Besley's Directory Of Exeter & Suburbs 1916

Bridge the Census Gap and Unlock Your Devon Ancestry

Are you hitting a brick wall in your Exeter family tree between 1911 and 1921. Furthermore, just as we see government distrust today, many of our ancestors were deeply suspicious of state interference. Suffragettes, privacy advocates, and those distrustful of government mandates actively refused to fill out the 1911 census forms or deliberately spoiled them. If your ancestors dodged the census enumerator, there is a very high chance they are listed right here instead.

Besley's Directory of Exeter & Suburbs 1916 is the perfect census substitute. This invaluable genealogical tool captures the residents, businesses, and infrastructure of Exeter right in the middle of the First World War.

What's Inside the Directory?

Because this directory is strictly alphabetical, navigating your family history is incredibly easy, even though the pages are high-quality scanned images. The book is divided into highly useful sections:

• Private Residents Directory: An alphabetical list of the head of the household, their occupation, and their street address. This is the goldmine for genealogists!
• Commercial & Trade Directory: Find out exactly what your ancestors did for a living. Listed alphabetically by trade (e.g., Bakers, Blacksmiths, Tailors), followed by an alphabetical list of the tradesmen themselves.
• Street Directory: Perfect for tracing the exact location of a family home, showing who lived next door and mapping out the neighborhood.
• Official & Civic Directory: A fascinating snapshot of local governance, listing magistrates, city councilors, church officials, and emergency services.
• Advertisements: Don't skip the ads! They offer incredible context about the cost of living, local fashions, and the businesses that kept wartime Exeter running.

Exeter in 1916: A Snapshot in Time

In 1916, Exeter was a bustling cathedral city deeply impacted by the Great War. While many men were away at the front, the city remained a vital hub of Devon life.

• Industry: Historically famous for its woollen cloth trade, by 1916 Exeter's economy had diversified. The city was known for its thriving engineering works, brewing (such as the historic Exeter Brewery), and agricultural machinery manufacturing.
• Sport: Despite the war, local sport persisted to boost morale. Exeter City Football Club (The Grecians), who had famously just embarked on a ground-breaking tour of South America in 1914, still had its officials and key local figures listed within these pages.
• Arts & Culture: The city was home to notable figures such as the legendary ecclesiastical sculptor Harry Hems (who sadly passed away in 1916, but his massive business and family are prominently featured). Exeter also boasted a vibrant musical scene, with choral societies and brass bands keeping the local culture alive during dark times.
• Famous Connections: You will find the addresses of prominent local gentry, military commanders stationed in the area, and the wealthy merchants who shaped the city's Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

Modern Tech Meets Historical Documents

While this product consists of actual scanned page images (preserving the authentic look and feel of the original 1916 book), you are not stuck reading fuzzy text! Modern technology makes this directory incredibly powerful to use:

• OCR on the Fly: Modern PDF readers (like Adobe Acrobat, Edge, and Chrome) automatically run Optical Character Recognition on scanned images. This means you can use the "Ctrl+F" / "Cmd+F" search bar to find surnames, street names, or trades in seconds.
• Built-in Google Lens: If your PDF reader supports it, you can hover over a tricky word or faded name and use Google Lens to instantly grab the text.
• Translation: Have an overseas cousin helping with your tree? Modern readers can translate the on-the-fly OCR text into dozens of languages instantly.
• Text-to-Speech (Desktop PCs only): Tired of straining your eyes? Open this PDF on a desktop PC, turn on Text-to-Speech, and have your computer read the directory aloud to you while you take notes. (Please note: TTS via built-in PDF readers requires a desktop operating system and is generally not supported on mobile devices).

Format & Important Disclaimer

Format: This product is available via Instant Digital Download or on a CD-ROM. The files are provided in standard PDF format, compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

IMPORTANT MAP DISCLAIMER: Unless explicitly stated otherwise in the product title or description, please assume that the original fold-out map that sometimes accompanied these directories is MISSING. Historical maps were frequently removed by previous owners and are rarely present in surviving copies. 

Don't let the 1911-1921 census gap stop your research. Whether your ancestors were dodging the government census taker or just going about their daily business in wartime Exeter, they are likely waiting for you in the pages of Besley's 1916.

Order your digital download or CD-ROM today and start breaking down those brick walls!