[3] The paper was formed as the Newton Weekly Journal by James Welford, and run as a two-man operation, changing its name to the East & South Devon Advertiser in 1870.
[2][4] The publication was sold a further two times in 1876 and 1906, and on the second of those sales saw the name change to the existing title.
[2] Between 1969 and 1981 the paper changed hands four times, including time under the ownership of Beaverbrook Newspapers, Mirror Group, and a local consortium, before being bought by Tindle Newspaper Group.
[2] Whilst part of the Mirror Group, in 1970, the Mid-Devon Times was merged into the paper, which was founded a few years after the Advertiser and was previously a competitor with a higher circulation.
[5] In 1984, the Press Council rejected a complaint about the paper for publishing a photograph showing a dead body.