A write-up of the new Becka Brook clapper was included in the notes for the February 2015 walk.  The recent addition of a plaque on the side of the bridge has now been added to the original notes.

2) Boundary Stone near Becka Brook Clapper Bridge (new) - (SX7477/7788)

In January 2019, a new boundary stone was installed on the eastern bank of the Becka Brook, quite close to the new clapper bridge which was itself put in place in November 2014.  The boundary stone is inscribed with an I (Ilsington Parish) on one face and M (Manaton Parish) on the opposite face.  The plaque records that the boundary stone was erected to commemorate 125 years of the Ilsington Parish Council and 70 years of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.  The plaque also acknowledges the fact that the stone was funded by the Moor Than Meets the Eye Parishscapes project.  (Source: Information taken from the plaque on the stone).

Information about the Widecombe Two Crosses Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

2) Hutholes Medieval Village (SX702/758)

The Hutholes Medieval Village probably dates back to the 8th Century, and had the original name of 'Depdona' or 'Deptone', but is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Dewdon'.  The original dwellings were constructed with turf walls and thatched rooves.  Later, in the middle of the 13th Century the turf walls were replaced with the more substantial stone walls.  The site consisted of six dwellings - a manor house, a longhouse, three single-roomed smaller houses and one barn.  Prior to the Norman Conquest, the land was held by Alric but by the time the Domesday Book was published it was in the hands of William de Falaise.  In conjunction with Dewdon, William also owned the extensive manor of Cockington, as well as several other estates throughout the County.  In total, the Domesday Book record shows that there were 18 villans (villagers), 6 bordars (smallholders) and 14 slaves registered to William's estate at Cockington/Dewdon.  It also shows that he had 13 plough lands, 5 lord’s plough teams and 7 men’s plough teams as well as 1 lord’s lands, 15 acres of meadow, 50 acres of pasture and 50 acres of woodland.  The livestock consisted of 8 cattle, 159 sheep, 42 goats and 1 cob horse.

Some time after the houses were rebuilt, the weather on Dartmoor gradually started to become colder and wetter and the workers gradually started moving off the moor to live in areas at a lower elevation and with a more temperate climate.  As each building was abandoned the structure was taken over to be used as a barn for storing and drying crops, a task which became ever more difficult as the years progressed.  Eventually, by the middle of the 14th century, the whole site had become abandoned due to the difficulties of growing, ripening and drying crops in worsening climatic conditions.  This is contemporaneous with other sites on the moor, including the Hound Tor Village. 

During the 1960's Mr Hermon French, the owner of the site at that time, realised that this was no ordinary field and that there was probably some archaeology attached to it.  Accordingly, he contacted Mrs E. M. Minter who was, at that time, engaged in excavating a similar site at Hound Tor Village.  Mrs Minter arranged to undertake the investigation into the site and during her excavations was able to confirm the presence of turf walls from holes left in the ground from the supporting wooden poles that would have been used.  It was from the presence of these holes that she was able to estimate that the village was first formed in the 8th century.  It is thought that after the site was abandoned the manor relocated about ½ mile to the south, where 'Dewdon' has now become known as 'Jordan'.  (Source: Dartmoor National Park sign board at the site).

3) Drywell's Cross (SX7010/7534)

Information about the Drywell's Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

4) Malim  Plaques - Rowden Tor (SX6992/7588)

Tucked away in a cleft in the rocks on the east side of Rowden Tor are two small brass plaques.  These were placed here as a memorial to Dr Jeffrey Malim and his wife Mary.  The first is inscribed 'Jeffrey Wentworth Malim 1877 - 1958' and the other as 'In memory of Mary Malim 1876 - 1953'.  Although he was not widely known as such, but Jeffrey was a Dartmoor Author with his flagship book being entitled 'The Romance of Dartmoor'.  The book must have been published at some point in 1935 as the Western Morning News ran a review of it on 15th July of that year.  In the book, he takes the reader to many, of what was considered at that time, remote places on the moor, such as the Cranmere and Duck's pools.  Such was his fascination for Duck's Pool that he, in conjunction with a couple of his comrades, arranged for the letterbox to be installed at the pool and which he dedicated to William Crossing.

