Sidmouth: 93-year-old man from Otterton awarded BEM for services to local history

A 93-year-old man from Otterton has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Year Honours List for services to local history in Devon and Hertfordshire.

Gerald Millington, a former volunteer for land management and property development company Clinton Devon Estates, archived thousands of documents in a career of over 30 years.

He began working for the company as a part-time volunteer archivist in 1988 after retiring. After a chance conversation with its land agent, he was allowed to document each and every item in the archives and publish books and articles on local history.

Gerald said: "In the 1880s the Rolle Estate, which has now become Clinton Devon, owned 55,000 acres of land in North and East Devon and was the largest estate in the county.

"This has left us with a vast collection of documents including mortgage and account books, leases for cottages and farmland and our magnificent collection of letter books.

"Local history research and writing has always been like a magnet to me. The documents in the Estate archive are priceless because you cannot put a price on being given such an insight into the past."

Clinton Devon Estates Director John Varley said: "This award is well deserved recognition of Gerald's tireless efforts and commitment to ensuring the Estate's historic documents are preserved for future generations and brought to life through his research, as well as many publications and local talks. Congratulations Gerald!"

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