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Forest of Dartmoor

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Not to be confused with Dartmoor Forest.
Nun's Cross, one of the boundary markers of the Forest

The Forest of Dartmoor was an ancient royal forest covering part of Dartmoor, Devon, England.

A royal forest was an area reserved by the king for hunting and William the Conqueror introduced the concept of forest law in England in the 11th century.[1] In 1239 King Henry III granted the Forest of Dartmoor (and the Manor of Lydford) to his brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall. From that date it technically became a chase, not a forest, though the name did not change.[2]

In 1240 the Sheriff of Devon and twelve knights of the county perambulated the Forest to record its exact bounds.[3] Ever since, this has been known as the "1240 Perambulation". At around the time of this Perambulation the first of the Ancient Tenements, Babeny and Pizwell, were founded.[4]

Richard's son, Edmund inherited the forest, but when he died in 1300 without issue, the forest reverted to The Crown. It was granted by King Edward III to Edward, the Black Prince in 1337, at the same time as he was created the first Duke of Cornwall.[5] Today, the forest still belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall.[1]

The "Perambulations"

Although the original document detailing the route of the 1240 Perambulation has been lost, a number of near-contemporary copies still exist, differing only in spelling.[5] A modern transcription of the places mentioned is as follows:[1][6]

  • Cosdon (a prominent hill on the northern edge of Dartmoor)
  • Hound Tor
  • Watern Tor
  • Hew Lake Foot
  • The Longstone on Shovel Down (a Bronze Age standing stone)
  • The Heath Stone
  • The marsh at the head of the Metheral Brook
  • King's Oven
  • The head of the Walla Brook
  • Along the Walla Brook to its confluence with the East Dart River
  • Along the River Dart (past Dartmeet) to the foot of the O Brook
  • Dry Lake (a tinner's gulley)
  • The Sandy Way
  • Ryder's Hill
  • The head of the Wella Brook
  • Down the Wella Brook to its confluence with the River Avon
  • Eastern Whittabarrow (a large cairn)
  • The confluence of Red Lake and the River Erme
  • The head of the River Erme
  • Eylesbarrow
  • Nun's Cross
  • South Hessary Tor
  • North Hessary Tor
  • Great Mis Tor
  • White Barrow
  • Limsboro Cairn
  • The confluence of the Rattle Brook and the River Tavy
  • Up the Rattle Brook to its head
  • Stenga Tor
  • High Willhays[7]
  • Halstock Chapel
  • Return to Cosdon

There was another perambulation of the forest bounds in 1608 which introduced a number of changes and added boundary points between the existing ones.[8] The exact boundaries continued to be unclear or disputed until the later 19th century.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sandles, Tim. "The Legendary Forest of Dartmoor". Legendary Dartmoor. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
  2. ^ Somers Cocks 1970, p.94
  3. ^ Somers Cocks 1970, p.96
  4. ^ Somers Cocks 1970, p.96–98
  5. ^ a b Brewer 2002, p.16
  6. ^ Brewer 2002, pp.20–41
  7. ^ Brewer 2002, p.39
  8. ^ Brewer 2002, p.18
  9. ^ Brewer 2002, map on p.21

Sources

  • Brewer, Dave (2002). Dartmoor Boundary Markers. Tiverton, Devon: Halsgrove. ISBN 1-84114-172-0.
  • Somers Cocks, John (1970). "Saxon and Early Medieval Times". In Crispin Gill (ed.). Dartmoor. A New Study. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5041-2.
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