Tin Ingots that had previously been recovered from the Erme Estuary. It was thought this analysis would take place during 2013 but has been moved to 2014 owing to funding. These are to be examined and scientifically dated by the British Museum. Funding for this work has already been agreed and will commence towards the end of 2013. The aim is to date and correlate to those recovered and located at Moor Sand and Salcombe. This would then prove localised trade along the south coast of Devon.
Comparisons will then be made to terrestrial recoveries from Dartmoor, Cornwall and inland Devon. Research has shown that Tin and Copper recoveries have been made since prehistory all along the South Coast including rivers and estuaries, throughout Bronze and Iron Age, through Roman and Medieval to current times.
The Rivers Dart , Erme
Rising on the Southern slopes of Dartmoor, the River Erme bubbles and flows through granite and clay before joining the English Channel in Bigbury Bay. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Erme Estuary is a fantastic spot for Bird watching. Egret, Curlews, oyster-catchers ans kingfishers have all made this special place their home.
The River’s Avon & Gara, springing into life high on the southern slopes of Dartmoor, The River Avon meanders its way down through town and villages, nourishing the land and providing ample opportunities for enjoyment. The Avon Estuary walk is beautiful walking route were you are certain to spot some the wildlife that make their home on or in the River Avon The Salcombe Estuary is unique in the fact it is not fed by one main river but numerous small streams
The River Teign , Devon , Originating on Dartmoor and entering the sea at Teignmouth , the River Teign boasts hugely diverse habitats that attract a large variety of birds and wildlife. The Teign actually has two sources and these streams (the North and South Teign) descend the eastern slopes of the moor high above the village of Chagford.
From Chagford the River winds its way through the often wooded foothills of Dartmoor for nearly ten miles until below Dunsford it heads south, following the road to Chudleigh, Newton Abbot and ultimately into the estuary and the sea at Teignmouth.
Herons, kingfishers, dippers, grey wagtails, cormorants and goosanders can all be found along the Teign and otters are also making a comeback.
The Teign is noted for its salmon, brown trout and sea trout, with Drewe’s Weir being a good place to spot them leaping out of the water
and Tamar have not only provided Tin Streaming deposits but direct access to terrestrial deposits and others at Tor Royal on Dartmoor where recoveries and collections would have been brought down for final transit to the Continent . Tin bearing Ore Load has been seen at Deckler’s Cliff plus Copper further up.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS IN EXETER , Caer-pen-huel-goit,
Again, the site of Exeter lay some ten miles up-river from its mouth and this was important when invaders were most likely to come by sea and to attack coastal settlements. At Exeter one was safe from such attacks, or at least there was ample warning of strange ships coming into the estuary. From the volcanic hill we call Rougemont one could look right down to the mouth of the shining estuary and a strange fleet could be spotted hours before it could attack. For all these reasons Exeter made a good trading-place, and above all, of course, it had something to sell—the products of a rich and varied countryside. And so the stage was set for the village to grow into a town, and later still into a rich medieval city, on its hilltop in the far West of England.
The Coming of the Romans The ancient British name for Exeter seems to have been Caerwysc .{ Isca dumnonia does not mean exeter , this is wrong interpretation of isca , waters of the dumnonii , may help identify the importance of transport hubs , such as waters around the now plymouth ,} “the fortified town on the Exe”, but an even older name occurs in the tradition of a siege by the Roman general Vespasian in the year 49. The tradition tells us that there was already a settlement here when Vespasian was sent westwards , and so supplements the evidence of the Hellenistic coins. At the time of this siege Exeter is said to have been called by the rather formidable name of Caer-pen-huel-goit, which means “die fortified town on the hill near the high or great wood”. Such long descriptive place-names are a characteristic of Wales to this day, and it is quite likely that Exeter had some such ancient names as this in prehistoric times. “The fortified town on the hill ” aptly describes the first site of Exeter, with its earthwork on the end of the ridge or hill. “ The high or great wood ” probably refers to die wooded hills to the north of the city, what we now call Stoke Hill and Pennsylvania , which would have been densely wooded in prehistoric times. Stoke Woods today are a remnant of this great wood of two thousand and more years ago. The tradition of a siege by Vespasian has generally been discredited by modem historians, mainly on the ground that it appears in the writings of a chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth who is known to be very inaccurate, if no worse . He tells us that Vespasian was sent down by the Emperor Claudius to subdue South-West Britain, and that he besieged Exeter for eight days without success. A British king then arrived from the east with an army and fought with Vespasian. Despite great losses on both sides neither got the victory. Vespasion went on to great things , was it on the back of the mineral weath lets look at new evidence at calstock dumnonia
The next thing is that vespasins ghost can be seen on dartmoor as the area is now known , well he was resident in exeter and travelled to ugborough in devon , where , he was meeting the king within , the king had an hareem now remember there were no motorways at his time , infact reference to the town of calstock in corwall or dumnonia to vespasian ; the isca's of dumnonia were beautifull lagoons , with Vespasian. Despite great losses on both sides neither got the victory.
The next thing is that vespasians ghost can be seen on dartmoor as the area is now known , well he was resident in exeter and travelled to ugborough in devon ,where ,he was meeting the king within , the king had an hareem now remember there were no motorways at his time , infact reference to the town of calstock in corwall or damnonia to vespasian ; the isca's
of damnonia were beautifull lagoons ,
The land of the dark valleys was pronounced by the Kelts as Duvnant , which was later corrupted by the Romans to Dumnonia and was said by the Saxons as Defena.
The hundred of Axminster was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were Axminster ; Axmouth ; Combe Raleigh ; Combpyne; Dalwood; Honiton; Kilmington; Luppitt; Membury; Musbury; Rousdon; Stockland; Thorncombe; Uplyme; Upottery; Yarcombe In 1850 there were thirty-two hundreds in Devon according to White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Devonshire
The hundred of Bampton was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were: Bampton; Burlescombe; (part) Clayhanger; Hockworthy; Holcombe Rogus; Morebath and Uffculme.
