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Historic Dartmoor

Fyshinge Feaste 1898

In the 16th century the importance of Plymouth grew and accordingly so did its population. It then soon became apparent that the existing water supply was insufficient for the demands placed upon it. So in 1576 Robert Lampen lead a team of surveyors in search of a route for a …

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Widecombe Village Sign

Widecombe-in-the Moor Village Sign – It is fair to say that this village sign is the most photographed one on Dartmoor. The one that proudly sits on the green today is not the original one nor is it on the same site of the road as once located. The first …

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The Wall

Every now and again one comes across a place-name on a map which begs for an explanation. I came across such an example on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch map of 1888 which was ‘Wallon’. As always one part of research leads to another and then another and before long …

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Regimental March

Sometimes today you can come across convoys of military vehicles moving men and equipment around Dartmoor during their training exercises. I think it would be fair to say that such a sighting is not one of the most memorable and exciting experiences. But just imagine witnessing a whole regiment along …

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Pigs Leg Mystery

  “The old mail road from Exeter to Falmouth, having reached Okehampton, passes by ruins of the old grey castle that for centuries belonged to the Courtnays and the Baron Mohon of Okehampton, and then winds gradually up an ascent until it arrives at a table-land where the four cross …

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Myrrh and Borax

Although this report, written by an officer attending the military camp on Whitchurch Down in 1909, is rather rambling and very much tongue in cheek it does give some good insights into camp life. There are several references to ‘myrrh and borax’ which at the time was an ingredient for …

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Locked Up and Helpless

Being incarcerated in any prison must instil a feeling of helplessness in any prisoner, but imagine what that emotion must feel like in times of a national crisis? Currently the world is fighting its way through the Covid 19 pandemic and any locked away must wish they could be with …

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Dartmoor’s Eden

“In one of the most lovely spots in Devonshire, or for that matter, the whole of England, is a romantic little village, it lies distant, secluded, still in a fruitful valley, little known, and less troubled by the outer world. It is a veritable Eden, where peace and plenty seem …

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Cobweb Hall

As you drive along the A386 and pass through the small village of Sourton the chances are that your eyes will be immediately drawn to the ornate pub, ‘The Highwayman’ sitting on the righthand side. Originally this was once an old hostelry called the ‘New Inn’ which in the 1970s …

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Wistman’s Warren

Opposite Wistman’s Wood and amidst the Bronze Age features scattered nearby are the remains of a late nineteen century rabbit warren Hemery explains how the warren was established in 1895 as a sporting warren which covered around 330 acres. James Saltroun rented the land from the Duchy and installed his …

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