Jeffrey Malim had adopted the name 'Moorover' for his travels on the moor and would set off for his explorations with three comrades, one of whom was known as 'Mooroaman', whose real name was Fredrick Symes.  Mooroaman was a notorious local who had moved into the vacant Huntingdon Warren Farmhouse after it had been abandoned and lived there as a recluse. (Source: Legendary Dartmoor Website).

Information about the Ouldsbroom Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

2) Money Pit (Cist/Cairn) - Yar Tor Down (SX6817/7386)

The Money Pit is a burial cist within an impressive circle of stones forming a cairn. At one point there may well have been a double stone circle around the cist but, if it ever existed, the outer ring has been completely robbed, probably by road-makers in earlier days.  Worth recorded the outer circle as having a diameter of 36 feet and the inner one of 11½ feet. Of the cist, one end-stone, one side-stone and the covering-stone are all that remains today.  A triple stone row, now barely visible, runs in a north-westerly direction from the cairn and this stone row may have once also run to the south-east of the cairn, but there is only one stone remaining in place to possibly support this theory.  The cist was investigated in the 1860's by a man named Edward Caunter, who was probably expecting to find a hoard of money or treasure within.  He was obviously disappointed with the result of his search but, as was normal in those times, no record was made of his actual finds from the cist.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', pages 528-529 & Jeremy Butler's 'Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume One', pages 126-127).

3) Cave-Penney Cross - Corndon Down (SX6832/7389)

Information about the Cave-Penney Memorial Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

4) Leusdon Churchyard Cross (SX7093/7319)

Information about the Leusdon Churchyard Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

5) Dr Blackall's Drive (SX694/731 to 707/716)

The original notes written up for Dr Blackall's Drive, in December 2015, have now been updated.

The Nine Maidens Stone Circle is the remains of a Bronze Age burial site.  The circle of stones surround a depression in the centre of the circle, which is all that now remains of what was once a burial cist.  The stone circle also goes by the name of the Seventeen Brothers, based on the number of stones in the circle, although no-one is quite sure whether there are sixteen or seventeen of the original stones remaining. 

Legend has it that there was once nine maidens out on the moor dancing on this spot on a Sunday, an activity which was forbidden at the time on the Sabbath.  On discovery, they were immediately turned to stone, along with the piper who stood nearby and provided the music for the maidens to dance by.  As a punishment, as if being turned to stone was not punishment enough, they were made to dance every day at noon for the rest of eternity.  This might have arisen by the sight of the stones on a hot and humid summer's day where the heat shimmering off the stones could give the impression of the stones moving around when viewed from a distance.  The name 'Nine Maidens' also applies to a number of other stone circles around the country, including another on Dartmoor which has the alternative name of 'The Dancers' and can be found on Stall Moor, near the River Erme (SX636/644).  It is also thought that Pupers Hill acquired its name in a similar fashion.

The locals are very apprehensive about undertaking any restoration work or other interference with the site, believing that anyone tampering with the stones will immediately attract a curse.  As an example, an episode in 1985 is quoted where a film crew was due to shoot a scene for a film at this spot.  Prior to filming, the company added a further stone to the circle to fill in one of the gaps.  On completion, the only copy of the film, 'The Circle of Doom', was put in the post and has, due to the curse, never been seen again.   

Another fact about the stone circle is that it has St Michael's ley-line running right through the centre of the circle.  This is one of the major ley-lines, which runs for 350 miles from Lands End to Hopton-on-Sea, in Norfolk, passing through Glastonbury Tor on its way.   The ley-line also lines up with the sunrise each 8th May, which is the date on which the Catholic Church celebrated the apparition of St Michael.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', pages 856-7, Wikipedia & Legendary Dartmoor websites).

