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Dartmoor Characters

Perrott’s Obituary

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Over the centuries Dartmoor has seen many characters come and go and one such was James Perrott of Chagford. It can be said that a man’s legacy can be seen from his obituary and as you will read to below there can be no question that James Perrott left a …

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Henhouse Capture

Let me take you back to Princetown on the morning of Tuesday the 4th of June 1907. It’s ten o’clock and Princetown is suddenly engulfed in a shroud of thick Dartmoor fog – nothing new there then. Through this opaque wall of mist can be heard the sound of horse’s …

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The Dartmoor Cowboy

What comes to mind when the word ‘Range’ is mentioned on Dartmoor? The chances are that images of red flags, military activities, firing notices and warning signs are likely candidates. But what about cowboys riding through such places as Deadman’s Bottom or Sniper’s Gully as they round up their steers …

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Two Ducks

Twoducks

  At the weekend I attended an emergency services open day and was interested to see all the support teams and equipment the police had. There were rapid response teams, dog handlers, traffic investigators, mounted police to name but a few. Their equipment included drones, dogs horses, guns, fast cars …

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Courageous Chaplain

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  Here is a true story worthy of a West End play, it involves a prison chaplain, a burglar armed with a knife, a shotgun and an amputated arm. The scene is large granite Victorian house located near to the church at Princetown. It’s a dark March night when all …

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Edward Dunn

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  The first recorded evidence of Widecombe Fair appeared on Saturday, October the 19th 1850 when the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette announced that on the following Friday (25th) a Free Fair would be held on the Green which adjoined the churchyard at Widecombe-in-the-Moor. It was expected that a large show …

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Joseph Denny

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  Over the centuries there have been numerous attempts, a few successful many not, to break out of Dartmoor Prison. However seldom has anyone tried to break into Dartmoor Prison but back in 1890 one man made this his mission. The reason for this bizarre quest was one of revenge …

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Beatrice Chase the Business Woman

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In this day and age we are all well conversant with famous sports stars, film celebrities, pop stars, authors, artists etc. endorsing merchandise, appearing on Social Media and in various newspapers and TV. The bigger the star the more money they can earn and in some cases the figures can …

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Saint or Sinner

“… the noted Teign Head George. George was quite a character in his way, and though reared in a remote spot where little or no association with his fellows was to be found, developed a great liking for company nevertheless. The neighbouring village of Chagford knew him often, he had …

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Dartmoor on a Motorcycle

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Dartmoor is more than capable for setting challenges of all shapes and sizes but probably one of the more stranger of such took place over one hundred years ago. It involved a man, a vintage motorcycle and over fifteen miles of the moor’s rugged landscape. The man was Mr. J. …

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