Black Torrington Hundred ; Braunton Hundred ; Cliston Hundred ; Coleridge Hundred ; Colyton Hundre
The hundred of Crediton was the name of one of thirty-two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were:
Colebrooke; Crediton; Kennerleigh; Morchard Bishop; Newton St Cyres and Sandford. East Budleigh Hundred ; Ermington Hundred ; Exminster Hundred ; Fremington Hundred ; Halberton Hundred ; Hartland Hundred ; Hayridge Hundred ; Haytor Hundred ; Hemyock Hundred ; Lifton Hundred
North Tawton and Winkleigh Hundred ; Ottery Hundred ; Plympton Hundred
Plympton Hundred was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were: Brixton, Plympton St Mary, Plympton St Maurice, Plymstock, Revelstoke, Shaugh Prior, Wembury and Yealmpton
The hundred of Roborough was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England. Roborough, Torridge, was within Fremington Hundred
The parishes in the hundred were: Bere Ferrers Bickleigh (near Plymouth) ; Buckland Monachorum ; East Stonehouse ; Egg Buckland ; Maker (in Cornwall from 1844) Meavy ; Pennycross ; Peter Tavy
Plymouth: Charles the Martyr Plymouth: St Andrew .Sampford Spiney . Sheepstor . St Budeaux . Stoke Damerel
Tamerton Foliot
Walkhampton
Whitchurch.
Woodtown
Shebbear Hundred
Shirwell Hundred
South Molton Hundred
Stanborough Hundred
Tavistock Hundred
Tavistock Hundred was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were: Brentor, Milton Abbot and Tavistock
Teignbridge Hundred was the name of one of thirty two ancient administrative units of Devon, England.
The parishes in the hundred were: Ashburton, Bickington, Bovey Tracey, Hennock, Highweek, Ideford, Ilsington, Kingsteignton, Lustleigh, Manaton, Moretonhampstead, North Bovey and Teigngrace
Tiverton Hundred
West Budleigh Hundred
Witheridge Hundred
Wonford Hundred
TAMERTON FOLIOT (cg) is a large village at the head of Tamerton Lake, a creek two miles long which opens into the Tamar. Although one can reach it by one of the frequent Plymouth Corporation buses, and it is steadily being approached by the suburbs of the city, it is a place of great interest and much beautiful scenery. The Celtic saints Indract and Dominic, and all their company, landed in the closing years of the 6th cent, at a port called Tamerunta, which can only be Tamerton Foliot. St. Budoc, too, landed in the same creek, and founded
a church at Budshead (now in St.Budeaux). The manor of Tamerton had come to the Foliots by King Stephen’s time (1135-54), according to Risdon, when Sampson Foliot made his dwelling at Warleigh, close to the confluence of Tavy and Tamar. Warleigh may have been a watch-place , when Cornwall was still unconquered, Warleigh Point being admirably suited to that purpose. It came to the Coplestones by marriage in 1472. At some time in the 16th century, the Coplestones left their ancestral home of Coplestone, near Crediton, preferring to live in this beautiful spot by the tidal waters of the Tavy, and here they rebuilt the ancient Foliot house towards the end of thecentury. The South front of the house still keeps in the main its Elizabethan elevation, but the house was
extensively remodelled in the late 18th century, and early 19th, and part of it is in a Strawberry Hill Gothic style. It is now a hospital. Warleigh possesses one of the few dovecotes to be found in
Devon, a circular structure of brickwith over 500 nest-holes, c. 1600 in date. Blaxton or Blackstone was a Domesday manor. The ferry across the Tavy, from here to Bere Ferrers, is referred to as early as 1263. Maristow, now a large mansion in a park, was originally “ Martin’s-stow.” There was a quay here in the 13th century. We read in 1294 of silver being shipped here, from the Bere Ferrers mines over the river, up to London. The present house dates mainly from 1740. The Maristow estate was bought for £65,000 by Sir Manasseh Lopes in 1798 from the Heywood heiresses, and has continued in the Lopes family (Lords Roborough) since. The house, in exceedingly beauti ful grounds, is now a home for aged clergy. Ashleigh Barton is a late 15th century- 17th century, farmhouse. It has a plaster overmantel depicting the sacrifice of Isaac, similar to the one at Alston in Malborough. Tamerton Foliot church (St. Mary) is chiefly I5th-cent., much rebuilt. There are some interesting monuments.That to a Georges of Warleigh and his wife is I4th-century, with two good effigies.
The monument to John Coplestone of Warleigh and his wife, erected 1617, depicts two kneeling figures facing each other, with their ten children kneeling below.Gilbert Foliot, Bishop of London (1163-87) and the great opponent of Becket, was probably born at Warleigh. He exercised great influence over Henry II until his death in 1187.
Stowford is a village and civil parish in the district of West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated to the west of Dartmoor. Stowford is about 1 mile west of the village of Lewdown and about 11 miles south-west of Okehampton in Devon and 7 miles east of Launceston in Cornwall. The parish is very rural, and includes the hamlet of Sprytown.
The parish church is dedicated to St John the Baptist and is around 14th-15th century in date. The church was restored and the north aisle rebuilt by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1874.
An ancient stone stands at the entrance to the churchyard. It stands 170cm out of the ground, and contains an inscription dated to the 8th-11th century. The inscription reads "GUNGLEI" or "GUG.LES" and is thought to be a personal name.
The Harris Baronetcy, of Stowford, near Launceston, in the County of Devon, was created in the Baronetage of England on 1 December 1673 for Arthur Harris ,Member of Parliament for Okehampton between 1671 and 1681. The Harris residence was at Hayne House in the parish of Stowford. The title became extinct on his death in 1686.
West Devon
Stowford
Grid Ref :SX4329087010Summary :Inscribed stone in Stowford churchyard, 8th-11th century date. More information :(SX 43298701) Inscribed stone (NR) (1)
An inscribed stone stands at the entrance to the churchyard at Stowford. It stands five feet six inches out of the ground and the stone is fine-grained, not a granite. The inscription, which was rubbed on not cut, reads GUNGLEI and is in lettering of about 600 AD or a little later , X 43288700 as described; the inscription is still clearly visible.