Back in the second half of the 19th Century, clay was being extracted from the Shaugh Lake China Clay Works - what is now a vast area to the south-east of Cadover Bridge.  After extraction, the clay was suspended in water and piped for around two miles alongside, but above, the River Plym to Shaugh Bridge.  The dual pipeline was, in the main, itself made of clay with some stretches, mainly the steeper gradient sections, made from iron.  Along the way several inspection pits were built into the pipeline which could be used to help pinpoint and clear any blockages in the pipes.  At the rear of the Shaugh Bridge car park are the remains of the clay settling pits.  Here, the water would be gradually drained off and the clay would get thicker and thicker as it flowed down from pit to pit.  The final act was to spread the clay on the floor above the furnaces, where the heat would dry it out completely and it would then be cut into blocks for onward transmission.  The blocks of clay would be loaded onto a horse-drawn cart for transportation to a nearby railway station, which tended to be at either Shaugh or Bickleigh, for transport to its final destination.  

The clay works were run by the Watts, Blake and Bearne Company and there is a stone somewhere among the settling pits, inscribed 'WBBC 1895'.  Watts, Blake and Bearne are still involved in clay mining in the area although, in more recent years, they have been absorbed into the Sibelco company, a Belgian conglomerate.  Their activity is currently centred on the Shaugh Moor, Wotter and Lee Moor pits.  (Source: Various websites).

2) Shaugh Prior (modern) Cross - (SX5412/6314)

At the side of the road in Shaugh Prior stands a fairly recently sited cross which, at first glance looks really authentic, but further investigation reveals it to be a modern imposter.  It is, in actual fact, made of a synthetic material, probably fibreglass, and has been rendered on the outside.  A light tap on the cross with your knuckles shows the cross to be hollow in the centre.  The cross has the words 'SHAUGH PRIOR' written in large letters across its head.  Further details of this cross can be found on the Dartmoor Crosses website.    

3) Shaugh Prior Churchyard Crosses - (SX542/630)

The Shaugh Prior Churchyard contains parts of three separate crosses.  Above the churchyard road wall stands the village War Memorial Cross, with a further cross base laying flat amongst the gravestones nearer the actual church and the shaft of a third cross forms a coping stone to the wall running alongside the steps up to the eastern Churchyard Gate.  Details of the cross base and shaft can be found on the Dartmoor Crosses website.  The War Memorial Cross has not yet been posted up to the website, but this will happen in due course.

4) Shaugh Prior Village Cross - (SX5443/6308)

The Shaugh Prior Village Cross juts out from a garden wall, just up from the road junction in Brag Lane.  More information on this cross can be found on the Dartmoor Crosses website. 

5) Beatland Corner - (SX548/624)

Beatland Corner is actually a crossroads about half a mile to the south east of Shaugh Prior village and is normally known as 'Binlins Corner' to the locals.  It is at the intersection of the roads between Shaugh Prior to Wotter and Cadover Bridge to Plympton.  Standing right beside the junction is a large Dartmoor National Park boundary stone.   A few yards away from the boundary stone and quite well hidden by the gorse is the base of an ancient cross, which could once have supported the Shaden Moor Cross, now sited about ¾ of a mile to the north of the crossroads.  Further details of the socket stone and the Shaden Moor Cross can be found on the Dartmoor Crosses website.

6) Shaugh Moor Radar Station - (SX5502/6228)

About 250 yards to the south east of Beatland Corner are the remains of a World War II Radar Station, named RAF Hawks Tor.  The station was established by 18th April 1941 as one of a chain and numbered 'CH15M'.  The main purpose of this site, similar to all the others in the chain, was to detect approaching enemy aircraft.  The site was fairly extensive and included Mast Bases, Transmitter & Receiver Blocks, a Generator Base, Gun Emplacement, Air Raid Shelters, Guard Rooms and Administrative Buildings etc.  The whole site has now been demolished, but there is still plenty of rubble to be seen on the ground where the various buildings and blocks were previously sited.  More detailed information on RAF Hawks Tor can be found on the Dartmoor Explorations website.

