Legendary Dartmoor The many aspects past and present of Dartmoor
There is currently a modicum of debate in the archaeological world with regards to the question of art and how early it came to Britain. Linked with this discussion there are also those who have found what they consider to be examples of what only could be described as ‘prehistoric sculpture’. Or in other words rocks, stones and pebbles that it is claimed have deliberately been fashioned by the hand of early man. There is one website in particular that has been the subject of much lambasting and mirth on the Britarch discussion board. Mainly because the author shows photos of rocks and pebbles that do or could resemble various animals, birds and human faces which it is claimed date back to the Lower Palaeolithic period (500,000 – 130,000 BP). Not only is it claimed they are that early but early man made the ‘sculptures’, sadly of which there is no contextual evidence of any kind. To be honest I think you may need at bottle or two of whisky to see many of the suggested subjects on the stones. If you want to see for yourself what I am prattling on about you can find the above mentioned website – HERE
Yeah, yeah, so what? Well coincidentally I then received a totally unrelated email from Neil Beattie asking if I had ever heard of the ‘Neanderthal Man’ on North Hessary Tor and attached to the email was the following photograph:
Photograph courtesy of Neil Beattie
As can be seen there is definitely a profile of an early human-like face on the end of the outcrop. I certainly have never noticed it or heard mention of it, so thanks Neil for sending it in. This then brought back a vague recollection of a comment Eric Hemery made in his book High Dartmoor (1987, p. 336) where when discussing Fox Tor he made the following remark:
“… while the southern pile, the point of the triangle, possesses an object of great interest in the fallen summit-rock that bears on its surface two large basins like eye-sockets in the skull of a mammoth…”
Sadly I have lost my photograph of the rock but I clearly remember seeing the ‘Mammoth’s Skull’ and even picking up a letterbox associated with it:
Certainly the early antiquarians saw many of these rock sculptors and suggested that they were fashioned and worshipped by the Druids and named them ‘rock idols’. When one thinks of such instances there are quite a few Dartmoor tors and rocks where various people have seen certain likenesses. Some are noted ‘rock idols’ and others simply good likenesses of animals, birds or everyday objects, for example:
| Name | Grid Ref | Name | Grid Ref | |
| BATCH LOAVES, THE | SX 7125 7147 | DRUIDS CHAIR, THE | SX 533 735 | |
| BEAST OF LONGAFORD | SX 616 779 | ELEPHANT, THE | SX 67?? 82?? | |
| BOTTOR’S NOSE | SX 8253 8016 | FLOCK O’ SHEEP | SX 628 907 | |
| BOWERMAN’S NOSE | SX 7414 8047 | HECKWOOD HAG | SX 537 738 | |
| BRANSCOMBE’S CHEESE | SX 5520 8914 | HOBB’S NOSE | SX 6807 6371 | |
| BRANSCOMBE’S LOAF | SX 5520 8915 | LOW MAN, THE | SX 7570 7705 | |
| COMBESHEAD TOR CROC | SX 5875 6882 | MAMMOTHS’ SKULL, THE | SX 62?? 91?? | |
| DEVIL’S CAULDRON, THE | SX 5085 8457 | MAMMOTHS’ SKULL, THE | SX 626? 698? | |
| DEVIL’S FRYING PAN | SX 5630 7687 | MRS BRAY’S WASH BASIN | SX 5579 7525 | |
| DEVIL’S PUNCH BOWL, THE | SX 6420 7995 | PARSONS BROWN LOAF | SX 7799 8131 | |
| CAMEL, THE | SX 5680 8800 | ROUND OF BEEF | SX 7574 8206 | |
| CROW TOR | SX 6070 7871 | SHAVERCOMBE DOG | SX ???? ???? | |
| CUCKOO ROCK | SX 5848 6871 | SPHINX, THE | SX 542 742 | |
| CUCKOO ROCK | SX 6383 6014 | SPHINX, THE | SX 580 875 | |
| CUCKOO STONE, THE | SX 6530 8868 | WATERN WALTER | SX 6290 8686 | |
| DRUIDS ALTAR, THE | SX 78?? 85?? | WINNEY’S DOWN FISH | SX 62? 81? |
Call them naturally formed or shaped by the hand of man, either way the above have gone into the place-name history of Dartmoor. Dare I suggest that there is now a new one – ‘The Neanderthal of North Hessary Tor’. It would be nice to start a collection of such rock features so if anyone has similar examples please send them in and I will start a gallery for the good ones – Many thanks to Sam and Rose Mulligan for starting this off with the ‘fish’ and the ‘beast’. Thanks to Jason of the ‘Mad Box Hunters’ for two more additions; The Shavercombe Dog and the Combeshead Croc
