Spurrell's Cross
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1012238
- Date first listed:
- 22-Oct-1991
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1012238
- Date first listed:
- 22-Oct-1991
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- South Hams (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Ugborough
- National Park:
- Dartmoor
- National Grid Reference:
- SX 65911 59961
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, major 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. This cross stands at the intersection of three routes and is closely associated with prominent prehistoric monuments, indicating the continuity of importance of the site through many centuries. Spurrell's Cross is the only example of a cross with spurred limbs on Dartmoor, a style dating to the 15th century AD.
Details
Wayside crosses mark significant points or intersections along the routes which cross Dartmoor, though the crosses are of medieval or later date it is likely that some mark the sites of standing stones or markers associated with much earlier use of the trackways. Spurrell's Cross stands on the Blackwood Path close to the intersection of the Owley-Harford track and the Wrangaton-Erme Plains track. It is a granite cross 1.37m high, with a restored shaft and head of a different granite with spurred limbs. The head is set north/south and the northern arm is missing.
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:
- 10551
- Legacy System:
- RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Masson-Phillips, E, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon (Part 1), (1937)
Other
Devon County SMR (SX 65 NE 004),
Legal
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 09:48:55.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.