The Dart isn’t the only Devon river to begin life on Dartmoor and that’s because the high rainfall leaves behind a boggy morass on the high plateau. Depending on who’s counting them, figures vary as to how many rivers there are, but about a dozen or so begin their journey seeping out of the peat bogs, with the majority travelling south and ending up in the English Channel.
Originally posted 2023-09-01 11:31:30.
The river in actual fact has two tributaries – the West and East Dart, which merge together at Dartmeet. The source of the West Dart is just over a mile north of Rough Tor (50.612628, -3.967122), from where it travels down through the valley towards Wistman’s Wood. After it flows under the B3212 at Two Bridges, it then meanders towards Huccaby Bridge at Hexworthy before arriving at Dartmeet.
Originally posted 2022-11-20 16:47:13.
Less than a mile away from the tor is Kitty Jay’s Grave which has a tale of its own, and although it has been embellished by some over the years, this is not a fictional story, but one that still evokes the spirit of Dartmoor in a way that is every bit as mysterious as Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous book.
Originally posted 2021-04-25 10:05:39.
The word has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times, and although they aren’t confined to Dartmoor, there are some 890 of them here according to a website called Tors of Dartmoor. The website is a ‘Bible’ for aficionados of these granite rocks, but even they would probably have to admit that it’s not easy to decide what constitutes a Tor and what doesn’t. Some are unmistakeable, but others are not, and just to confuse the issue, not every one of them is called a Tor, such as Blackingstone Rock pictured below. There are plenty of people who like to ‘bag’ as many tors as possible, but if you’re not one of them, I’m going to mention just a few that are worth seeking out should you ever find yourself in ‘Hairy Hands’ country.
Originally posted 2022-08-03 16:11:48.
I’m going to ease you in gently with a convivial pub in the south-west corner of the moor at the Royal Oak, Meavy, which lies about 10 miles north-east of Plymouth close to Burrator Reservoir.
Originally posted 2023-06-11 08:10:45.
England’s exploration had, for many years, led to colonisation of other parts of the world, and these colonies became a convenient dumping ground for criminals. Felons who committed crimes that were deemed to be serious, but not serious enough for capital punishment, were transported on ships to places like America and Australia where they would be used as a source of labour.
The American War of Independence started to put a stop to the practice of Transportation, and by the mid-19th century it was falling out of favour with other colonies – and even Britain too, which meant that penal establishments closer to home had to be found. Dartmoor might not have been as far away as New South Wales, but it was still well out of sight for most people, and in 1850 Dartmoor Prison was once again back open for business.
Originally posted 2023-05-12 14:27:43.
At the end of the post I also mentioned that Tyrwhitt was given an economic boost when an unexpected opportunity arose which he couldn’t have foreseen, and you wouldn’t have to be Albert Einstein to guess what that opportunity was, but what might not be quite so obvious is why a prison was needed here in the first place, especially as it wasn’t even going to be built for English miscreants – but for French prisoners of war.
In 1803 the war with Napoleonic France resumed after a brief respite, and although Napoleon’s army were a force to be reckoned with on land, his fleet was no match for the British Navy at sea, and ever since the war began, the Royal Navy had captured many ships and their crews, so much so, that the old war prisons had become full to the point of bursting.
The sticking plaster solution was to bring back some of the old derelict hulks that had been left rotting in creeks around the coast – and Plymouth Dock (now Devonport Dockyard) had plenty of them. Needless to say, even in those days, it was hardly the ideal solution, not just from a security point of view, but also from a humane one. Conditions on board were appalling, with meagre rations, unhygienic sanitary conditions and hardly enough space for a family of mice: something had to be done about it, and a shore-based ‘Depot’ was the answer.
Originally posted 2023-01-21 14:42:26.
Dartmoor can also be a desolate and unforgiving place too. When south-westerly winds bring stormy weather across the Atlantic, the moisture-laden clouds unleash their contents onto the wilderness below turning everything into a quagmire – and that’s not all. The renowned Dartmoor fog can descend in minutes, and when you take into account that this is ‘hairy hands’ country with tales about wild dogs and ghostly paranormal activity, the moor becomes an altogether different place, and can seem more like hell on earth than paradise. It’s understandable therefore that this inhospitable place was deemed a good location to build a prison – and there’s nowhere more inhospitable than Princetown.
Originally posted 2023-01-08 11:27:03.