We were delighted to welcome some of Hope Bourne's Australian family - cousins on her father's side. They had made the journey to the UK and were keen to visit Exmoor to find out more about their extraordinary relative.

Over the last 6 months, the archive team have been working with a new group of volunteers on the first of our transcribing projects.

“Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote [showers sweet]…” So begins the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, following thirty pilgrims from the Tabard Inn, Southwark, to Canterbury Cathedral – an 87 mile pilgrimage recently walked by Dame Sarah Mullaly to her Inauguration as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Research by the University of Portsmouth has made available some interesting information about the Poor Law Unions which served Exmoor from 1834 to 1930.

The archive team have been working hard on our Hope Bourne Collection in recent months – supporting author Sara Hudston with her new book , “A Life Outside – Hope Bourne on Exmoor”, that will be published by the Society this November.

The archive in its current form was set up by Archivist Dr Helen Blackman, but for the last 8 years has been run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers. Meet three of our regular team...James, Caroline, and Janet!

A short typewritten pamphlet in our Archive entitled ‘Former Rectors of Porlock’ gives an intriguing account of how the Reformation affected St Dubricius Church in Porlock.

2025 was a very successful year for the archive, with exhibition collaborations, important donations and archive walks. We now look forward to building on these achievements in 2026 and so here are some of our plans and aspirations for the coming year.

We have recently recruited a group of new volunteers to help us with a very special project within the Hope Bourne collection.

Next month, Routledge Books will be re-publishing two classic books by Ann and Malcolm MacEwen. National Parks: Conservation or Cosmetics? (first published 1982) and Greenprints for the Countryside? The Story of Britain's National Parks (1987).