This is a pilar stone of 5th-11th century date. The text reads: `[G]U[.G]LE[S] where the bracketed letters are legible but unusual in form. Various readings of the text have been suggested, and it is presumably a personal name. The text uses insular script suggesting a date of the 8th-11th centuries. (5)Harris. An Ogham stone— an early Christian monument to one Gun-glei—stands at the churchyard gate. Hayne itself was rebuilt by Wyatville in 1810 in what Baring-Gould dismisses forthwith as “ cockney Gothic,” but it is good of its kind. It was the seat of the Harrises from Henry V III’s reign until 1864. Milford and Spry town, now farmhouses, were Domesday manors. itself was rebuilt by Wyat 1810 in what Baring-Gould dismisses forthwith as “cockney Gothic,” but it is good of its kind. It was the seat of the Harrises from Henry VIIPs reign 1864. Milford and Sprytown, now farmhouses, were Domesday manors. Shepherds is a good 16th-century farm
SUTCOMBE is a remote parish with an interesting church (St. Andrew). It has retained a simple I2th-cent. South doorway, but the building is otherwise entirely of late 15th- to early i6th-century. date, with a certain amount of alteration, especially to the windows, in the 17th century. There are a considerable number of late medieval floor-tiles, a 16th-cent. pulpit, and an exceptionally
good collection of well-carved 16thcentury bench-ends, chiefly heraldic. The granite arcade, circa 1500, is graceful. The rood-screen is well restored, with portions of the original screen in the
lower panels; and there is some medieval glass in the E. window of the Thuborough aisle. The whole church is attractive and well cared for, and is full of atmosphere: granite and oak give the feeling of the interior. Thuborough was a Domesday estate: cent. rebuilding, except the tower and lead-covered broach spire, which remain from the early I4th-cent. church.The spire is one of three medieval spires in this district, the other two being at Braunton and Barnstaple. The fittings of the church are of exceptional interest, most notable being the stone pulpit 1490 which retains some of its original colour and is freely and beautifully carved and ornamented. The rood-screen, well restored by Pearson in the 1880s, is of about the same date, and is singularly fine and perfect. The font cover is a good example of Renaissance carving of early i6th-cent. date, and above this is a richly decorated tester or canopy. Notice the monument to Charles son of john Cutcliffe of Damage (1670), surmounted by a beautiful oval portrait in oils, which has been attributed to Lely but is more probably the work of James Gandy 1619-89, a pupil of Vandyke.
Hearson, Stowford, and Marsh were formerly “mansions.” Stowford is the traditional birthplace—and there is no reason to doubt the tradition—of St. Urith, who was martyred at Chittlehampton in the 8th cent. The present house is in part medieval. Ernes-borough was an ancient freehold estate, first recorded in 1175, and taking its name from the “eagles hill” Shepherds is a good 16th-century farm Hearson, Stowford, and Marsh were formerly “mansions.” Stowford is the traditional birthplace— and there is no reason to doubt the tradition— of St. Urith, who was martyred at Chittlehampton in the 8th century. The present house is in part medieval. Ernesborough was an ancient freehold
STOWFORD church (St. John) has a most attractive interior, although restored by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1874, when the N. aisle was added. The woodwork was all done at this time, but, being copied from older isle. There is a good incised slate monument to John Richards TALATON lies in a neat, park- like landscape. The church (St. James) was rebuilt, except the tower, porch, E.
wall, and vestry in 1859-60, but is still worth seeing. The West tower is good. There are excellent wagon roofs with carved ribs and bosses, a few medieval bench-ends, and a fine I5th-century.
Escot, first recorded in 1227, is built site of Sir Walter Yonge’s mansion, finished c. 1688. There is a tradition that John Locke, the philosopher often visited Yonge at Escot, and that he planted certain clumps of beeches in the park. The present house built about 1810. Escot was formed separate ecclesiastical parish in 1840.
TAMERTON FOLIOT is a large village at the head of Tamerton Lake, two miles long which opens into Tamar. Although one can reach it by one of the frequent Plymouth Corporation buses, and it is steadily being approached by the suburbs of the city, been a watch-place as Cornwall was still unconquered, Warleigh Point being admirably suited to that purpose. It came to the Coplestones by marriage in 1472. At sometime in the 16th cent, the Coplestones left their ancestral home of Coplestone, near Crediton, preferring to live in this beautiful spot by the tidal waters of the Tavy, and here they rebuilt the ancient Foliot house towards the end of the century. The S. (principal) front of the house still keeps in the main its Elizabethan elevation, but the house was extensively remodelled in the late 18th cent, and early 19th, and part of it is in a Strawberry Hill Gothic style. It is now a hospital. Warleigh possesses one of the few dovecotes to be found in Devon, a circular structure of brick with over 500 nest-holes, c. 1600 Blaxton or Blackstone was a Domesday manor. The ferry across the Tavy, from here to Bere Ferrers, is referred to as early as 1263.
Maristow, now a large mansion park, was originally “ Martin’s-stow.” There was a quay here in the 13th century . We read in 1294 of silver being shipped here, from the Bere Ferrers mines over
the river, up to London. The some interesting monuments. That to a Gorges of Warleigh and his wife is I4th-century, with two good effigies. The monument to John Coplestone of Warleigh and his wife, erected 1617, depicts two kneeling figures facing each other, with their ten children kneeling below. Gilbert Foliot, Bishop of London (1163-87) and the great opponent of Becket, was probably born at Warleigh. He exercised great influence over Henry II until his death in 1187.
