Tag Archives: Dartmoor

“A few minutes before three o’clock on Thursday afternoon we presented ourselves at M.r Fairweather’s Commercial Hotel, preparatory to a Char-a-banc trip over the moor. This was the opening day for the summer season. The “Newtonian” and four fine steeds as even a country squire could wish for, all in …

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 …

There can be no question that not so very long ago the belief in the powers of witchcraft was very strong and deep routed on Dartmoor. When it came to the local ‘Wise Woman’ her wisdom and powers were never put into question. She could cure many an illness and …

Back in the long lost past when Dartmoor was the home to a whole variety of other-worldly creatures the piskies were the cleverest of them all. There can be no arguing that they were mischievous creatures but on the other hand, if treated kindly, they were a great help to …

During the months of May and June much of the wet bogs and mires will be sporting a mantle of fluffy white tufts swaying gently in the moorland breezes. No matter what route one chooses on upland Dartmoor it is in many places impossible to walk in a straight line …

On the 3rd of September of 1651 the Battle of Worcester took place after which King Charles II managed to escape from the the Roundhead forces by hiding in an mighty Oak tree which was near Boscobel House in Shropshire. Following six weeks of narrow escapes Charles managed to flee …

Since the popularity of Dartmoor excursions began in the mid 1800s it was not always possible to get to the starting points from which the ‘tour operators’ ran. Even with the advent of the early Dartmoor railroads it still made experiencing the Moor difficult. So in the late 1888s both …

“Each shiny night the moon was bright, To park, preserve, and wood He went, and kept the game alive, By killing all he could. Land-owners, who had rabbits, swore That he had this demerit – Give him an inch of warren, he Would take a yard of ferret.” DARTMOOR NIGHT …

“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 …

Mary Ann – the last witch of Dean Prior. – This story was related by the Reverend C. J. Perry Keene who was the vicar at Dean Prior between 1879 and 1926. Coming from a man of the cloth there should be no doubting the tale as it was told …