Dartmoor National Park Authority

Management of Elements of the Landscape

Since the earliest times, the uplands of Dartmoor have been used by communities for the common grazing of animals; and their natural products, such as stone, peat and bracken have been harvested. At some time before the Norman Conquest, central Dartmoor, an open area of moorland, became a royal hunting ground. It was known as the Forest of Dartmoor; in medieval times the word ‘forest’ was associated with – not woodland – but a designated area of land in which the king had the right to hunt deer. The Forest was owned from 1239 by the Earls, later Dukes, of Cornwall and was traditionally used by farmers (paying a rent) to graze their animals in the summer.

Surrounding the Forest, and still on open moorland, were and are the Dartmoor Commons, where farmers exercise certain rights, such as that of grazing. This tradition of common grazing is one that lies at the heart of the management of much of the moorland. Read the Dartmoor Commons Factsheet.

Also traditional is the way in which areas of heather, or heather and gorse were burned in order to encourage new growth; this practice, known as swaling, continues today. Read more about swaling.

Enclosed farmland occupies the lower slopes; in the past most farms were mixed, that is, they grew cereal and vegetable crops as well as rearing animals. Most now are pastureland. In a few areas haymeadows (the traditional way of providing winter feed) are still maintained.

Much of the tree cover that grew over an extensive area of Dartmoor after the last Ice Age was removed by people during prehistoric times to create grazing land. However, wood has been an important resource and the steeply wooded valleys have been managed for thousands of years to produce timber for construction and fuel. Remains of past coppicing can be seen and the hearths where charcoal was made. Read more about trees and woodlands.

Water was also an important resource, both for domestic and industrial purposes. Dartmoor has many leats, or artificial water channels, which took water from one of its rivers or streams to drive machinery at a local mine, or supply nearby farms. A number of these leats still contain flowing water and require routine maintenance.

Traditional Skills

Elements of the landscape have been managed by people for thousands of years and over time skills have been developed and passed down the generations. These include managing Dartmoor’s boundaries, through the maintenance of traditional hedgebanks and the repair and construction of drystone walls. Many of Dartmoor’s historic buildings have thatched roofs, traditionally formed of combed wheat reed which require re-thatching by skilled thatchers from time to time.

The National Park Authority runs training courses on hedge-laying and stonewalling for local residents. Grants to owners of historic buildings are available for thatching using the traditional combed wheat reed

Traditional Products

There is archaeological evidence for the presence of cattle, sheep and ponies on Dartmoor some three and a half thousand years ago. The Dartmoor pony is one of the enduring icons of Dartmoor and indeed is the symbol of the Dartmoor National Park Authority. In the earlier decades of the last century, Red Devon cattle were almost ubiquitous and people describe ‘red rivers’ on Dartmoor when the animals were brought in from the surrounding countryside in the early summer to graze the moor. Two breeds of sheep, the Greyface Dartmoor and the White Faced Dartmoor, have been bred locally.

Long Established Institutions, Events, Activities

In the past, almost every settlement of size would have had a market and hosted a fair. Not all have survived, but amongst the more famous are Widecombe Fair and Tavistock Goosey Fair, which can trace its origins back to the 12th century. Pony fairs and agricultural shows are regular events. Other community events have grown up over the years, such as Lustleigh May Day and the Ashburton Ale Tasting and Bread Weighing. The popularity of such events is reflected in the establishment of some of more recent origins, such as Buckfastleigh Lamb and Pie Day and the South Zeal Folk Festival.

The National Park Authority often has a presence at these events, but may also be able to offer help in kind or a modest grant.

Literature, Art, Music, Legends

Dartmoor has inspired writers as varied as Conan Doyle, Beatrice Chase, Eden Phillpotts and Agatha Christie. As well as inspiring writers of fiction, Dartmoor's landscape, weather, people archaeology and myths and legends have also stimulated writers of prose. One of the first notable descriptions of Dartmoor came in 1848, with Samuel Rowe's A Perambulation of the Ancient and Royal Forest of Dartmoor, followed by works by Rev Sabine-Baring Gould (Dartmoor Idylls, 1896; A Book of Dartmoor, 1900; etc.), William Crossing (A Guide to Dartmoor, 1909; The Dartmoor Worker; c.1903; Gems in a Granite Setting, 1905), and Hansford Worth (Dartmoor, 1953) to name but a few.

Although Dartmoor has not attracted a large number of nationally important artists, JMW Turner is probably the most famous to have painted here. There is a well-known band of local artists of repute including the Rev John Swete, William Widgery and his son Frederick John. Dartmoor has been popular with photographers from the time Robert Burnard captured so many important images in the late 19th century. In more recent years this legacy has been upheld by such artists as Chris Chapman and Tracey Elliott-Reep.

Dartmoor’s wild and open country, together with its ancient remains have engendered many legends which have entered into Dartmoor folklore. Stories, often evolved to explain the apparently inexplicable, have been handed down from generation to generation and still thrill today. Oddly shaped landscape features, prehistoric monuments, isolated graves are all accounted for by encounters with the Devil, witches, pixies or sad strayings from the straight and narrow.

Traditional Way of Life And Beliefs

For many centuries, the way of life on Dartmoor experienced little change, but during the latter half of the 20th century, with technical advances, some of the old ways of living disappeared. Farming practices altered as petrol replaced the horse; industries died out, the introduction of electricity and mains water revolutionised domestic life and improved communications lessened isolation.

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Memory

The Dartmoor National Park Authority is conserving Dartmoor’s traditional way of life by recording the memories of those people who have experienced it. Read about the Moor Memories Project.