 Ancient cross close to Crazywell Pool on southern Dartmoor | |
| Location | Devon, England, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°34′N 4°0′W / 50.567°N 4.000°W |
The Dartmoor crosses are a series of stone crosses found in Dartmoor National Park in the centre of Devon, England. Many of them are old navigational aids, needed because of the remoteness of the moorland and its typically bad weather. Some mark medieval routes between abbeys.[1] Other crosses were erected as memorials, for prayer, as town or market crosses, in churchyards, and as boundary markers.[2] The crosses were erected over a long period of time, some as recently as 100 years ago, the earliest probably almost 1,000 years ago.
In 2005, the Dartmoor National Park Authority had an ongoing project to microchip the most vulnerable of its granite artifacts, including crosses, to deter theft and aid the recovery of any that might be stolen.[3]
- ^ "Miscellaneous (Crosses, Bounds, Bridges and Leats)". Dartmoor National Park Authority. 25 November 2005. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- ^ Harrison 2001, pp. 27–34
- ^ "Current Projects". Dartmoor National Park Authority. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2009.