Historic England's scheduling record (list entry 1009095) describes a wayside cross 20 metres south of a long-established track between Buckfast and Tavistock abbeys, on a south-facing slope overlooking Burrator Reservoir. What survives is the head of a Latin cross mounted on a modern, tapering, octagonal shaft 1.8 metres high, in the original socket stone, which is roughly rectangular, 1.52 metres by 1.22 metres, and partly underlies a broken-down post-medieval drystone wall. The head is thought to be of a 14th-century type, with its arms chamfered on top and bottom, and the part above the arms has been broken off and lost. The cross was restored in 1914. The wall and its tumble are left out of the scheduling, though the ground under them is included. It lies in the parish of Walkhampton, about 0.3 km south of Lower Leather Tor and 1.8 km north of Sheepstor.
Sources: Historic England list entry 1009095, which cites Hemery, Walking Dartmoor's Ancient Tracks (1986), page 154, Breton, 'Cross at Walkhampton' (Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, vol 14, 1927), page 74, the National Archaeological Record (SX56NE9) and the Devon County Sites and Monuments Register (SX56NE176, 1983).
Period: Medieval
Status: Scheduled monument (Historic England list entry 1009095)
Grid reference: SX 5620 6947 (approximate, from the listing's coordinates)
Dartefacts is a database of Dartmoor sites with far more close-up detail than we can show here, and it is the best place to go deeper. Dartefacts is free to use, and nobody has to pay to look things up. If you want more, a yearly subscription adds 10-figure grid references, map zoom down to 1:25,000 and lists to tick off the places you have visited, and it helps keep the site going. We would encourage you to subscribe.
“Two ranges of jagged tors swept across the skyline and rose, grey and shadowy, against the purple of the air.”
Also on Our DartmoorHingston Rocks — Hingston Rocks is a notable peak near Moretonhampstead, easily identifiable from the B3212 road. It stands at 325 meters above sea level, offering a commanding view.
Dartmoor quizPhotograph by Glavind Strachan Photography
Which Dartmoor place can you see behind Brat Tor and Widgery Cross?
Know another Dartmoor place, tor or landmark we should include? Suggest a listing, it is free.
Our Dartmoor doesn't track you and runs no adverts. We use one cookie to make the
site work, and some pages load videos, maps or optional social media panels from other sites, the panels only if you choose to show them.
Plate from Dartmoor Illustrated, page 98, 1900