Jane and Jon moved to Dartmoor in 2017. Our aim was to live a more sustainable and balanced life - continuing academic work with a more grounded and practical focus. We have both now retired and involved in a variety of local projects and organisations. We also continue the restoration of the gardens at St Olaves to include a productive orchard and kitchen garden. We also hope to improve habitats for wildlife and birds, particularly along the stretch of the River Teign that borders our patch of land.

Jon Lawrence

I am a historian of modern Britain working mainly on popular politics and the history of everyday life teaching at the University of Exeter until 2024. In 2019 I published, Me, Me, Me? The Search for Community in Post-war England, available from OUP for £17.50 with promotion code AAFLYG6. I have previously held posts at a range of universities including UCL, Liverpool, Cambridge and Harvard. I am keen to explore the political and policy implications of historical research and have written for a number of progressive journals including Renewal, Juncture, Fabian Review and New Left Project. Outside work my interests include hiking, birdwatching, and horticulture and I look forward to having more opportunities to indulge these interests in our new life.

Jane Elliott

I have been involved in local community work and politics for many years, alongside a career of more than 35 years as a sociologist. I was a volunteer with Okehampton Foodbank until 2020, and from April 2022 to March 2024 I was Project Coordinator for Chagford Sanctuary, supporting Ukrainians and their hosts in the Chagford area.

In May 2023 I was elected as Green Party Borough Councillor for Chagford Ward, serving on West Devon Borough Council. I am particularly interested in how local government can respond to the needs of communities and address inequalities. In April 2025 I was elected Chair of the Dartmoor Society, which works to promote understanding and appreciation of Dartmoor.

My academic career focused on designing and conducting research on a wide range of topics, including wellbeing and mental health, the impact of divorce, women’s career trajectories, and healthy ageing. Applied projects included research on poverty for Cambridge City Council and on the experience of being on long waiting lists for the East Anglian Regional Health Authority. I am now formally retired from academic work, although I remain a Visiting Professor at the LSE International Inequalities Institute. Links to my publications are available on my Google Scholar page.

Outside work, I enjoy walking on Dartmoor, gardening, a cappella singing and poetry.

Colin Burbidge

1940 - 2024

Colin sadly passed away in November 2024. He died peacefully at home after a diagnosis of cancer much earlier in the year. He very much enjoyed historical research on behalf of Jon and Jane (his step daughter) when they moved to Devon. Many of the posts abut local history on this website were researched and written by Colin.

Colin was a retired freelance radio broadcaster, voice-over artist, and maker of documentaries on Enigma, WW II subjects, the BBC Symphony Orchestra 1940-1945, and the R101 disaster. He broadcast on Chiltern Radio, BBC 3 Counties, and was a contributor to BBC Radio 4, and the BBC Proms Interval talk.