A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park
March 21, 2025
Plymouth / Mortonhampstead (‘P/M’) Inscribed Pillar (former Guide Stone) and possible inscribed Chi Rho or Staurogram at Lettaford
The stretch of Turnpike Road constructed in 1772 from Yelverton to Princetown and from Princetown to Moretonhampstead was known as the ‘Trans Dartmoor Route’ and was built and maintained jointly by the Tavistock and Moretonhampstead Trusts. Its boundary of the Trust was believed to have been close to the ‘Warren House Inn’. In the Dave Brewer (author of Dartmoor Boundary Markers) archives he records that there were a number of guide posts pre turnpike (therefore at least pre 1772) which had a ‘P’ (Plymouth) on one side and an ‘M’ (Moretonhampstead) on the other – being similar to the ‘T’ and ‘A’ for the Tavistock – Ashburton packhorse track further south. He records that there were 15 of these guide posts originally placed along a route between Plymouth and Moretonhampstead.
There are two on these ‘P/M’ guide posts still known to be in existence; One at Nine Mile Hill, next to the road west of Postbridge and one (unusually) in the hamlet of Lettaford where it has been repurposed as a jamb or prop in an entrance to one of the outbuildings (Linhay) of Sanders Farm in Lettaford. The author is grateful to Tim Jenkinson, for sharing his photograph of the Lettaford guide post to enable his own search for it. As part of some research, the author also discovered some correspondence attributed to Dave Brewer where he recorded that “In 1994, members of the Devon Archaeological Society Buildings section believed they observed a chi-rho inscribed on a corner stone of the barn at Sanders”.
Armed with this information, the author made a visit to Lettaford, via the Mariners’ Way (a journey he had taken many times before) to find the ‘P/M’ inscribed guide post and the possible chi-rho. On arrival at Lettaford, the author got into conversation with a resident of the hamlet who, although wasn’t aware of the aforementioned artefacts was very interested in assisting to locate them. Grateful thanks to that gentleman!
This annotated map of Lettaford (historically known as Liddaford) shows the locations of the three longhouses (Sanders, Southmeads and Higher Lettaford) plus the locations of the ‘P/M’ inscribed guide post or pillar. The author believes he may have found the chi-rho mentioned by Dave Brewer from 1994, however, to his untrained eye it looked more like a Staurogram (or tau-rho), which was a similar. Lettaford means ‘the clear ford’ and lies in a sheltered hollow near a stream crossing and the intersection of ancient trackways.The Sanders Longhouse, now owned by the Landmark Trust and used as a holiday let. The Landmark Trust summarise the history thus : “When it was built in about 1500, Sanders contained, firstly, a hall open to the roof. At the lower end of the hall, beyond a timber screen, was a cross-passage with a door at either end; and beyond that again a shippon, or cow-byre, partly floored in to provide a hay loft. At roof level, the building formed a single space from one gable to the other”. Behind (to the north) of Sanders Longhouse the ‘P/M’ inscribed guide post / pillar can be located. It has been used as a jamb or prop on the Linhay building. It is just about possible to view it from the top of the steps without entering onto private land. The ‘M’ (Moretonhampstead) is still clearly visible on the outsideThe Linhay has been partly converted to a Cattle Shed and is thought to probably be late 18th / early 19th century (Ref: English Heritage – 2012)Close up of the ‘M’ inscription. The irony is that the ‘M’ actually still faces in the direction of Mortonhampstead in the east some 3 miles away – was this by design ?Close up of the inscribed ‘P’ (Plymouth) inside the Linhay / Cattle ShedMangers inside the Cattle ShedSanders Barn which is thought to be of 16th century origin but probably rebuilt in 18th century. Dave Brewer and a M. Lawrence in 1994, recorded a “Possible chi-rho symbol inscribed on barn behind Sanders”. The record states it was a corner stone. There is a very faint inscription here which could be the previously recorded chi-rho symbol but quite possibly have been a Staurogram (or tau-rho)Both the Chi-Rho and Staurogram are similar. The Chi-Rho (☧) , is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters— chi and rho (ΧΡ). It was was used by the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great and in pre-Christian times, was used to mark a particularly valuable or relevant passage in the margin of a page. The Staurogram (⳨), is a monogrammatic cross (or tau-rho), composed of a superposition of the Greek letter tau (Τ) and rho (Ρ). The tau-rho may date from the 4th century, being used as alongside the chi-rho and other variants, spreading to Western Europe in the 5th and 6th centuries (Ref: Wikipedia)The faint inscription on Sanders Barn. There is a definite ‘P’ suggesting either a chi-rho or a Staurogram. However, below the ‘loop’ of the ‘P’ is a definite horizontal chiselled mark, which perhaps suggests this is a Staurogram (tau-rho) and not a chi-rho. This is open to interpretation of course and the author is not an expert on this subjectThe possible shape of the Staurogram certainly gives the impression of the tau-rho letters. The chi-rho has an ‘X’ shape below the ‘P’. If anyone reading this post can offer any other opinions, the author would be most grateful to hear from them