7) Collard Tor Reservoir Pit - (SX5574/6213)

This rectangular pit is stoned-lined with a substantial earth bank all the way around the outside to provide extra support to the walls.  The pit is about 1.6 metres deep and there is evidence of some stumps of iron posts around the top which would have been used to fence off the reservoir.  The reservoir was fed by a leat coming in from the north-west and the likelihood was that the water was stored for use in the early days of the nearby china clay workings.  (Source: Dartmoor Explorations website). 

8) Hawks Tor Shelter - (SX5539/6250)

Hawks Tor, known locally as 'Oxter', has an interesting cave-like shelter on the south side of the tor.  The walls of the shelter appear to be perfectly natural, although the large slab that forms the roof is thought to have been placed there artificially.  It was, perhaps, created to form a shelter for a shepherd or similar type of local worker.  The roof slab has a vein of quartz running through it, similar to the vein running through two other main rocks of the tor.  The vein running through the roof slab does not line up with the others, indicating that the roof slab is not in its original position.  The roof slab also shows a row of shallow drillings which suggests that someone had other ideas for this slab at some point, but decided to abandon his project before completion.  There is also one large, but shallow, rock basin on the roof slab, together with eight smaller ones.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', page 212).

9) Hawks Tor Boundary Stone - (SX5537/6247)

The boundary stone we saw quite close to Hawks Tor, inscribed with an 'H', is one of four in the area thought to mark the boundary of Huxton Farm.  This stone is Number 3 in the series with the others being at SX5492/6212 (Number 1), SX5515/6226 (Number 2) and SX5573/6222 (Number 4).  It is thought that all four stones stand on or near the boundary line of the land bequested to Buckland Abbey by Amicia, Countess of Devon, on its foundation in 1278.  On the face of it, Huxton Farm looks to be on the outside of the angle formed by these four stones, but the probability is that the stones mark a small portion of the farm's land which just happens to have a corner of the adjoining land butting into it.  At one point this stone is described as being 'more or less' recumbent, but it is clear that it has been since been restored to its erect position.  (Source: Dave Brewer's - 'Dartmoor Boundary Markers', page 233 & Dartmoor Explorations website). 

The Powder Mills Factory was the brain-child of Plymouth Alderman, George Frean, in the mid-1800's.  George took his idea to London, where he was granted an interview with Prince Albert, who was very interested in his plans and encouraged George to go ahead with the venture.  Work was started on the site in 1844, for a total cost of £12,000, with the plant being driven entirely by large water-wheels.  This, of course, required a large volume of water on demand, for which he went out onto the moor and cut two leats, which converged into one at a reservoir which was sited at the higher, eastern, end of the mill works.  The only problem was that George had omitted to consult the Duchy of Cornwall for permission to cut the leats.  This required another visit to London by Frean to negotiate a lease for the leats running across Duchy Land.  Although not directly connected to either the East Dart River or the Cherry Brook, the leats did draw water from the ground which supplied these two water courses.  The reservoir fed all the water-wheels on site, with the water being channelled from wheel to wheel, which led to it coming out of the other end of the mill being quite dirty and polluted.  In order to cleanse the water, it was tail-raced for some way down the valley before being directed back into the Cherry Brook.  On Aldermen Frean's retirement, the factory was taken over by G. F. Williams and the records show that, in 1889, Williams was paying an annual rental of 5 shillings (25p) for the water supplied by the leats.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', pages 435-436).

Although we went fairly close to the Lord Mayor's Castle on this walk, we did not actually see it.  The Castle consists of a large mound, which sits on low ground, on the south bank of the River Tavy, just above its confluence with the Rattle Brook and adjacent to a fairly long island in the Tavy.  The mound is covered in grass, a lot of large rocks and bears two trees on its summit.  The local moormen were, historically, under the misapprehension that the mound was built as a kind of stronghold in order to defend the area from attack and hence they gave it the name of 'The Lord Mayor's Castle'.  However, the mound was, in fact, simply formed by local tinners' piling up spoil from their extensive workings in the area.  (Source: William Crossing - 'Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor', page 174).