TAVISTOCK is the most delightful town in West Devon, and perhaps the most attractive of all the inland towns of the county. Much of it is built of a green volcanic ash from quarries at Hurdwick, about 1.5 m. North of the town, a stone which also appears frequently in the medieval churches of the surrounding countryside. The town stands mostly on the N. side of the river
Tavy, itself a decorative feature of the town-scene, and at the East end of a large parish— known as Tavistock Hamlets which extends all the way to the Tamar. The scenery of the parish is of great variety and beauty, not excluding the abandoned mining landscape at Blanchdown on the West above the Tamar. This is another of those great Devonshire parishes, so full of views, attractive present appearance and character. Between them they owned the town from 974 until 1911. A small community existed here before the abbey came. On the hillside about 1 mile NE. of the town is an irregular earthwork known as the Trendle, which has yielded evidence of a late Celtic settlement. Later, possibly in the early 8th cent., the Saxons occupied the lower ground beside the brawling Tavy, and founded the that gives the place its name. By the time the Benedictine Abbey was founded about the year 974, a hamlet existed at Tavistock, with its own chapel, which stood near the NW. corner of the present inner market. The establishment of the abbey, which became the largest and wealthiest in the South-West, naturally gave a great impetus to the village. In 1105 the abbot obtained for it a weekly market, which is still held on Fridays, and in 1116 a three-day fair was added, on the eve, feast, and morrow of St. Rumon (29-31 August). Some time before 1185, probably during the abbacy of Walter (1155-68), the final step was taken of detaching an area of some 325 acres from the vast rural manor in order to set up a borough. The immediate stimulus to the creation of a borough was almost certainly the “ tin
At Fernworthy itself is a circle of upright stones and the remains of several stone rows sorely mutilated for the construction of a newtake wall. In a tumulus near these monuments was found an urn containing ashes, with a flint knife, and another, very small, of bronze or copper, and a large polished button of horn.On Chagford Common,near Watern Hill, is a double pair of rows leading from a cairn and asmall menhir, to blocking - stones. Although the stones of which they are composed are small, the rows are remarkably well preserved .It will repay the visitor to continue his ascent of the South Teign to the Grey Wethers , two circles of stone, of which, however, many are fallen. Here exploration, such as has been conducted at Fernworthy circle, shows that the floors are deep in ashes, and this leads to the surmise that the circles were the crematories of the dead who lie in the cairns and tunnels in the neighbourhood.Near the source of the North Teign is Teignhead House , one of the most solitary spots in England.A shepherd resides there, but it is not for many winters that a woman can endure the isolation and retain her reason.According to Wace and Layamon,in the time of King Arthur circa 6th century Cador ,Earl of Cornwall, pursued Childric the Saxon Kaiser and his troops as they fled towards their ships , which were moored (apparently) off Teignmouth Beach. Cador overtook them on the banks of the Teign. The churls, armed with “bats” and pitchforks, slew a large number of the Saxons and “then saw Childric that it befell to them evilly; that all his mickle folk fell to the ground; now he saw there beside a hill exceeding great; the water floweth thereunder that is named Teine; the hill is named Teinewic ; thitherward fled Childric with his four and twenty knights ... and Cador heaved up his sword and Childric he slew ... in the Teine water he perished.”
It seems very likely that the hill mentioned was the Ness, which was once known as Bryn Maur, or the great hill, and the battle probably took place on Shaldon sands.The crossing from Shaldon to Teignmouth and the ferry dues were part of the perquisites of the Earl of Cornwall (who also called himself King of the Romans, a title dating from King Arthur’s day) in the 11th century a .d ., and it is probable that Cador gained these as part of the spoils of battle. By the middle of the 7th century a .d ., the valleys of the lower Exe and the Creedy were occupied by Saxons, and the Britons (as the Celtic and Mediterranean peoples called themselves) lived more or less amicably with them in the town of Exeter, but Devon was still predominantly Celtic and was ruled by a Celtic monarch. At this time, Bishop Honorius of Canterbury settled the boundaries of the land and fixed parishes. Taintona probably received official recognition. The parish of St. Nicholas was designated at Bryn Maur (Celtic for “Great Hill”) now corrupted into “Ringmore.” Taintona was probably not called by that name in those days, as “ton” or “tun” is a Saxon word for a settlement, and means a fencible place. It was, however, a fortified village. In 682 a .d ., Centwine, the Angle, “drove the Britons of the west as far as the sea, at the sword point”. This seems to indicate a more determined Anglo-Saxon invasion of Devon and an attempt to push the Celts further west. Assuming the Exe to be in the hands of the Saxons, the sea mentioned is probably the natural boundary made by the river Teign. It is probable that the Saxons took over Taintona and gave it a name in their own tongue, while the Celts moved across the river. The old hillside lookout above the Teign now fulfilled another purpose; that of a Celtic spyhole against the Saxons. In 800 a .d ., Egbert made another attempt to extend the Saxon rule in Devon, but at this time the Saxons themselves were being harried. Another race of marauders was sweeping down on Britain. These were the Danes. Now began a time of fear. The Saxon settlers complained that the sea, formerly their friend, was nowtheir enemy ;Countless ages ago, the earth threw up the molten rock which was to become Dartmoor, the backbone of the County of Devon.Convulsive movements raised and lowered the land, so that the great rock mass became part of a vast continent which included the land which we now call France.Then the sea rushed in, filling the depression which was to become the English Channel and making islands of the rocky promontories of the Continental coasts. Movements continued intermittently over thousands of years, and masses of sand, silt and pebbles were laid down around the rock mass.The ice ages came and went and, although they did not reach as far south as the embryonic Dartmoor, snow-slips which preceded the glaciers carried debris which was scattered over the Moor as “clitters.”In warmer intervals between the centuries of ice, there were great floods of rain, which weathered and split the great rock plateau and rushed down from the high land in steep, stormy torrents -the beginning of the Taw, the Torridge, the Plym, the Dart and the Teign.The Teign carried with it thousands of tons of rotted granite, which it laid down in its lower reaches as boulder clay. It cut for itself a narrow course through the softer rocks below the Moor and eventually poured into the sea through a sunken valley which we now call the Teign Estuary.At the mouth of the valley, the current of the river, checked by the sea and by broken rocks, silt and sand, built up an area of beachy mud. The river, deflected by this barrier, took a sharp turn to the right and cut a way for itself at the foot ofthe great cliff which we now call the Ness.The heaving crust of the earth had now become more stable.Life had established itself on the land and the brown bear, the mammoth and the sabre-toothed tiger were wandering over the countryside, hunting, and being hunted by, primitive man.The caves at Brixham and Torquay show traces of man’s habitation and there are signs that wild beasts lived there too.No doubt Palaeolithic man hunted over the hills around Teignmouth and fished in the Teign, but there is no record of inhabited caves in or near Teignmouth.Thousands of years later,Bronze Age man lived on Haldon and he regarded the shores of Teignmouth as a good place to obtain supplies of salt for preserving his meat and for adding savour to his food.References in the works of Greek and Roman writers show that in pre-Roman times there was a flourishing civilization in the West of England,ChageyfordCHAGFORD
"Chageyford in the dirt"—The making of Chagford—The old clerk—The church—Tincombe Lane—Chagford Common—Flint finds— Scaur Hill circle—Stone rows—The Tolmen—The Teign river— Camps on it—Drewsteignton cromlech—Gidleigh—Old farmhouses —Fernworthy—The Grey Wethers—Teignhead House—Browne's House—Story about it—Grimspound—Birch Tor stone rows— Chaw Gully—The Webburn.
