Historic Dartmoor

Back in the Dark Ages nobody was safe from the marauding bands of Vikings that plundered the coasts. The sleek, low draughted boats could take them up many of the English rivers and it was only a matter of luck if they were looking to trade or seeking to plunder. …

High on the top of Huntingdon Hill sits a Bronze Age cairn called Huntingdon Barrow and apart from the views it affords there is apparently nothing exceptional about it. That is until you see it’s local name – the ‘Heap o’ Sinners‘ which conjures up all sorts of images and …

This year (2012) sees the 25th anniversary of the footpath known as the ‘Templer Way’, a route which follows the old granite tramway from the Haytor quarries to Teignmouth quay. So maybe this would be an appropriate time to have a look at the Haytor quarries and see what went …

Haytor is probably the most visited tor on Dartmoor, its huge granite mass is and has been depicted on numerous postcards, sketches, paintings and photographs. Visit the tor on any day and you will find numerous coaches who include it on every tour of Dartmoor. But this is no new …

This is a bit like a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer because when you visit Hawson Cross you get the Stumpy Oak for nothing. This is simply because both stand within a few feet of each other on a small island of grass at a road junction. Before 1887, …

“Not far from Harbourn Head is the menhir known as The Longstone.“ Crossing, 1990 p.364. In the old bounds of the moor of Buckfast there is an entry which reads: “usque ad Docaston” which roughly translated reads; ‘and thence to Docaston’, this being the ‘Longstone’ which stands near the head …

There are several Dartmoor legends which tell of fabulous hoards of gold hidden in the ancient Bronze Age cairns and kistvaens   that dot the moor, indeed several of them have names which allude to such treasure; The Gold Box, The Crock of Gold, The Money Box and The Money Pit. …

‘High on a hill stands a lonely cross...’, and as far as Dartmoor crosses go there is none that is located higher than Hameldon Cross who sits at a lofty 1,732 feet (524m). Many experts agree that the old cross is no longer standing at its original location as it …

‘A 700-year-old stone cross discovered at a medieval settlement may have been an early “advert” reminding Christians to attend church, experts claim.’ The Daily Telegraph – 31st December 2009 Nothing startling with the above headline apart from the next line which read: ‘Archaeologists found the artefact in a remote part …

I think enough time has now elapsed to tell the story of ‘The Grimspound Mystery’. Back in 2008 I recieved the following email: ‘Hi on Saturday 13th me and my father went up to the old Grimspound settlement on Dartmoor to do some Metal Detecting after about 10 minutes I …