Greenwell Girt socket stone 600m SSW of Lovaton hamlet

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provides direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. Wayside crosses are one of several types of Christian cross erected during the medieval period, mostly from the 9th to 15th centuries AD. In addition to serving the function of reiterating and reinforcing the Christian faith amongst those who passed the cross and of reassuring the traveller, wayside crosses often fulfilled a role as waymarkers, especially in difficult and otherwise unmarked terrain. The crosses might be on regularly used routes linking settlements, or on routes which might have a more specifically religious function, including those providing access to religious sites for parishioners and funeral processions, or marking long distance routes frequented on pilgrimages. Over 110 examples of wayside crosses are known on Dartmoor, where they form the commonest type of stone cross. Almost all of the wayside crosses on the Moor take the form of a `Latin' cross, in which the cross-head itself is shaped within the projecting arms of an unenclosed cross. Wayside crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval routeways, settlement patterns and the development of sculptural traditions. All wayside crosses on the Moor which survive as earth-fast monuments, except those which are extremely damaged and removed from their original locations, are considered worthy of protection.

The Greenwell Girt socket stone is a fine example most likely close to its original position. It was for a medieval cross which marked an important route northwards from Plympton, where there was an Augustinian priory. The chamfered top surface of the stone implies that it was intended to be seen.

Details

The monument includes a well preserved granite socket stone for a wayside cross, set in turf on the west side of a public road a short distance south of Greenwell Girt. The stone is of relatively fine-grained granite. The top surface of the stone is neatly octagonal, with a smooth weathered surface. In contrast, the sides of the stone are relatively roughly finished. The chamfered north corner of the top surface of the stone has a slot on its top edge measuring 0.006m by 0.0025m by 0.003m deep. The maximum dimensions of the stone are 1.02m by 1m. Its visible depth is 0.33m. In the centre of the top surface is a square socket measuring 0.28m by 0.25m by 0.14m deep with straight sides, which does not perforate the stone. The stone has been moved but cannot be far from its original position, and would once have held a cross marking a medieval route.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

24814

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Haynes, R G, Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries in Lost Tracks on Greenwell Down, Vol. 69, (1981), 27-29
Masson Phillips, E, Devonshire Association Transactions in The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon : Part 1, Vol. 69, (1936-37), 312-313

End of official list entry

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