OVApedia Search

The archive comprises of nearly 200 individually researched articles covering a diverse range of subjects from short biographies of interesting people who have lived here to more general ones. General articles include such diverse topics as: glossaries of local place names; analyses of populations from censuses; early schooling in East Budleigh; history of the pebblebed heaths; descriptions of the carved bench-ends of All Saints, East Budleigh (illustrated); Gilpin's Grade I listed Bicton parkland; ship building in the Otter estuary in Tudor and Stuart times; smuggling; coastguards; even how to make a traditional withy crab pot.  

Use the search boxes on this page to compile an index of titles of articles likely to be of interest to your search. More directed searches can be obtained by entering a surname or an obvious keyword such as biography; agriculture; education; estuary etc.

Searches can be further refined by using the drop down menus to select a century of interest eg C18 for the eighteenth century and, or, a particular community such as East Budleigh. A full index within whatever time and location criteria are chosen can be obtained by leaving the keyword box blank.

Having opened an article a further search can be made by using "Ctrl F".  A search box will appear to the top right of the screen, enter your search word/s and click "Enter".  The search box will display the number of instances your search word appears, use the arrows keys to move around the article (your word will appear highlighted).

Entering your search term in the "search this site" panel at the top of the website home page can also be used. It works slightly differently, but may give you an indication of where in an article your term appears.