Summary

Milestone 250m south west of Kitts Bridge.

Source: Historic England

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-440754

Source: Historic England