The Lost Crosses of Dartmoor

Dartmoor's Lost and Found Crosses

or email

dartmoorlander@aol.com

This website is hosted by

Since the first early Christian stone crosses appeared on Dartmoor there has been a constant ebb and flow of their numbers down through the ages. It seems that some disappear whilst other are discovered or rediscovered, one such example of this is the supposed cross head on Three Barrows Hill. Since being recorded it has vanished and then suddenly to reappear and then vanish again, in this case it is probably due its site being somewhere amongst three large cairns and the cross head getting lost amongst the other stones. Today there are around 160 known stone crosses or fragments of shafts and heads dotted around Dartmoor. It would be safe to say that over the centuries many more once existed and have now vanished in one way or another. Likewise there are no doubt others waiting to be rediscovered, But why have so many vanished? Originally one has to look to the early Puritan era of the 16th and 17th centuries when crosses were regarded as popish icons and where therefore destroyed. It was thought that in some cases the people who were sent to destroy the stone crosses could not bring themselves to carry out such and act. In order to seemingly comply with their orders they simply hid the crosses or smashed them up and stashed the pieces for later restoration. There are several examples of cross pieces or indeed crosses themselves built into both external and internal walls of buildings or gardens. This is not however to say that every such example that was placed in a wall was hidden there it could equally as well be due to another common cause of the crosses disappearance. This second cause was simply man's idleness, when building a wall it was always easier to 're-cycle' granite from existing features than cart it down from the moor. This has been proven nationwide from building and walls in the vicinity of such places as Avebury to Hadrian's Wall, and Dartmoor was no exception. There have been examples on the moor of stone crosses having their arms knocked off and then used as gateposts, bridges, roof supports and as wall components. Likewise the socket stones have been utilised as drinking troughs, well troughs and garden ornaments. Many people have said that this was down to the moorman's ignorance and scant regard for antiquities but it is still happening today, although for another reason. In latter times it has become fashionable to use such relics as garden ornaments. One such example being the old wayside cross that now stands on the back lawn of Canonteign Barton which clearly is not its original site. It is not secret that all of the granite crosses and other features found around the moor are now micro-chipped to enable them to be identified should they ever go missing.

During the 1930s Mr. Masson-Phillips undertook at detailed study of the stone crosses in Devon, not only did he record the ones that were standing he also noted the various fragments of crosses which included shafts, heads, and socket stones. Whilst many of the moor crosses are well documented in several books, including mine, many of the missing ones are not. Below is a list of 33 lesser known crosses that are recorded in the English Heritage Pastscape Records, the majority of them are the result of Masson-Phillips' work. You will see that 14 of the crosses or cross fragments he observed in the 1930s are now missing which can only mean their losses are recent. In some cases the only evidence of a stone cross is an entry on an early document as sometime in the past the cross vanished. If you would like further information on the crosses then follow the link which will take you to each individual Pastscape Record which has more information.

