Dartmoor

Dartmoor, granitic tableland, in southern Devon, south-western England, remarkable for its wild, rugged scenery and relics of early settlement. Dartmoor proper (or the ancient royal forest of that name) and the outlying common lands cover about 52 sq km (20 sq mi); this region and the surrounding area are incorporated into Dartmoor National Park (established 1951). This moorland region, bleak in winter, encircled by a natural rampart and moated by deep wooded valleys, is considerably higher than the surrounding area and culminates in High Willhays, 621 m (2,038 ft) above sea level. Vegetation includes heather and peat moss; bogs cover part of the land. Its wildlife is varied; the most famous of its animals is the Dartmoor pony, a rugged breed of small horse, which grazes semi-wild on the moorland and common lands. Cattle and sheep are raised here. Copper and tin were historically produced in the region. There are still productive tin mines in Wheal, Duchy, and Birch Tor. There are large kaolin works at Lee Moor, which is also the site of a meteorological observatory.

Local antiquities include the Grey Wethers, a fine specimen of what is believed to be a Druidic temple located below Sittaford Tor (see Druidism); the vestiges of a large neolithic village at Grimspound; and the cromlech (see Dolmen) at Drewsteignton. During the Napoleonic Wars, a prison for French captives was erected (1802) on western Dartmoor; it is still a prison, one of the most famous in Britain—Dartmoor Prison. Princetown sprang up close by as a settlement and service centre for the prison warders and soon became a town. Captured Americans, rebelling against their imprisonment at Dartmoor during the War of 1812, were killed and wounded in what has become known as the Dartmoor Rebellion.

The main touring centre for Dartmoor is the market town of Okehampton. High Willhays and Yes Tor, another of Dartmoor's highest points, lie within walking distance to the south of the town. The castle, manor, and forest of Dartmoor were granted by King Henry III of England to his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and since 1337 Dartmoor has been, in part, permanently annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall, which is part of the estate of the Prince of Wales.