2) Willsworthy Military Target Railway - (SX5377/8321)

The Willsworthy Military Firing Range complex was established in the early 1900's by the War Office.  One of the early constructions by the War Office was the Military Target Railway alongside the cornditch, just to the east of the then abandoned Reddaford farmhouse.  A walled pit was dug to house the winding gear that moved the target.  The rusting rails are still in place and are visible in the places where they have not yet become overgrown.  There was an observation post nearby from where, by a series of iron rods, the signal to 'FIRE' could be raised or lowered as required.  Eric Hemery, in 'High Dartmoor', reports the presence of a cable drum but this was fast decaying back in his time and has probably now disappeared altogether.  He doesn't, however, make any mention of the second target railway, 330 yards to the north-east, which we weren't able to look for due to the denseness of the gorse and other undergrowth in the area.  There is a second article on the two tramways, written as a result of our walk in the area in August 2023.  (Source: Eric Hemery - 'High Dartmoor', page 989).

3) Reddaford Farm - (SX5372/8335)

On the hillside, east above where the mine leat from Tavy Cleave crosses the Willsworthy Brook, a solitary stone remains upright on relatively level ground marking the site of one of Dartmoor’s lost settlements. This remnant is the south side of the hearth of Reddaford Farm, once part of Willsworthy Hamlets in Peter Tavy Parish - within the manor of Willsworthy (Wyvelesworthy). Willsworthy (Wihevrde) being mentioned in Domesday – 1086.  All around are evidence of enclosures and the foundations of buildings, six of which have been listed in surveys. Beech and Sycamore once concealed the dwelling and there is probable evidence of a windstrew nearby.

Purchased from the Calmady-Hamlyn estate by the War Office in 1905 to create a live firing rifle range at Willsworthy the farm was abandoned in 1907/8 after a family called Palmer were the last to occupy it, having been domiciled there since at least 1861. Family descendants still live in West Devon.  Within twelve years of being deserted the farm was a roofless shell, remaining so until the outbreak of WW2 and by the end of or shortly afterwards it had been completely razed. It is thought Howitzers were used to shell and more or less reduced it to its current condition, with much stone subsequently removed from the site.

There was mention of a dwelling here in 1334 and earlier documentation from 1242 uses the place name of Reddaford (Redeforde). Over the years the farm had been the abode of many families. Numerous spellings for it have been used, e.g. Redeford (1342), Redever (Revd Sabine Baring-Gould - 1896), Ruddyford (Eden Phillpotts - 1907) and Redford/Ruddiver (Crossing - 1909). It is thought the name translates to “reedy ford”.  (Source: Greeves, Hemery & Crossing).

4) Hamlyn's Newtake Boundary Stones - (SX5393/8297 & SX5226/8327)

During the second half of our walk, we came across two boundary stones, which were crudely cut and inscribed with the letter 'H'.  These were two of several boundary stones in the area which marked the boundary of Hamlyn's Newtake.  Although information about this newtake appears to be almost non-existent, it seems to refer to the Calmady-Hamlyn family, who were based at Willsworthy Manor and owned a big swathe of land in the area.  I have, however, found reference to a Sylvia Calmady-Hamlyn (c1882 to 1962) who was appointed as a travelling inspector by the Board of Agriculture.  Her role was to promote women's farm labour throughout Devon, during the period where there was a great shortage of the traditional male labour.

By 1915, during the First World War, it was estimated that Devon's farms had lost in excess of 15% of their male workforce.  Although she met a great deal of opposition from the male population, who argued that women were not strong enough and 'not up to the job', Sylvia became very successful in recruiting women to fill many of the job vacancies.  In this, she worked with the Women's Land Army and also sat on the Women's War Agriculture Committee.  In 1917, she established the first farm to be run and staffed purely by women, at Great Bidlake, Bridestowe.

