Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Spurrell's Cross

A Scheduled Monument in South Brent, Devon

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 50.4242 / 50°25'26"N

Longitude: -3.889 / 3°53'20"W

OS Eastings: 265911.058016

OS Northings: 59961.072806

OS Grid: SX659599

Mapcode National: GBR Q9.2NRX

Mapcode Global: FRA 27RX.SVF

Entry Name: Spurrell's Cross

Scheduled Date: 22 October 1991

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1012238

English Heritage Legacy ID: 10551

County: Devon

Civil Parish: South Brent

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Ugborough St Peter

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Masson-Phillips, E, The Ancient Stone Crosses of Devon (Part 1), (1937)
Other
Devon County SMR (SX 65 NE 004),

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.