Name/Location	OS Grid Ref.	Description	Pastscape Record

Ashburton, 11 North Street	SX 75525991	Cross shaft, chamfered edges, 1.21mL	Click - HERE
Ashburton, St. Lawrence Lane	SX 7572 6981	Cross base, once at Our Lady's Well	Click - HERE
Ashburton, St. Lawrence Lane	SX 7565 6982	Socket Stone - missing	Click - HERE
Auswell Rocks, near	SX 7403 7185	Shortacrosse, marked 1605 map - missing	Click - HERE
Belstone Church	SX 6191 9350	Cross Slab, dated 4th - 12th century	Click - HERE
Buckland Ford	SX 6596 6604	Noted in 1557 bounds, now missing	Click - HERE
Christow	SX 83?? 82??	Cross shaft - missing	Click - HERE
Drewsteignton	SX 7076 9098	Site of Stone Cross, now missing	Click - HERE
Gidleigh	SX 6707 8846	Cross stood in castle grounds, now missing	Click - HERE
Gisperdown Farm	SX 6990 6300	Cross head - one arm, 2 incised †	Click - HERE
Hennock	SX 8306 8085	Cross socket base, now pump trough	Click - HERE
Inglett's Farm	SX 6963 6898	Cross Shaft - octagonal, 0.25mL x 0.20mD	Click - HERE
Langdon Farm	SX 7231 8284	Latin Cross, reported in 1968, now missing	Click - HERE
Langston	SX 6731 9011	Reported site of cross, now missing	Click - HERE
Little Links Tor	SX 5459 8706	Cross head and arms	No Record
Lower Lowry	SX 5559 6927	Site of cross, now missing	Click - HERE
Merripit Hill	SX 65?? 80??	Site of medieval cross, now missing	Click - HERE
Peter Tavy	SX 512? 777?	Cross shaft, now gatepost at Churchtown Cott.	Click - HERE
Peter Tavy	SX 512? 777?	Part of hexagonal cross shaft, now missing	Click - HERE
Postbridge	SX 64?? 78??	Supposed site of Maggie Cross	Click - HERE
Sheepstor	SX 5513 6694	Cross shaft in wall at Yeo Farm	Click - HERE
South Brent	SX 6978 6012	Known site, cross broken up	Click - HERE
South Brent Playing Field	SX 7010 5991	Cross Shaft - 1.61mL	Click - HERE
Sticklepath	SX 6404 9407	Small cross, now on roof of Methodist Chapel	Click - HERE
Stidston Cross	SX 7153 6038	Alleged site of wayside cross	Click - HERE
Teigncombe Farm	SX 6736 8714	Cross base serving as a gatepost	Click - HERE
Three Barrows	SX 65?? 62??	Noted in 1557, now missing	Click - HERE
Throwleigh Barton	SX 6688 9079.	Cross shaft found in wall, location unknown	Click - HERE
Walkhampton	SX 53?? 69??	Documented site of cross	Click - HERE
Waye Barton Farm	SX 6885 8695	Cross used as gatepost, now missing	Click - HERE
Welltown	SX 5410 7000	Cross shaft supporting roof of pig house	Click - HERE
Welstor Cross	SX 7395 7211	Benecrosse, marked 1605 map - missing	Click - HERE
Widecombe Churchyard Wall	SX 7181 7670	Cross & part of shaft, in E. wall, missing	Click - HERE
		Key. L = long, D = diameter † = incised cross

So in conclusion, it could be suggested that there are three main reasons for the disappearance of the stone crosses of Dartmoor: religious thinking, 're-cycling' for use in other structures and simple theft.

Having looked at the 'ebb' of Dartmoor cross numbers what about their 'flow', why do they come to light today? This can be attributed to two main reasons, firstly modern man's mobility and secondly a general awareness of antiquities through varying media sources. Mans' mobility, how does that compute? Simply because today it is much easier to get around Dartmoor which means larger numbers of people walking around the moors, lanes, villages and towns who spot the 'odd' thing poking out of the ground or lurking in an ivy covered wall. The latest discovery of a possible cross head was made last year when a couple of letterboxers spotted it poking out of the ground near Little Links Tor. If they had not been letterboxing in that area and found it by chance then it would still be lying there undiscovered.

These days archaeology and history are quite popular subjects thanks to such broadcasts as The Time Team, Meet the Ancestors and numerous documentaries. The internet has provided many online research opportunities via numerous databases and documental access. All of these factors have driven a general increase of interest in varying aspects of history and archaeology, that means more people are aware, should they take an interest, of what features exist. More people are spending time in local record offices and so are coming across documental evidence that had either been overlook or recently discovered, again this can give clues to the possible locations of lost crosses. Compare this with 100 years ago when the only chance of discovering crosses was by walking past them or listening to local tradition. Today if a person in China wanted to know what a Dartmoor cross looked like they simply go to Google Image Search which will provide hundreds of examples. One hundred years ago they would have no chance and wouldn't recognise one if it fell on them - a bit extreme, but get my drift?

Some crosses have been discovered when old houses have been renovated, for example the cross shaft found at Throwleigh Barton. Again, mobility, people move to Dartmoor and then decide to make alterations to their houses when, hey presto, whilst knocking down a wall a stone cross appears.

Anyway, there you have it, some come and others go and at the very least it is important to record the sites of these missing crosses even though they are no longer in existence and to record the locations of newly rediscovered ones.