrome also being allotted their own.

Photos of the aerodrome include those who served there, the aircraft, and visitors ? including President Truman and the Duke of Kent. There is even the station?s Christmas Day menu from 1943!

Fresh piped water was brought to homes in Buckland Monachorum, Milton Combe and Crapstone in 1925 after the help of the WI was enlisted at a parish meeting to obtain approval for this ? despite a well-to-do bachelor farmer declaring that ?it was good for village women to carry pails of water up the steep Buckland Hill from the brook?.

His comment met with stern reply from one Mrs Jean Black of Yelverton!

The growth of Yelverton from 1291 ? the earliest reference to Ellefordlak ? to the present day is outlined with intriguing facts and tales.

In 1625 King Charles I reviewed troops on Roborough Down; in 1822 the new Tavistock to Yelverton road was opened and on June 12 the Duke of Bedford rode his horse from Yelverton Golf Club along the road, leading a procession of 11 carriages followed by about 100 men on horseback, to celebrations in Tavistock.

In 1891 there was a great blizzard and soldiers were sent to restore the water supply for Plymouth after Plymouth Leat froze, with no success; and in 1897 the first car in Yelverton carried newspaper reporters on a journey from Plymouth to Yelverton and back.

More recently, in 2002 the new fire station was opened... just a few of the many facts.

There photos of the bellringers of St Andrew?s Church in Buckland in 1899,1929 and 1949, and a picture of the church bells at the foundry.

Numerous Great Western Railway photos include the turntable for the snow plough, Grenofen Viaduct and a train accident of 1885.

l The Peter Tavy and Cudlipptown book was written and compiled by the Peter Tavy Heritage Group, and after a brief history of the area concentrates mainly on the last 200 years.

The proximity of Dartmoor Prison has resulted in escaped prisoners sometimes making their way to the village, and the story of one such occasion reveals how in 1939 a local resident gave two wet and weary escapees a meal of rabbit pie and allowed them to rest before calling the police!

Local families such as the Dodds, Vogwills, Coles and Mudges feature heavily throughout the book.

Some of the families can trace their ancestry in the village back to the 1700s. Others arrived a little later: the first Dodd came to the village in 1802.

Elizabeth Dodd was the first postmistress in the village, taking on the position following the death of her husband in 1906.

Still with a postal connection from that time, there is a 1901 photo of postman Bert Jago and the postman?s hut at Cudlipptown Green, with was built in 1899 for the postman delivering to the hamlets on the moor to shelter before making the return journey.

Each postman had to pay a rent of 6d per year. In contrast, on the opposite page is a photo of the Mobile Postal Service currently in service.

From 1834 the Methodist movement in the village grew strongly, and in 1851 when the Religious Census was taken 33 had attended the afternoon service and 60 the evening.

In comparison, St Peter?s Church had had 75 in the morning and 97 at the afternoon service. In March 1879 an application to build a new chapel was submitted ? the cost of the new building, which would accommodate 130 people, being £380.

It was built to allow a balcony to be added, but the failure of the mines meant the population dropped and this was never needed.

The authors state that ?life in Peter Tavy may seem as it it has continued in the same sleepy way for centuries?, but the village has ?had its share of dramas: a Victorian love triangle that ended in murder, a long-running court battle between moorland farmers, a notorious convict who patronised the local pub, and an appearance by Jimmy Savile, dressed in a gold lamé suit?.

One can only touch on a few of the items from each book in the space allotted here.

The books should prove of interest to everyone, not just residents, although a knowledge of the area would obviously increase the appreciation of the photos and stories.

The books are £19.95 each and are available from local stockists throughout the area or from Halsgrove Direct on 01844 243242.