A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park
February 13, 2025
Saddle Tor 19th Century Volunteer Military Encampment
On the north eastern slopes of Saddle Tor, there is a record of a ‘volunteer’ military encampment from the late 19th century (believed to have been in 1880s) as recorded in a photograph in Crossing’s One Hundred Years on Dartmoor (plate next to page 145). The camp in the photograph appeared to be quite extensive with nearly 100 tents and marquees being present. The site where one of one of the marquees used by the military for the encampment under the north outcrop of Saddle Tor is still extant around 145 years later.
Armed with the photograph from the Crossing publication and the knowledge of the fact there was still evidence of the encampment which can be found today, the author conducted an exploration of the area. The aim was to record any evidence of the camp’s existence and to attempt to find the location where the 19th century photograph had been taken
Bibliography
Dr. P. Newman (1999, 2002) – Haytor Down, Ilsington, Devon (Revised) (Report – Survey)
Crossing’s Hundred Years on Dartmoor – (1967) – edited by Brian Le Messurier
Dr T. Greeves – Dartmoor Magazine 137 (Winter 2019) – Dartmoor’s Sacred Pools (Pages 24-26)
Annotated 19th century map, showing the locations of probable aretfacts associated with the military encampment from the 1880s plus a benchmark to the south and a large abandoned millstone to the westThis photograph was the inspiration for this post and is of a volunteer camp from late 19th century at Saddle Tor. A part of the inspiration was to find the location where the photograph was taken from and to find the ‘flat platform’ referred to in the text.Approaching Saddle Tor from the car park to the east. The military encampment would have been around this area and to the right (north) of the wide pathFrom the eastern slopes of Saddle Tor. The military encampment would have been in the foreground spreading down to the two ponds / pools shown in mid-photograph aboveView looking south west from the slopes of Emsworthy Rocks, close to an outcrop called Fitches’ Holt. The location of the military camp is annotatedIn search of the location where the 1880s picture of the volunteer military camp was taken. A key to establishing the location was to find where the line of the slope leading down from Rippon Tor on the far horizon meets the southern outcrop of Saddle Tor on the near horizonGetting close to the original location. A key problem is that the surface granite shown in the original picture appears to have been either removed or overgrown. The quarries hereabouts were closed by the 1860s but it is possible loose granite may have still been removed beyond that dateCould this be the location ? There are a few scattered rocks in the foreground the alignment of the near and far horizons looks about right.Combining the 19th century photograph of the military encampment with a modern (February 2025) photographEric Hemery in High Dartmoor (p735) gives an account of a particular outcrop in the impressive ‘Emsworthy Rocks’ group of outcrops. He describes a particular outcrop as a “smaller detached pile below the main summit is locally known as Fitches’ Holt an interesting pointer to the former breeding holt of the polecat”. The outcrop shown in the picture is accepted as being Fitches’ Holt – the reason for the inclusion of this outcrop in this post is because the original 1880s picture of the Saddle Tor encampment was taken very close by to the south and thus allowing anyone reading this post to pinpoint the locationAfter Hemery’s mention of Fitches’ Holt, Mike Brown (1995) offered a grid reference, followed by Tim Jenkinson (2011) who provided a more precise grid reference and finally mentioned by Ken Ringwood (2013) in his book Dartmoor Tors and Rocks (ref 100 on page 69)Moving across to the east side of Saddle Tor in search of the ‘flat platform’ mentioned in the text of the 19th century photograph. The platform is easy to located and still very pronounced.Dr Phil Newman in his report on Haytor Down describes this flat platform as “a rectangular earthwork stance sited at the base of the N outcrop of Saddle Tor measuring 22m by 10m”. Newman also states : “This is almost certainly the site of a marquee used by the military in the 1880s when troop training took place in this area and visible on a photograph of the period”. Of course, he is referring to the photograph from Crossings One Hundred Years on Dartmoor. Additionally, Newman continues: “It is also likely to be the venue where the Ashburton handbell ringers entertained the troops in 1884 according to William Crossing”.The south west corner of the flat platform has been ‘cut’ into the slope and is very pronounced. The cut is around 1m highThe author measured the Flat Platform (1) at 21m by 8m. Its centre is located at SX75130 76440At the north west end of the flat platform (1), where the measuring tape is in the photograph, there appears to be a second flattish platform (2) continuing north westLooking back from the north west end of the second flat platform. Flat platform (2) is slightly narrower the main platformAt the north west end of Flat Platform (2), there are two bolts (one bent over) with nuts attached to them. They look like they were used to tie down something, probably a tent or marquee. The straight bolt is 6″ x 3/4″ set in a 4′ x 1′ x 6″ earthbound rock (located at SX75113 76451). The bent over bolt is located in a 1′ x 1′ square rock (located at SX75111 76447). The width of the flat platform appears to extend beyond the location of bent over bolt.Flat Platform (2) measures 11.4m by 5m. Its centre is located at SX75114 76448Above Flat Platform (1) is a third flattish area. This area appear cut into the slope on its long western edge and built up on its long eastern edge. Unlike the other two platforms, which looked like they once have a marquee or tent on them, this use of the third platform is unclearFlat Platform (3) measures 10m by 2.3m. Its centre is located at SX75138 76404Near the summit of the southern outcrop of Saddle Tor, three iron rings can be found, each of which has been secured into the granite. The first ring is shown at the bottom of the above photograph. A great vista across to Rippon Tor can be had from this positionClose up of the first iron ring. This and the other rings are too high up the tor to be considered to be for tethering animals. The ring is located at SX75149 76350The second iron ring can be seen on the granite slab in the foreground of this photographClose up of the second iron ring at SX75162 76341. Given the relative locations of rings 1 and 2, it would seem that they might have been part of tethering of a temporary flagpole (or radio mast), with there being four anchor points. If these features relate to the 19th century encampment, then these were most likely for tethering a flagpole.The third iron ring can be seen on the granite slab in the foreground of this photograph (next to the heather)Close up of the third iron ring, which is located at SX75151 76336Iron ring 3, in relation to the rounded summit of the southern outcrop of Saddle Tor. On the other side of this peak there would have been most likely a fourth anchor point. This iron ring is 90deg to both ring 1 and ring 2At the edge of the encampment was the pond / pool shown in the photograph. There are three pools in total on the east side of Saddle Tor, which in an article from Dartmoor Magazine 137 (Winter 2019), by Dr Tom Greeves, are described as being one of 43 ‘Sacred Pools’ which can be found across Dartmoor. The ‘Sacred Pools’ are described as being “part of a designed prehistoric landscape with both practical and religious function”.This first Sacred Pool (A) is located at SX75140 76525 and is 20m in diameterThe second Sacred Pool (B) with Hay Tor ‘peeking’ above the horizon in the distanceSacred Pool (B) looking across to Emsworthy Rock with the prominent Fitches’ Holt just to the right of centre on the horizon. This pool is located at SX75170 76541 and measures 16.5m by 14.5mThe third Sacred Pool (C) looking across to Saddle Tor in the west. This pool might well have been the boundary of the military encampment. The pool is located at SX75268 76528 and measures 14m by 10mThis rather impressive millstone lies close to Saddle Tor north east outcrops and most likely dates from the 19th century. One wonders why this artefact was never delivered to its intended working location. It would have made a fine flagpole stand for the military of the dayThe millstone is located at SX74920 76437This benchmark is shown on the annotated 19th century map shown in this post. It is referenced as B.M. 1251.7 and lies close to the Hemsworthy Gate to Haytor road at SX75092 76129