When the war had ended and her Board of Agriculture work done, Sylvia returned to her beloved Dartmoor where she resumed her love of breeding Dartmoor Ponies. She later became one of the first female magistrates and was awarded an MBE for her service to agriculture during the war.  (Source: Exeter RAMM website).

Rock basins are a natural phenomenon in granite caused by the process of erosion and weathering over thousands of years.  Weak feldspar crystals can be split away from the rock, along their cleavages, by the action of frost.  These small fragments are then either blown away by the wind or washed away by rainwater, which leaves a small hollow in the surface of the rock.  Once a small hollow has formed, the action of rainwater collecting in the hollow and then continually freezing and thawing during the winter months breaks away more fragments making the hollow wider and deeper.  Some of the larger fragments can get blown around the hollow which also erodes the sides of the hollow over time.  Although most rock basins are round in shape, the action of the water tends to erode a channel at the weakest point of the rock, through which the water eventually drains away.  This gives the rock basins the distinctive shape which has led to them being referred to as 'frying pans'.  (Source: Various websites).

2) Roos Tor Boundary Stones - (SX5444/7670, SX5438/7673, SX5433/7675 & SX5429/7676)

The history of the Boundary Stones, inscribed with 'B', and the Stonemason's Markers around Roos Tor was covered in our Research Notes of August 2014.

3) Stephen's Grave - (SX5359/7813)

Notes on the story behind Stephen's Grave can be found in our Research Notes of October 2019.

The Wray Valley Trail is a newly-created (finished in 2019) foot/cycle path, based on the route of the Moretonhampstead & South Devon Railway, between Moretonhampstead and Bovey Tracey.  The start of the trail, in Moretonhampstead, is signposted in Pound Street and can be found at the bottom of the hill just beyond a small stream.  The fenced-in path cuts across five fields before crossing the A382 on a new bridge (Budleigh Bridge), dedicated to Arthur and Judith Harvey of Budleigh Farm in recognition of their part in encouraging and facilitating the construction of the trail.  Shortly after, the trail re-crosses the A382 on another new bridge, which was built in 2016, dedicated to professor Ian Mercer CBE, who was the inaugural Officer of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.  

The trail continues in a southerly direction until it reaches the road at Lustleigh, just down the hill from the old Railway Station, to the north of the village.  At the side of the path, just before reaching the road, is one of the old boundary stones relating to the railway.  The stone is engraved with 'M & S D R' (Moretonhampstead & South Devon Railway).  As an aside, there are two further 'S D R' boundary stones placed each side of the main entrance door to the DNP Authority's headquarters at Parke, Bovey Tracey.  On reaching the road, the official route of the trail advises turning left (south-east), taking a right at the next road junction and then going south along a quiet road and rejoining the trail just to the south of Drakeford Bridge.  However, personally I prefer to turn right (north-west) at the road and visit the village centre.

Lustleigh, in my opinion, is one of the most picturesque villages in Devon with its array of individually designed and well-maintained cottages grouped around the church in the village centre.  Many of the houses are thatched as is the local pub, The Cleave, and the village has a popular and oft-visited local shop.  The village green sports a handsome cross and the footpath which runs down from the green, beside the re-routed stream, goes under a bridge and past the cricket field, and leads to another group of picturesque houses at Wreyland. 

To get back on the trail from the village centre, go south from the church and turn left just after crossing over the stream.  Carry on along this road until you reach a T junction, with a red-roofed house in front of you. Turn left, cross over the stream, carry on up the hill, under the old railway bridge, turn right at the next T junction and the trail will be signposted on your right a little way along this road.  Alternatively, take the footpath from the village green, pass through Wreyland and turn right onto the road of the official route shortly after.

On rejoining the trail, it continues off-road all the way to the outskirts of Bovey Tracey, where it passes, very close to the River Bovey, under a bridge for the A382 and into Mill Marsh Park. The trail ends at the far end of the park which is right in the centre of Bovey Tracey.  (Source: Maurice).

