Nineteenth century Exmoor

Traditional haymaking near Winsford

Exmoor in the 19th century was a mixture of traditional and modern life. Old farming methods and patterns of family life were found alongside the railway and the first tourists. There were new settlements at Oldways End and Simonsbath and new houses around Dulverton. A growing population found little employment outside farming and many families and young people emigrated. For the poor there was some relief in workhouses and a basic education was gradually extended to all children.

There is a wealth of 19th-century material on this site why not look at Farming on Exmoor in the19th and 20th centuries, Devon and Somerset Railway or Dulverton workhouse