CHAGFORD is in Domesday written Chageford, and this is the local pronunciation of the name at the present day. The natives say, "Chageford in the dirt—O good Lord!"But Chagford has had the ability and promptitude to get out of the dirt and prove itself to be anything but a stick-in-the-mud place. It is with places as with people, some have good luck fall to them, others make their fortunes for themselves. Okehampton belongs to the former class, Chagford to the latter. It owes almost everything to a late rector, who, resolved on pushing the place, invited down magazine editors and professionallittérateursentertained them, drove them about, and was rewarded by articles appearing in journals and serials, belauding Chagford for its salubrious climate, its incomparable scenery, its ready hospitality, its rural sweetness, and its archaeological interest.Whither the writers pointed with their pens, thither the public ran, and Chagford was made. It has now every appliance suitable—pure water, electric lighting, telephone, a bicycle shop, and doctors to patch broken heads and set broken limbs of those upset from the "bikes."Chagford is undoubtedly a picturesque and pleasant spot. It is situated near Dartmoor, and is sheltered from the cold and from the rainy drift that comes from the south-west. The lodging-house keepers know how to make visitors comfortable, and to charge for so doing. The church has been restored, coaches run to bring visitors, and the roads and lanes have been widened.I recall the church before modern ideas had penetrated to Chagford. At that time the clerk, who also led the orchestra, gave out the psalm from his seat under the reading-desk, then,whistlingthe tune, he marched slowly down the nave, ascended to the gallery with leisure, and the performance began.The church, dedicated to S. Michael, was rebuilt in the middle of the fifteenth century, when the Gorges family owned much land in the parish. Their cognisance, thewhirlpool, a canting cognisance (gurges) appears in the bosses of the roof. It contains two monuments of some importance: one is a handsome stone altar tomb, with a canopy supported on columns, in memory of Sir John Whiddon, of Whiddon Park, Judge of Queen's Bench, who died in 1575; the other is to commemorate John Prouze, who died in 1664.The Three Crowns Inn, opposite the church, is apicturesque building of the seventeenth century. Chagford was one of the Stannary towns, but no remains of the court-house exist.On Mattadon, above the town, stands a rude early cross of granite.The ascent to the moor by Tincombe Lane, as I remember it half a century ago, was no better than a watercourse, strewn with boulders, to be scrambled up or down at the risk of dislocation of the ankle. It then well merited the descriptive lines:—
"Tincombe Lane is all uphill
Or downhill, as you take it;
You tumble up, and crack your crown,
Or tumble down and break it.
"Tincombe Lane is crook'd and straight,
Here pothook, there as arrow,
'Tis smooth to foot, 'tis full of rut,
'Tis wide, and then, 'tis narrow.
"Tincombe Lane is just like life,
From when you leave your mother;
'Tis sometimes this, 'tis sometimes that,
'Tis one thing or the other."
Now all is changed. A steam-roller goes up and down Tincombe Lane, the angles have been rounded, the precipitous portions made easy, the ruts filled up. And life likewise is now made easy for the rising generation—possibly too easy. Ruggedness had a charm of its own, and bred vigour of constitution and moral physique.Chagford having lost, by death, the whistling clerk, started a blind organist. Now, also, he is gone.Every peculiarity is being crushed out of modern life by the steam-roller, civilisation.Chagford Common, as I recall it, half a century ago, was strewn thick with hut circles. One ascended to it by Tincombe Lane and came into a prehistoric world, a Pompeii of a past before Rome was. It was dense with hut circles, pounds, and every sort of relic of the ancient inhabitants of the moor. But inclosures have been made, and but a very few relics of the aboriginal settlement remain. One of the most curious, the "Roundy Pound," only escaped through urgent remonstrance made to spare it. The road carried over the common annually eats up the remains of old, as the road-menders take away the stones from the hut circles to metal the highway.At Batworthy, one of the inclosures, there must have been anciently a manufactory of flint tools and weapons. Countless spalls of flint and a fine collection of fabricated weapons and tools have been found there, and the collection has been presented from this place to the Plymouth Municipal Museum.On Gidleigh Common, beside the Teign, opposite Batworthy, is Scaur Hill circle. It consists of thirty-two stones, at present, of which eight are prostrate. The highest of the stones is a little over six feet. The circle is ninety-two feet in diameter. Apparently leading towards this ring, on the Chagford side of the river, was a very long double row of stones, with a second double row or avenue branching from it.There was a third double row, which started from the Longstone, near Caistor Rock. This Longstoneis still standing, but the stone rows have been
Plan of Stone Rows Near Caster Rock(Taken in 1851, Scale 1/12 in. to 10 feet.)A. The Longstone. Hence in a northerly direction the row continued for 520 feet.B. Cairn. C. Cairn with ring of stones.shamefully robbed by a farmer to build his newtake walls. I give plan of the rows as taken by me in 1851. There was another line of stones leading from the Three Boys to the Longstone. The Three Boys were three big stones that have disappeared, and the line from them has also been obliterated. This portion I unfortunately did not plan in 1851.
