Historic Dartmoor

As the holiday traffic piles down the A30 very few realise they are passing one of the older crosses to be found on Dartmoor. Also it serves as an example of re-cycling down through the ages as the granite feature bears the scars of the stone cutters chisel from early …

Back in 2007 Alan Endacott discovered what he thought to have been some prone stones buried in the moorland peat which appeared to form part of a stone circle. This discovery was made some 300 metres to the south west of Sittaford Tor and about 900 metres to the south …

‘Close to Hennesbury Gate is a hut-circle known as Seven Lords’ Lands, from the fact that seven manors meet there.’,  Page, p.217. ‘A gunshot or two from Hennesbury Gate, and close to the parish boundary wall, is a very perfect hut circle, or aboriginal dwelling, known from medieval times as …

‘These cryptic stones are my life. I want to get the secret of them or find at least a little of it. What are these lonely rings? Where are we standing now? In a place of worship, where men prayed to the thunder and the sun and stars? Or a …

‘White Moor Down; the two Butterns; Scorhill; Fernworthy and the Grey Wethers are quite evenly spaced, standing at intervals of ‘a fairly consistent 2 kilometres (1¼ miles) suggesting each was constructed as part of a comprehensive design and hence contemporary in planning and execution.’, (Burl, 2000, p.152 – quoting Butler, …

    There were many medieval manors on Dartmoor and Rushford is one of those timeless places where it seems time has stood still, although most of the original structures have long gone there are still vestiges that appear to last throughout time. You can literally walk in the foot …

In 1876 the Dartmoor based antiquarian G. W. Ormerod drew up plans of some prehistoric hut circles and field system that lie a couple of miles to the west of Chagford. This normally was the kiss of death for any prehistoric site because at the time it normally was followed …

As is evident from many of these pages there are hundreds of prehistoric remains on the moor. Some of them you can puzzle as to why the early settlers of the moor placed them where they did. Roundy Park and its associated settlements are the other side of the coin …

It is a well known fact that Exeter or Isca was at one time a Roman centre that was formed around AD 50 – 55. It is therefore surprising that there is very little evidence of them on Dartmoor especially in light of the mineral resources available on the moor. …

Drive up past Ephraim’s Pinch and you will arrive at what must be the most accessible Bronze Age relic on Dartmoor, it is literally 20 yards from the road. In the summer the small stone circle becomes a favourite picnic spot but in winter it is a magical place to …