Dr Todd Gray

Dr Todd Gray MBE is Devon’s most prominent and prolific historian, renowned for his extensive, source-driven research into the history of England’s South West. Originally from New England, he moved to Britain for his undergraduate studies and has since gone on to examine every local authority archive in England and Wales, publishing more widely on Devon than any other academic. His work—frequently highlighted by national and regional media—ranges from institutional collaborations with English Heritage and local councils and societies to pioneering research into highly challenging topics, including local ties to African enslavement, imperliaism, the Devon golly, the rise of fascism, child abuse and wartime looting. A contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary and the TV show Mastermind, Dr Gray's immense contributions to regional heritage earned him an MBE in 2014 and the Freedom of Exeter in 2018. His recent publications include Voices of Empire in Exeter (2024), Devon's Home Front Diaries (2025), and Barbary Corsairs & Devon, 1603-1649 (2026).