In the valley of the Teign is the so-called tolmen, a natural formation. In the same slab or stone may be seen the beginnings of a second hole. But it is curious as showing that the river at one time rolled at a higher elevation than at present. The scenes on a ramble up the river from Chagford to Holy Street Mill and the mill itself are familiar to many, as having furnished subjects for pictures in the Royal Academy.The river Teign below Whiddon Park winds in and out among wooded precipitous hills to where the Exeter road descends in zigzags to Fingle Bridge, passing on its way Cranbrook Castle, a stone camp. Thebrookin the name is a corruption ofburghorburrh. On the opposite side of the valley, frowning across at Cranbrook, is Prestonbury Camp.With advantage the river may be followed down for several miles to Dunsford Bridge, and the opportunity is then obtained of gathering white heath which grows on the slopes. At Shilstone in Drewsteignton is the onlycromlechin the county. It is a fine monument. A few years ago it fell, but has been re-erected in its old position. After recent ploughing flints may be picked up in the field where it stands.Gidleigh merits a visit, the road to it presentingmany delicious peeps. Gidleigh possesses the ruin of a doll castle that once belonged to the Prouze family. The church contains a screen in good preservation. In the parish of Throwleigh is the interesting manor house Wanson, of which I have told a story in myOld English Home.But perhaps more interesting than manor houses are the old farm buildings in the neighbourhood of Chagford, rapidly disappearing or being altered out of recognition to adapt them to serve as lodging-houses to receive visitors.One such adaptation may be noticed in Tincombe Lane. An old house is passed, where the ancient mullioned windows have been heightened and the floors and ceilings raised, to the lasting injury of the house itself, considered from a picturesque point of view. A passable road leads up the South Teign to Fernworthy, a substantial farm in a singularly lone spot. But there was another farm even more lonely at Assacombe, where a lateral stream descends to the Teign, but it has been abandoned, and consists now of ruin only. Near it is a well-preserved double stone row leading from a cairn and finishing at a blocking-stone.At Fernworthy itself is a circle of upright stones and the remains of several stone rows sorely mutilated for the construction of a newtake wall. In a tumulus near these monuments was found an urn containing ashes, with a flint knife, and another, very small, of bronze or copper, and a large polished button of horn. On Chagford Common, near Watern Hill, is a double pair of rows leading from a cairn and asmall menhir, to blocking - stones. Although the stones of which they are composed are small, the rows are remarkably well preserved.It will repay the visitor to continue his ascent of the South Teign to the Grey Wethers, two circles of stone, of which, however, many are fallen. Here exploration, such as has been conducted at Fernworthy circle, shows that the floors are deep in ashes, and this leads to the surmise that the circles were the crematories of the dead who lie in the cairns and tunnels in the neighbourhood.Near the source of the North Teign is Teignhead House, one of the most solitary spots in England. A shepherd resides there, but it is not for many winters that a woman can endure the isolation and retain her reason.And yet there remain the ruins of a house in a still more lonely situation. The moorman points it out as Browne's House.Although, judging from the dilapidation and the lichened condition of the stones, one could have supposed that this edifice was of great antiquity, yet it is not so by any means. There are those still alive who remember when the chimney fell; and who had heard of both the building, the occupying, and the destruction of Browne's House. Few indeed have seen the ruin, for it is in so remote a spot that only the shepherd, the rush-cutter, and the occasional fisherman approach it.On the Ordnance Survey, faint indications of inclosures are given on the spot, but no name isattached. Yet every moorman, if asked what these
"Totonesium litus"—"the sea-coast ofTotnes".
Brutus is explicitly the grandson, rather than son, of Ascanius; his father is Ascanius' son Silvius.
The magician who predicts great things for the unborn Brutus also foretells he will kill both his parents.
He does so, in the same manner described in the Historia Britonum, and is banished.
Travelling to Greece, he discovers a group of Trojans enslaved there. He becomes their leader, and after a series of battles they defeat the Greek king Pandrasus by attacking his camp at night after capturing the guards.
He takes him hostage and forces him to let his people go. He is given Pandrasus's daughter Ignoge in marriage, and ships and provisions for the voyage, and sets sail.
The Trojans land on a deserted island and discover an abandoned temple toDiana.
After performing the appropriate ritual, Brutus falls asleep in front of the goddess's statue and is given a vision of the land where he is destined to settle, an island in the western ocean inhabited only by a few giants.
After some adventures in north Africa and a close encounter with theSirens, Brutus discovers another group of exiled Trojans living on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, led by the prodigious warriorCorineus.
InGaul, Corineus provokes a war with Goffarius Pictus, king ofAquitaine, after hunting in the king's forests without permission. Brutus's nephew Turonus dies in the fighting, and the city ofToursis founded where he is buried.
The Trojans win most of their battles but are conscious that the Gauls have the advantage of numbers, so go back to their ships and sail for Britain, then calledAlbion.
They land on "Totonesium litus the sea-coast ofTotnes. They meet the giant descendants ofAlbionand defeat them.
Brutus renames the island after himself and becomes its first king. Corineus becomes ruler ofCornwall, which is named after him.
They are harassed by the giants during a festival, but kill all of them but their leader, the largest giantGoemagot, who is saved for a wrestling match against Corineus. Corineus throws him over a cliff to his death. Brutus then founds a city on the banks of theRiver Thames, which he calls Troia Nova, orNew Troy.
The name is in time corrupted toTrinovantum, and the city is later calledLondon.
He creates laws for his people and rules for twenty-four years. After his death he is buried in Trinovantum, and the island is divided between his three sons,Locrinus(England),Albanactus(Scotland) andKamber(Wales).
CHAPTER XXVIII,
TOTNES.
