Crossing the Centuries: Dartmoor’s Medieval Crosses is the next illustrated talk at the Devon Rural Archive.

Walking or driving across Dartmoor you may have come across one of the many mysterious granite crosses that pepper the moorland. Some are many hundreds of years old, others more modern, yet all have an interesting history and served a purpose helping previous generations who lived and travelled across the moor.

In an illustrated talk ‘Crossing the Centuries: Dartmoor’s Medieval Crosses’ at the Devon Rural Archive on Thursday, June 1. Jane Marchand, former senior archaeologist for the Dartmoor National Park Authority will explain the stories behind some of these enigmatic monoliths, many of which served as waymarks for people using the moor.

“Merchants, sailors, farmers, tinners, quarry workers and peat cutters regularly crossed the moor in times past and would have followed paths and tracks marked out by granite crosses”, explained Abi Gray, resident archaeologist at the DRA.

“Some crosses would have indicated medieval monastic routes between the great abbeys situated around the moor at Tavistock, Buckland and Buckfast, and may have been put up by the monks who travelled regularly between these abbeys.”

Other crosses acted as boundary markers, memorials or preaching crosses, or were set up to mark important features such as wells, and for some there is no obvious explanation of their purpose or any indication of their age.

Jane Marchand spent 25 years working for the Dartmoor National Park Authority and her talk will reference the crosses with which she had a practical involvement, whether through their discovery, repair after deliberate damage, or attempted theft.

During her career she was responsible for managing Dartmoor’s 20,000 archaeological sites, including practical conservation work, field surveys, excavation and liaising with other Dartmoor organisations. The highlight of her career was the excavation of the Bronze Age cist - an ancient coffin or burial chamber made from stone or a hollowed tree - on Whitehorse Hill, from which extraordinary finds of international importance were made.

Jane’s talk will take place in the lecture theatre at the DRA, Shilstone near Modbury, PL21 0TW, at 7pm and refreshments will be available from 6.30pm. Booking is recommended, call Abi on 01548 830832 or email [email protected]. For further information visit the website: www.devonruralarchive.com.