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Summary

Wayside cross situated on the north western upper slopes of Ter Hill. The cross survives as a rectangular socket stone measuring 0.7m long by 0.6m wide and 0.3m high into which a replica stone cross has been inserted. The original cross was subject to repairs carried out in 1885 when broken pieces were clamped together. In 1984 the cross was found to have fallen and broken further. It was repaired and was subsequently removed as the repairs deteriorated. The cross was re-sited in the High Moorland Visitor Centre at Princetown in 1994. At this time a replica cross was inserted into the socket stone and a plaque added. Note the location of this cross (and MDV6365) may need checking.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002618: Stone cross on Ter Hill

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SW29
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443316
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/53
• Old SAM County Ref: 851
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX67SW29

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WAYSIDE CROSS (Constructed, Early Medieval to Late 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1994 AD (Between))

Full description

Crossing, W., 1887, Ancient Crosses of Dartmoor, 63-66, 113-4 (Monograph). SDV261792.

In 1885 the break was repaired with iron clamps, carried "a few score yards to the westward" and, as there was no socket stone, re-erected in the ground. Later, one arm was broken off by cattle.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Stone Cross' marked at SX 6422 7071.

Masson Phillips, E. N., 1937, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon: Part I, 310 (Article in Serial). SDV240502.

Type A. A cross of rough rectangular section, set up in a roughly square socket stone. The shaft has been broken across and the two parts re-united by an iron clamp.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX67SW29 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV261791.

(27/04/1950) SX 6412 7064 Stone cross, dimensions 1.2 metres high, arms 0.7 metres wide. The shaft and southern arm have been broken, and re-joined with iron clamps. The cross is set up in a large rectangular socket-stone 0.7 metres by 0.5 metres.
(15/08/1977) SX 6422 7071 A Medieval stone cross on Ter Hill set in a socket stone; the height of the cross being 1.2m and the socket stone 0.4m, a total height of 1.6m. The arms have a width of 0.7m. The shaft and one arm have been repaired with iron clamps. See photograph.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Department of Environment, 1970, Ter Hill Cross (Schedule Document). SDV326270.

Ter Hill, one of two crosses, on the moor about 6 kilometres south-east of Princetown and 2.5 kilometres east of Childe's Tomb. Scheduled Monument Consent granted for removal of cross and winter storage to prevent frost damage.

Robinson, R., 1982, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1982 (Un-published). SDV342809.

Visited 10/08/1982.

Robinson, R., 1982, Report of site visit (Report - Survey). SDV261793.

(10/08/1982) Cross found to be fallen and extensively damaged. Stump of cross remains set in square socket. Broken obliquely across the drilled holes made for the iron clamps in its earlier repair. Head of cross newly broken off by its fall on a line level with the arms, and earlier break in the shaft has parted in the fall.

Starkey, F. H., 1983, Dartmoor Crosses and Some Ancient Tracks, 34 (Monograph). SDV345128.

Additional bibliography.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1983, Letter regarding repair to Ter Hill cross (Correspondence). SDV261795.

The cross was repaired and re-erected by Dartmoor National Park in July 1983. The cross was removed from its socket to carry out repairs and re-erected on 21/07/1983. The monumental masons Triggs of Newton Abbot carried out the work, which included a stainless steel rod (in two pieces) being inserted through the shaft from just above the socket stone to a point just above the cross arms. Epoxy resin was used round the rod. Jointing was made with local silver sand (from Lee Moor) and crushed granite mixed with cement. Two 19th century iron clamps across the arms of the cross were retained.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

Visited 19/1/1983.

Robinson, R., 1986, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1986 (Un-published). SDV345664.

Visited 31/07/1986.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(13/06/1995) The cross was removed and re-erected in the High Moorland Visitor Centre at Princetown during 1994. A new one-piece granite cross of the same overall dimensions now occupies the site which is just north of the summit of Ter Hill.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015 onwards, 2015 onward Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV362959.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

'Cross' is depicted on Ter Hill.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, Accessed 11/07/2016 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

The wayside cross 1600m ENE of Childe’s Tomb marks the course of Abbot’s Way across Dartmoor, the original cross was replaced by a replica in 1994, it is still on public view at the visitor centre and the replica is located in the socket stone. Wayside crosses tend to survive differentially as a result of damage by religious iconoclasts during turbulent periods of religious change throughout the Reformation. As a result many bear scars of past damage and the broken state of the original cross attests to a turbulent history. It is known to have been re-erected in 1885 but was found fallen beside its socket stone in 1984 and removed in 1994.
This monument includes a wayside cross situated on the north western upper slopes of Ter Hill. The cross survives as a rectangular socket stone measuring 0.7m long by 0.6m wide and 0.3m high into which a replica stone cross has been inserted. The original cross was subject to repairs carried out in 1885 when broken pieces were clamped together. In 1984 the cross was found to have fallen and broken further. It was repaired and was subsequently removed as the repairs deteriorated. The cross was re-sited in the High Moorland Visitor Centre at Princetown in 1994. At this time a replica cross was inserted into the socket stone and a plaque added.
There are two further crosses nearby, one is scheduled separately but the other is not included because it has not been formally assessed.
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 12 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 13/06/2022 (Website). SDV364039.

SX 643707. Stone cross on Ter Hill, scheduled. (The grid reference quoted by DOE is incorrect, and should read SX 641706, see illustration card). (Scheduled Monument Notification, 1971/1978)
SX 64127064. Lydford; stone cross on Ter Hill, scheduled 851. (Devon Committee for Rescue Archaology: Sites and Monuments Register and Parish Check Lists, Vol 5, 1979, pg. 56).

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

South-western of the two crosses is shown at SX 64031 70619. This appears to match the location of possible feature visible on the 2015 aerial, although it lies approximately 100m west-south-west of the grid reference noted by the Royal Commission in 1995 (and the associated Scheduled Ancient Monument area). The accuracy of the earlier GPS used for survey may account for the discrepancy, as well as the fact that the early Ordnance Survey map shows both crosses lying to the east-north-east of their current location.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.