Totnes is the first link in the legendary history of England. Brutus, the Trojan, according to early Welsh and Breton tradition, landed ‘ on the coast of Totnes;’ and in the pages of Geoffrey of Monmouth one may read the full-blown myth, ending in the destruction of the last of the aboriginal giants , Goemagot , by Corinaeus , afterwards Duke of Cornwall. There was a time when all this was deemed purely historical. Totnes, claiming to be the landing-place of Brutus, has yet a traditional Brutus Stone/ on which the Trojan hero is said to have stepped when he landed— a boulder of no great dimensions, well up the main street. Plymouth cherished the belief that the combat between Corinaeus and Goemagot took place upon her Hoe; and so far back as the fifteenth century there were graven in the sward of that eminence two huge figures, popularly supposed to represent the combatants, renewed as need was, and of unknown antiquity. It is quite possible, indeed, that both the Brutus Stone’ of Totnes and the ‘ Gogmagog’ of Plymouth originated with the Gog and Magog of myth speaks of the ‘coast’ of Totnes, and the ‘shore’ of Totnes, and the ‘ port ’ of Totnes, and always with some such qualification. The inference, therefore, is that the name was used by ancient writers as that of a district. It was evidently so employed by Higden in his ‘ Poly-chronicon,’ in quoting the length of Britain as 800 miles, a ‘ Totonesio litore,’ rendered by Trevisa ‘ from the clyf of Totonesse,’ which is really only another name for the Land’s End. Totnes thus seems to be in truth the ancient name for the south-western promontory of England, perhaps a name for Britain itself, in which case we can understand somewhat if the motive that led early etymologists derive Britain from Brute, or Brutus . The myth may be true that an elder name was supplanted, and that it lingered longest in the western promontory. Whether the modern Totnes is nominally the successor of the ancient title, the narrow area into which this vestige of far antiquity has shrunk, may be doubtful, for the word is as capable of a Teutonic derivation as of a Keltic. The last syllable may be the Northern ness, but it may as well be the Keltic , enys= island.’ And so while Tot may be an ‘ enclosure,’ it may equally be the Dod which still exists on the west coast in the name of the Dodman headland — the ‘prominent rock’ (man = maen, a stone). Totnes, therefore, can be read ‘the projecting or prominent island.’ The speculation may be pardoned in dealing with a point of such singular interest. In any case, it seems probable that this story of Brutus the Trojan is not absolute fable, but the traditionary record of the earliest invasion of the land.
Bocheland is of Saxon origin and means "Royal land held by charter".
Eggbuckland Location within Devon Population 13,351 (2011)
District Plymouth Shire county Devon Region South West Country England .
Eggbuckland was a small village a few miles north of Plymouth. During the reconstruction of Plymouth many new suburbs were built and soon a new estate was built within one mile to the south east of Eggbuckland. During the 1970s the areas in between and surrounding the old village were all developed and the whole area is now referred to by the name Eggbuckland. The development of the A38 just south of Eggbuckland in the 1980s led to the area becoming very popular with commuters.
Bocheland is of Saxon origin and means "Royal land held by charter". The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that this manor was held by the King, William of Normandy,
but was granted to the Saxon Heche or Ecca, thus the land was known as Heche or Ecca's Bocheland. This was the site of a Saxon church which was replaced by the present church of St Edward in 1470. The village was held by the Royalist Cavaliers during the Civil War against the Parliamentarian Roundheads and was badly damaged. During the 19th century the area was host to new Palmerston Forts built as part of a northern defense line around Plymouth. Much of the structures remain but are privately owned and used for differing purposes. Over time the name has been corrupted and by 1685 was Egg Buckland. By 1902, it was one word - Eggbuckland although the older usage is still seen around the city. In the 1870s, the original village was described thus in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales: EGG-BUCKLAND, or Buckland-Egg, a parish in Plympton-St. Mary district, Devon; on the Dartmoor railway, adjacent to the Tavistock railway, and near the river Plym, 3 miles NNE of Plymonth. It contains Crabtree hamlet, and part of Knackers-Knowle village; and its post town is Knackers-Knowle, Devon. Acres, with Laira-Green, 3, 304; of which 100 are water. Real property, £8, 933; of which £68 are in quarries, and £36 in railways. Pop., 1, 348. Houses, 272. The property is much subdivided. Widey Court here was the headquarters of Prince Maurice during his siege of Plymouth, and was visited by the king. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Exeter. Value, £474.* Patron, the Lord Chancellor. The church is ancient: consists of nave, south aisle, and chancel, with a tower; and is in fair condition. Charities, £28.[2]
Devon is mineral rich , rich in agricultural produce , rich in antiquities , rich in coastal activities , the center of the old Kingdom of Dumnonia , free from Saxon domination much longer than elsewhere , many undiscovered Roman stories , the Home for emperor Vespasian
Les mines de l’argent en Devon
dans le Moyen Age
développement, transportation, la fonderie et le raffinerie Silver production and deadwork costs, Bere Ferrers, 1301-1317 (Exchequer Accounts). £2,000.00 £1,800.00 £1,600.00 £1,400.00 £1,200.00 £1,000.00 £800.00 £600.00 £400.00 £200.00 £0.00 1301 1302 1303 1304 1305 1306 1307 1308 1309 1310 1311 1312 1313 1314 1315 1316 1317 Par exemple - l’impact de travail de développement sur production en le premier parte du 14eme siècle Deadwork costs Silver production Et les techniques de fonderie les minéraux plomb/argent en Devon dans le Moyen Age Introduction • Par conséquent nous avons beaucoup de documentation pour aspects certains de leurs exploitation - en particulier travail de développement, transportation, le fonderie et le raffinerie • mais très peu information de l’extraction de minerai, où les mineurs furent payé en contrat • et le roi anglais ne fournirait pas logement ou nourriture pour les miniers donc, de cet, nous ne avons pas rapport. • Donc nous effectuai une étude du paysage minière – La topographie des mines – Le modèle des champs – Le modèle de site d’occupation – L’identité des sites de fonderie et les sites d’administration Les travaux des mines vers le nord Les galléries exhaure médiévales Le mine 19eme siècle « South Tamar Consols » Les travaux des mines Lockridge Hill Whitsam Down Furzehill South of Cotts (Birch Mine) Cleave Wood Deux lignes parallèles de petites puits et les haldes associé « shallow shaft mounds » - peut-être 15eme siècle Un aire des stériles, probablement 18/19eme siècle mais plus agité Un exemple de la prospection des travails de terre dans Cleave Wood Les haldes de un puits 18/19eme siècle - exploitation profond sous les travaux médiévales L’évidence des cartes historique « tithe award » et la prospection pour un fourneau 18eme siècle Les travaux de la mine - Furzehill Carte historique de 1737 Principalement 19eme siècle Un puits sur une gallérie exhaure médiévale, peut être 14eme siècle L’introduction des pompes actionnées par eau dans le 15eme siècle Une cours d’eau 16km longue, avec galeries et coupes, que traversé l’arête entre les rivières Lumburn / Tavy et le Tamar
Wolfram mining in Devon holds a significant place in the region's history. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the county was a prominent producer of the mineral, also known as tungsten. The mining operations were centered around Dartmoor and the surrounding areas, contributing to the local economy and shaping the landscape.
