Jane and Jon moved to Dartmoor in 2017. The aim is to live a more sustainable and balanced life - continuing academic work with a more grounded and practical focus. We are continuing 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. 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 over thirty years’ experience working as a sociologist including designing and conducting research on a wide range of topics.  These include wellbeing and mental health, the impact of divorce, and women’s career trajectories. Links to my publications are available on my Google Scholar page. More applied projects have included work on poverty for Cambridge City Council, and research on the experience of being on long waiting lists for the East Anglian Regional Health Authority. I am currently Professor of Sociology at the University of Exeter. Outside work, I have been involved with community campaigns and local politics. Until 2020 I was a volunteer with the Okehampton Foodbank, 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 Borough Councillor for Chagford Ward (Green Party) and I am a member of West Devon Borough Council. I also enjoy 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 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. He enjoyed traditional jazz, classical music and solving crosswords with his wife.

He also also very much enjoy historical research on behalf of Jon and Jane (my step daughter) for their website Edge of the Moor. Many of the posts abut local history on this website were researched and written by Colin.