Windy Post

Historic England's scheduling record (list entry 1008927) describes a well-preserved granite cross known as Windy Post or Beckamoor Cross. It stands conspicuously on a col that is the lowest crossing point of the moor between the watersheds of the Rivers Walkham and Tavy, on the line of a medieval route leading east from Tavistock across Dartmoor, beside two branches of the Grimstone and Sortridge leat, which still flows. It lies in the parish of Whitchurch, about a few hundred metres north of Feather Tor and 1.6 km south-west of Merrivale.

The cross is cut from a single piece of moderately coarse granite and is 2 metres long. It leans a good deal to the west but seems firmly set, and the corner of what is probably a socket stone shows. The arms run east to west. Shaft, arms and head have well-chamfered edges, so the cross is octagonal in section, though without the chamfers the shaft is nearly square, about 0.3 metres by 0.29 metres. The head is rounded and rises 0.28 metres above the arms, which stick out 0.18 metres beyond the shaft and are 0.29 metres deep. An Ordnance Survey bench mark is cut on the south side of the shaft, 0.49 metres above the turf. The south side of the east arm has lost about 0.15 metres of its chamfer, probably from an old break.

The visible part of the probable socket stone is 0.8 by 0.45 metres and 0.15 metres thick, and it seems to be held up by another stone angled under its west-south-west side. Another partly buried stone lies about 0.75 metres to the south. These stones are thought to belong to a platform on which the cross stands.

Sources: Historic England list entry 1008927, which cites Crossing, The Ancient Crosses of Dartmoor (1887), pages 37 to 39, Crossing, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Dartmoor (1902), pages 79 to 80, and Masson Phillips, 'The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon, Part 1' (Devonshire Association Transactions, vol 69, 1936 to 1937), page 316.

• Period: Medieval
• Status: Scheduled monument (Historic England list entry 1008927)
• Grid reference: SX 5343 7428 (approximate, from the listing's coordinates)