Postman Poet

The church at Heanton Punchardon will host the Edward Capern Festival on Devon Day, 4 June 2026

Edward Capern Festival and Poetry Competition

Heanton Punchardon Residents Association and St Augustine’s Church proudly present the Edward Capern Festival 2026

Two days of activities (4-5 June) to celebrate this local literary hero, including a new poetry competition for citizen poets

A new annual event to honour the ‘Postman Poet of North Devon’, also known as ‘Devonshire’s Robbie Burns’ or ‘Devon’s Bard’.

Edward Capern (1819 - 1894) composed a wealth of poems and songs about the Devon countryside while going about his job delivering the mail to far-flung villages. He became famous...