Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

DARTMOOR

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V07, Page 838 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

DARTMOOR , a high See also:

plateau in the See also:south-See also:west of See also:Devonshire, See also:England. Its length is about 23 M. from N. to S. and its extreme breadth 20 m., the mean See also:altitude being about 15oo ft. The See also:area exceeding l000 ft. in See also:elevation is about 200 sq. m. It is the highest and easternmost in a broken See also:chain of granitic elevations which extends through See also:Cornwall to the Scilly Isles. The higher parts are open, See also:bleak and See also:wild, strongly contrasting with the more See also:gentle scenery of the well-wooded lowlands surrounding it. Sloping heights rise from the See also:main tableland in all directions, crested with broken masses of See also:granite, locally named tors, and often singularly fantastic in outline. The highest of these are Yes Tor and High Willhays in the See also:north-west, reaching altitudes of 2028 and 2039 ft. Large parts of the See also:moor, especially in the centre, are covered with morasses ; and See also:head-See also:waters of all the See also:principal streams of Devonshire (q.v.) are found here. Two main roads See also:cross the moor, one between See also:Exeter and See also:Plymouth, and the other between See also:Ashburton and See also:Tavistock, intersecting at Two See also:Bridges. Both avoid the higher See also:part of the moor, which, for the See also:rest, is traversed only in part by a few rough tracks. The central part of Dartmoor was a royal See also:forest from a date unknown, but apparently anterior to the See also:Conquest. Its See also:woods were formerly more extensive than now, but a few small tracts in which See also:dwarf oaks are characteristic remain in the See also:lower parts.

Previous to 1337, the forest had been granted to See also:

Richard, See also:earl of Cornwall, by See also:Henry III., and from that See also:time onward it has belonged to the duchy of Cornwall. The districts immediately surrounding the moor are called the Venville or Fenfield districts. The origin of this name is not clear. The holders of See also:land by Venville See also:tenure under the duchy have rights of pasture, fishing, &c. in the forest, and their main See also:duty is to " drive " the moor at certain times in See also:order to ascertain what head of See also:cattle are pastured thereon, and to prevent trespassing. The antiquarian remains of Dart-moor are considered among those of Devonshire. Dartmoor convict See also:prison, near Princetown, was adapted to its See also:present purpose in 185o ; but the See also:original buildings were erected in 18o9 for the See also:accommodation of See also:French prisoners. A See also:tract of moorland adjacent to the prison has been brought under cultivation by the inmates. See S. Rowe, Perambulation of the . . . forest of Dartmoor (Plymouth, 1848) ; J. L. W.

See also:

Page, Exploration of Dartmoor (See also:London, 1889) ; S. See also:Baring-See also:Gould, See also:Book of Dartmoor (London, 1900).

End of Article: DARTMOOR

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
DARTFORD 		[next]
DARTMOUTH

Site © 2006 - Net Industries