2) Moretonhampstead & South Devon Railway - (SX868/715 to SX756/856)

The plans for the Moretonhampstead & South Devon Railway (M&SDR) were conceived in 1861 and, following an Act of Parliament giving approval for the line, construction began in 1863.  All the granite used for the construction of bridges along the line was cut from Lustleigh Cleave.  The 12 mile stretch of line went from Newton Abbot, with stations or halts at Teigngrace, Chudleigh Road (later renamed Heathfield), Brimley Halt, Bovey, Pullabrook Halt, Lustleigh and finishing at Moretonhamstead.  There was a junction at Chudleigh Road (Heathfield) to connect with the Exeter to Chudleigh line, which itself terminated at this station.  It is interesting to note that the intention was for the Chudleigh route to be used if the Dawlish route should become blocked by enemy action during World War II.  Pullabrook Halt was built to serve the nearby Hawkmoor Hospital.  In 1931, Lustleigh Station was used as a location for the filming of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Hound of the Baskervilles', although under an assumed name.

As the route of the railway passes through Sanduck Wood (SX772/837) there are signs of a siding being present, for which the reason is not immediately obvious.  It would seem that in the 1870s the Earl of Devon had persuaded the railway company to install a 120 foot long siding for transporting cut timber away from his woodland for commercial gain; this is obviously now long gone!  A bit further north, towards Moretonhampstead, from this former siding the railway follows the original course of the Wray Brook for the next quarter of a mile or so. This was done to prevent flooding during winter months with a deeper artificial channel being cut to divert the brook.

The line was built as broad gauge (7 feet ¼ inch), but in 1892, it was converted to the standard gauge (4 feet 8½ inches) with the work being completed for the whole stretch of line in only 32 hours, by the 60 men allocated to the task.  Once the build was completed, the line opened on 4th July 1866 and the railway saw a steady increase in use right up until the 1930's, by which time it had reached its peak and had started to decline.  The reduction in use of the line came to a head in 1959, when 28th February saw the last passenger service run on the line.  Although freight trains continued to run for a while, the line finally closed on 6th April 1964.  However, the line was not dismantled immediately and a final passenger train ran from Newton Abbot to Bovey Tracey and back as a one-off special occasion on 5th July 1970.  By September of that same year, the line between Heathfield and Moretonhampstead had been lifted completely.

The rest of the line, between Newton Abbot and Heathfield, continued for the occasional transport of oil and china clay for several years, but this ceased in 2009.  Just two years later, in 2011, it was announced that the line would be re-opened as far as Teigngrace for the transport of timber.  A new siding was opened at Teigngrace, just before the level crossing, so that the timber could be loaded onto the train for transport, via Newton Abbot, to its destination in North Wales.  The original course of the line between Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead now forms the basis for the route of the Wray Valley Trail.  (Source: various internet sites).

3) The Bishop's Stone - (SX7860/8153)

Information about the The Bishop's Stone can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

4) Lustleigh War Memorial Cross - (SX7852/8136)

Information about the Lustleigh War Memorial Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

5) Lustleigh Village Cross - (SX7851/8125)

Information about the Lustleigh Village Cross can be found on our Dartmoor Crosses website.

6) George Parker Bidder bust - (SX7537/8609)

George Parker Bidder (The Calculating Boy) was born in Lime Street, Moretonhampstead and has been honoured locally by way of a plaque on display in the centre of the town (SX7532/8606) and, more recently, by a newly erected bust (April 2021) which sits proudly at the junction of Lime Street and Fore Street, Moretonhampstead (SX7537/8609).

