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Summary

This guide stone marks the old pack-horse route across the moor from Tavistock to Ashburton. See also MDV54463.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 440071
• National Monuments Record: SX57SE17
• National Monuments Record: SX57SE25
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440097
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/74

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROUTE MARKER NON SPECIFIC (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV275881.

This guide stone marks an old route over the moor from tavistock to ashburton. It is inscribed with a letter t. On one face and with a letter a. On the opposite face. It was erected to mark the route in 1699.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV275889.

Worth, r. H. /tda/62(1930)32-33/proceedings at the annual meeting.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV275890.

Prowse, d. C. + worth, r. H. /tda/66(1934)319,320/on some guide stones standing on the course of the old track from tavistock to ashburton.
Five guide stones to the east of yellowmead farm can be identified, with a sixth which has fallen and is in doubt until it can be excavated. Of the five positively identified, the easternmost is the only one standing - about 1.7m above ground and 280mm by 380mm (prowse + worth).

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map, (1906)106 NE (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57SE17, plan (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV275891.

(23/08/1950) Still in situ. The directing stones were placed at intervals of about 200m and extend from near the eastern end of the stone rows on Longash Common eastward into the valley of the Meavy. The stones date from the end of the 17th century and replaced earlier stone crosses (Worth).
(23/08/1950) Twelve stones visible.
A: SX 55667473, B: SX 55777467, C: SX 55947460, D: (fallen) SX 56307450, E: SX 56397441, F: not visible, G: SX 56657403, H: SX 56657403, I: SX 56877390, J: SX 57097385, K: SX 57247379, L: SX 57427365. (I, J, K and L are all fallen).

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor (Monograph). SDV337618.

Donne's map of 1765 shows a track delineated by guide stones which starts east of Merrivale Bridge, passes to the north of South Hessary Tor, to the north of Fox Tor Mire, and by way of Hexworthy and Cumsdon Rock, goes to Holne and Ashburton. The marking may have been done in 1699-1700 when the Plymouth Corporation paid 3 pounds sterling towards defraying expenses of erecting moorstones along the Plymouth to Exeter route. Six stones were known to exist in 1911 in the Merrivale-Yellowmead area since when a further 7 stones have been found. One, 200yds east of the last shown, is in doubt and requires excavation. In the eastern part of the route two stones are in use as gateposts at Swincombe and one was taken to Lowery during the Napoleonic wars.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE25 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV275888.

(12/02/1980) This route is rarely visible as short lengths of parallel hollow ways; for most part the pony track is undefined. Details of the stones are as follows:-
A: SX 55357505; C: SX 55787469; and D: SX 55927465; all free standing. E: SX 56307450; fallen. F: sx56397440; free sanding. G: sx56527425; now missing but was probably at one time re-used as a gatepost as in 'H' at SX 56657403. J: SX 56787392; free standing. K: SX 56967390; uprooted. L: SX 57097388 approximately. Not found but unlikely to have been destroyed; probably overgrown. M: SX 57237378; uprooted. N: SX 54427364 approximately. Not found. P: SX 54607351; free standing. No time was spent searching for Worth's doubtful stone to the east of this last.
In addition to the 13 stones recorded by Worth a further stone has been found by T. Greeves near Merrivale Bridge. Of those located during investigation, all but one are wedge split tapering granite posts, varying from 1.5m to 1.7m high and approximately 0.2m by 0.3m in section. Only 'D' is an uncut moorland slab. Those stones which are uprooted are undamaged, 2.2m long and lie with their former buried ends against the packing stones.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 04/10/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

[NRHE: 440097, NMR: SX57SE25] (SX 57617352) A guide stone now included with SX 57 SE 17.
(citing Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, R1 NC 29.11.92)

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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