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Summary

A 'Take Off' stone near Beardon Farm which signalled the point at which extra horses attached to carriages to help climb the hill had to be removed.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STONE (XVIII to XXI - 1751 AD to 2009 AD)

Full description

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

'Stone' marked on 19th century map on the west side of the road to the north of Beardon.

Masson Phillips, E. N., 1943, Notes on Some Old Roadside Stones in South West Devon, 150 (Article in Serial). SDV148816.

Stone 21 at Beardon. D3. Okehampton to Tavistock road. A few metres south of No 20 (see PRN 3247) bears an incised inscription: 'Take Off'. Crossing in 'One Hundred Years on Dartmoor says: "in the days of toll-gates an extra horse was permitted to assist in pulling a heavy load, free of toll, over this road, from the neighbourhood of Okehampton, on the understanding that the animal was to go no further than this stone; that it was here to be 'taken off'". A similar, but larger stone near Cadson on the Callington-Liskeard road.

Jenkinson, T., 2005 - 2008, A386 Tavistock to Okehampton (Report - Survey). SDV323813.

(15/08/2003) A 'Take Off' stone situated on grass verge on west side of A386 near Higher Beardon Farm. The stone, inscribed 'Take Off' marked the point at which extra horses attached to carriages to help them up the hill had to be removed. Repaired in 1999.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5437 - Milestone Survey from Tavistock to Okehampton

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