Milestone N of Lower Beardon

List Entry Summary

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Location

The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

Legacy System Information

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Asset Groupings

This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description

Summary of Monument

Milestone 250m south west of Kitts Bridge.

Reasons for Designation

Milestones occur throughout England beside roads to define the distances between points on the route. They are loosely based on the tradition begun in the Roman period when stone pillars with Latin inscriptions were erected when a road was first constructed or when it was repaired. The inscriptions usually give the distance to the next named town. On Dartmoor routes were often marked by wayside crosses dating to the medieval period. These were thought to safeguard the traveller and also encourage Christian beliefs.

The milestone 250m south west of Kitts Bridge is shaped a little like a wayside cross whilst inscribed with the miles to nearest towns and seems to neatly encapsulate these two earlier traditions in one interesting item of street furniture.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 3 November 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a late 18th century milestone situated on the west side of a road now leading to a farm but which once marked an important route through south western England. The milestone survives as a single granite pillar shaped like a cross with short wide arms and a rounded head. It stands to a height of approximately 1.2m. The milestone bears the inscription ‘From Tavistock 7 miles, Okehampton 8 and Truro 57’. A further stone lies to the north, and there are others along the Okehampton to Tavistock route but these are not included in the scheduling because they have not been formally assessed.

Selected Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-440754

National Grid Reference: SX 51836 84332

Map

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This copy shows the entry on 28-May-2018 at 06:26:46.