A Book of Dartmoor: Second EditionBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
A Book of Dartmoor: Second Edition
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Dartmoor (England)
About half a mile to the north-west is the Langstone, which gives its
name to this down; it is of a basaltic rock, and not, as is usual, of
granite. Fice's Well, which I remember in the midst of moor, is now
included within the newtake of the prisons, and a wall has been erected
to protect it. This deprives it of much of its charm. It was erected by
John Fitz in 1568. Cut on the granite coverer are the initials of John
Fitz and the date.
The tradition is that John Fitz of Fitzford and his lady were once
pixy-led whilst on Dartmoor. After long wandering in vain effort to
find their way, they dismounted to rest their horses by a pure spring
that bubbled up on a heathery hillside. There they quenched their
thirst; but the water did more than that--it opened their eyes, and
dispelled the pixy glamour that had been cast over them, so that at
once they were able to take a right direction so as to reach Tavistock
before dark night fell. In gratitude for this, John Fitz adorned the
spring with a granite structure, on which were cut in low-relief his
initials and the date of his adventure.
There are some old crosses that may be seen by such as are interested
in these venerable relics. The Windy-post stands between Barn Hill
and Feather Tor, and there are also two on Whitchurch Down. One of
these, the more modern, of the fifteenth century, has lost its shaft,
and is reduced to a head; but the other cross may, perhaps, date
from the seventh century--it may even be earlier. Whitchurch was an
archpriesthood; there were two of these in Devon and one in Cornwall.
The origin of these archpriesthoods is probably this.
In Celtic countries the king liked to have his household priest, who
ministered to the retinue and to his family. On the other hand, the
tribe had its own saint, who was the ecclesiastical official for the
tribe and educated the young.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account