Wolfram has played a crucial role in various industries, particularly during times of conflict. Its high melting point and density made it a valuable material for creating armor-piercing projectiles during both World Wars. The demand for this mineral led to a boom in mining activities, attracting workers from different parts of the country. Today, the remnants of these mining operations can still be seen as a testament to Devon's rich industrial heritage.
The earliest reference to the shire by name is to be found in the Anglosaxon Chronicle under the year 851, when “ the Alderman Ceorl
with the men of Defenasoir fought the heathen army at Wicganbeorg and after making great slaughter obtained the victory .”
The history of Devon holds fascinating tales waiting to be unraveled by historians. One such intriguing figure is the Alderman Ceorl, whose legacy continues to captivate the minds of history enthusiasts. Known for his influential role in the governance of Devon, the Alderman Ceorl played a crucial part in shaping the region's political landscape, leaving an indelible mark that resonates to this day. Digging into his life and achievements offers a deeper understanding of the rich history that Devon boasts.
The Alderman Ceorl's contributions were varied and significant, ranging from championing local policies to fostering economic growth in Devon. His commitment to public service and tireless efforts in the development of the region paved the way for prosperity and progress. Exploring the Alderman Ceorl's life paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by Devon in the past, offering valuable insights into the socio-political dynamics of the era. For historians seeking a deeper comprehension of Devon's history, delving into the life and times of the Alderman Ceorl is an essential journey to undertake.
In 894 the form Defnum occurs , Defenum in 897, and Defenun in a charter of 955. Somewhat earlier , in 823 , the Chronicle speaks of “ the men of Devon ” as Defnas.
This tribal name was transferred, as in several other English counties, In the territory inhabited by the tribe.
Exquisite Garden of Herbs quotes a 16th-century receipt
“ To enable one to see the fairies ,”
a charm I never saw written down, though one very similar was told me over thirty years ago by an old woman in the West Country.
As in Miss Rohde’s version,
Rosewater and Marigold water , herbs and flowers gathered to the East, played their part, but first in importance — or perhaps first in my memory — was, thyme and grass from a fairy ring.
I often wanted to test its magical properties , but never succeeded in waking at dawn.
According to my informer, dawn, or just before set of full moon, was the correct hour at which to make one’s first bow to the little unseen folk.
At that time of my life the inner wonder of her beliefs and friendship with the fairies— which none of her neighbours seemed to doubt— was just as it should be, and nothing much out of the ordinary.
Now, when I could better appreciate it and have no unsympathetic nursemaid to scoff at pleadings to be allowed a hedgehog in bed to keep me awake on important business, the old lady sleeps forever, and the wood where she said the fairies could be found was cut down in 1916.
To have missed collecting all the details for preparing such a truly content-giving charm still makes me “monstrous melancholy” ; old adjectives, “prodigious,” “vastly,” and their like, express better than modern words the seriousness of such a loss.
The loss of enjoyment and belief in ancient charms and customs, not to mention courtesies, has spread like a pest amongst country-folk since Trippers “boomswisshed” into their midst,
Trippers ready to believe that their name denotes: a rider in bangs, a litter distributor, one willing to murder flowers and behead wild rosebuds with paper streamers: not “one who walks nimbly, or dances with light feet.” Motor horns seem to be “The passing bell, also called the soul bell, ” sounding the knell of better days.
The above paragraph was gently censored by one with a knowledge of “ Gardens and their Godly treasure to be found therein” that ranks him kin to Thomas Hill, who wrote as finale to The Profitable Art of Gardening, “The favour of God be with thee always.”
At his suggestion I add a quotation from Grose: 4
“ The passing Bell was antiently rung for two purposes, one to bespeak the Prayers of all good Christians for a Soul just departing; the other to drive away evil Spirits who stood at the Bed’s foot, and about the House, ready to seize their prey, or at least to molest and terrify the Soul in its passage: but by the ringing of that Bell (for Durandus informs us Evil Spirits are much afraid of Bells) they were kept aloof and the Soul like a hunted Hare gained the start or what is by Sportsmen called Law.” Even if many of the old Contentments are gone beyond recall, we can, as he says, loudly “ring the funerall peale” over such fiendish customs as the games of “Mumble Sparrow” and “Cat in Bottle”— inflicting intense suffering on helpless animals.
The charm and sheer word magic of most of the old writers incline one to forget that the Country Contentments of our ancestors generally were balanced by discontentments.
The New Art and Mystery of Gossiping and early issues of The Tatler and Spectator hint that 17th- and 18th-century Housewives were faced with difficulties similar to the troubles of a Maisonette wife or Flat-wife of to-day. 5
Posted by mengele at 17:24
Rivers and navigable creeks, p. 36. Tamar, Lynher, p. 38. Tide, or Tidi, p. 40. Seaton, ib.
Loo, or Eaft-Loo, ibid. ProfpoCt of Loo Bridge," ib. Duloo, or Weft Loo river, p. 41. fawy, ib.
Fal, 42, and it’s harbour. Hel, or Heyl river in Kerricr, p. 43. Lo or Low river in Kerrier, p 44.
A1
Heyl in Penwith, ibid. Ganal creek, p. 45. River Alan, al Lamel, ibid. Wade navigable rivers in
may be made notbeneficial, p. 47. Subject: to obftrudtions, p. 49.