George was born on 13th June 1806, the third of three sons, to William Bidder, who was a local stonemason, and Elizabeth Parker.  Of his two brothers, William became a nonconformist minister and John followed in his father's footsteps as a stonemason.  George was never a very bright boy in general terms, but he had an amazing ability to perform very complex mathematic calculations in his head.  He would be able retain a series of large numbers in his head and work his calculations with them, just as though they were written down on a piece of paper in front of him.  This ability first came to light when he was laying in bed and heard other members of his family struggling to calculate the price they would get for a pig that was about to be sold.  While the family were arguing over the calculation, George, having overheard the argument, had quickly worked out the right answer and shouted it down the stairs in frustration.  His father was quite quick in cashing in on his son's extraordinary ability and took him around all the local shows and fairs to demonstrate his talent.  Later, they started to go further afield and visited such places as London, Oxford, Cambridge, Norwich and Birmingham.

To show just amazing his talent was, I show below a few of the questions that George had been asked, together with his answers which had all been worked out in his head:

a) If a coach-wheel is 5 feet 10 inches in circumference; how many times would it revolve in running eight hundred million miles? George was able to give the answer in only 50 seconds - 724,114,285,704 times and 20 inches remaining.

b) What is the interest of £4,444 for 4,444 days, at 4½ per cent. per annum?  The answer George gave was £2,434 16s. 5¼d, in only 2 minutes.

c) Multiply 72,468 by 87,468? - Answer, 6,338,631,024 in 90 seconds.

d) What is the square root of 119,550,669,121? George replied 345,761 in just 30 seconds.

At the age of 10, he was invited by Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, to visit her in order that she could put some mathematical problems to him so that she could see his special ability for herself.  Whilst on a visit to Edinburgh, in 1819, he came to the attention of a group of scholars, led by Sir Henry Jardine who offered to sponsor his education.  After spending a year with a private tutor, George studied mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University, graduating in 1823.  George later repaid Jardine and his group for their generosity, by establishing the Jardine Bursary at the university for students of limited means.  Whilst at Edinburgh University, he met and struck up a life-long friendship with fellow student, Robert Stephenson. 

After his graduation, George moved to London where he worked as a surveyor for the Ordnance Survey, before taking on various engineering projects, such as building new docks, railways and canals.  In 1834, he joined his friend Robert Stephenson to work on the new London & Birmingham Railway.  This partnership worked very well and George was renowned for being able to accurately estimate the cost and time it would take to deliver a project.  George could also foresee that the new Electric Telegraph was going to be a very important feature for the railways in the future and he persuaded the London & Blackwall Railway to install the system to optimise their operation.  This was so successful that other railways soon followed suit.

Stephenson and Bidder didn't just confine their projects to Britain and built a number of new railway lines in Norway, Denmark, India and Switzerland.  George had joined the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1825 and, in 1860-61, he succeeded Joseph Locke as the president.  Bidder was also a contemporary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and although both Bidder and Stephenson got on well with Brunel, they differed on the gauge they thought should be used on the railways.  Brunel favoured the broad gauge, whereas Stephenson and Bidder always worked to the standard gauge.  The other difference between them was that Brunel's projects more often than not overran on both the deadline and budget whereas, with Bidder's calculating genius, his projects were always accurately costed and delivered on time.  At the time of his death, in 1859, Brunel was working on the Clifton Suspension Bridge, in Bristol, but the project was faltering due to a lack of cash.  George Bidder then stepped in to raise the required cash and saw the project through to its conclusion.

In 1835, George married Georgina Harbey and, despite the fact that George was working away from home for long periods, they had 8 children and 28 grandchildren.  Eventually, in 1860, George bought a house with some land at Paradise Point in Dartmouth in advance of his retirement.  As he spent more time in Dartmouth and taking an interest in local affairs, he decided to run for a place on the local Council and, topping the poll, he served as a councillor for three years from 1868.   He also took up sailing buying his own impressive yacht, The Mayfly, and became a founder member of the Dart Yacht Club.  He was also instrumental in the club gaining a Royal Warrant.  In 1877 he bought Stoke House in Stoke Fleming which he planned to enlarge and update.  Unfortunately, he died on 20th September 1878, and was buried in the local churchyard, before the work on the house could be completed. (Source: George Bidder Information Board & Internet).