Dartmoor Explorations

A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park

Military Camps at High Down – late 19th century / early 20th century

The moorland tract to the west of the village of Lydford, between the A386 and the River Lyd, known as High Down, is largely devoid of anything of interest, being covered almost entirely with low spreading gorse and criss-crossed with footpaths. Walkers in the area can park up at the end of a stony lane which runs west from the Dartmoor Inn next to the down. Walks can include crossing the down enroute the stepping stones and footbridge over the Lyd enroute to Brat Tor and beyond, or to visit the remains of Wheal Mary Emma mine or simply to enjoy the river around Black Rock near the Captain Hunter memorial. One suspects very few walkers explore the down itself.

Perhaps an unknown history to walkers is that High Down was once utilised by the military, where the initial camp took place in 1892. The camp is believed to have been a quite a big affair involving 2000 men, lasting a fortnight. Those in attendance were the Plymouth Infantry Volunteer Brigade plus others from various parts of Devon and Cornwall. The location was probably located as the area was relatively flat and was close to road and rail links. In 1893, High Down was used as a staging post for the artillery on its way from Plymouth to the range at Okehampton.

There is a lovely account of 1894 manoeuvres (from Bridestowe & Sourton extra newsletter edition 233) which records military volunteers marched from Roborough to High Down. They were woken by Reveille at 4 a.m., left Roborough Down at 6 o’clock and marched, the 15 miles to High Down, which they reached at one o’clock. Their fortnight camp included various training manoeuvres and in their off duty time they spent time rambling, swimming or visiting Lydford or Bridestowe.

There appears to have been an absence of the camp in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with High Down camp not returning until 1904. The travel arrangements now appeared to have been a much grander affair with special trains coming Exeter (to Bridestowe Station) and from Plymouth and Cornwall (to Lyford). The final march to the camp being obviously a lot shorter distance. via the Great Western Railway ended at Lydford. In both cases they had to complete the journey to camp on foot. The High Down camp was commanded by Lord Clifford and the Bridestowe and Sourton newsletter records …”he caused local controversy by paying the Parish Council £10 for allowing the camp to take place plus a smaller amount to repair damage to the lane”.

The last known camp at High Down appears to have been 1906, for which there is a photographic record by virtue of a postcard taken from the slopes of Brat Tor overlooking the down. Intrigued by the postcard, the author, in compiling this post attempted to locate where it was photographed from and to recreate some ‘then and now’ photographs

Bibiography

  1. Bridestowe & Sourton extra newsletter edition 233 (October 2021) – pages 3 and 4
  2. Wikipedia – Dartmoor Training Area
1. High Down from Brat Tor annotated
The 1906 camp at High Down was believed to have been the last one held there. Around the time of the camp in the early 1900s, 3,448 acres of Willsworthy Manor (Calmady Hamlyn family) and commoners’ right were purchased by the War Office. Following the purchase, in the 1920s this land was turned into rifle, grenade and field firing ranges and the core of a camp for the troops using these facilities.
2. High Down from Brat Tor
In search for the location where the 1906 postcard photograph was taken.
3. Photograph location found
The location of the 1906 postcard photograph found with thanks to Matthew, Clare and Bess. The key was finding the earth bound rock (slightly below and left of centre and the rounded rock in front of it)
4. Superimposed High Down Camp
The superimposed 1906 High Down camp onto a 21st Century photograph
5. Superimposed walkers with camp
Lining up the rocks from the slopes of Brat Tor with High Down behind provides interesting superimposed 20th Century images onto a 21st Century photograph.
6. High Down Camp
The original postcard suggests that the camp was the DEVONS – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th BATTS, BRIDESTOWE 1906. There is conflicting research, which the author has found: Firstly, in the Bridestowe and Sourton extra newsletter from 2021 it is stated that: “Royal 1st Devon Imperial Yeomanry, a part-time mounted unit, where you had to provide your own horse, was in camp on High Down. A comparatively small affair compared with the Infantry camps it was reported that the men lived in 4 rows of eighteen bell tents with their horses tethered nearby. The officers, of course, had their own separate area. After serving in the Boer War the Yeomanry was now more of a mounted infantry than a cavalry unit”. Of course, there may have been more than one camp in 1906 ? Secondly, the Royal 1st Devon Imperial Yeomanry comprised four squadrons (not five as suggested by the postcard) and were based at Thorverton, Ottery St. Mary, Totnes and Bodmin
7. Bench 1
Onto High Down – near the centre where the late 19th and early 20th century camps were held, a solitary bench is now located. The Tors in the distance include, Arms Tor, Brat Tor, Sharp Tor, Doe Tor, Hare Tor and Little Hare Tor
7. Bench 2
The plaque on the bench states: “RESTORED BY LYDFORD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION AND DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 1991). It is located at SX52916 85429
8. Whim a
To the south end of High Down a ‘holed rock’ can be found. The hole goes completely through the stone and is around 30cm in diameter. But why is it here?
8. Whim b
The function of the holed stone is unknown although options suggested have been a) a lost venville stone (ref: T. Soby – 2014), b) a whim stone, c) a stone used by miners, or d) a flagpole base. The stone can be found at SX52937 85300
8. Whim c
The location of the stone in relation to the main Engine Shaft (Tindall’s) of Wheal Mary Emma may offer a clue to this mystery stone. The distance between the capped shaft at the mine and the stone is around 113m. The author’s initial theory is that the stone was originally a whim stone used at the mine (to assist hauling ore and materials into / out of the shaft) and was then repurposed when the mine finally closed around 1888. However, the size of the hole suggests it was never a whim stone as it is roughly twice the size of the largest holed whim stone ever found (ref: Dr Tom Greeves). The author’s second theory is that the stone had been used by 19th century miners but for some other purpose and was moved (possibly with hole widened?) to be used by the military as a flagpole. The timeline of the mine closing and High Down camps taking place between 1892 and 1906 seems to fit with this theory.

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