Dartmoor Legends

Britain is rich in legends and folk lores: stories passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. Dartmoor too is rich in such legends, many of which have some basis in truth.

The following legends show a progression from giants to witches to pixies and, of course, the Evil One also makes an appearance. Naturally there are also ghost stories.

Legends are important; though no longer taken seriously, at one time they offered an explanation of various happenings and phenomena which could not be explained logically. They also demonstrate some of the hopes and fears of our forefathers.

There is a map below showing some of the locations of the various happenings. Almost all the locations can be visited and are, in themselves, well worth a visit. With a little imagination it is not too difficult to envisage the wicked Vixana peering from the top of Vixen Tor or to imagine the body of poor Childe the Hunter lying beside the cross which marks where his body was found.

These are by no means all the Dartmoor legends, but a good cross section which, it is hoped, will stimulate the reader to find out more about Dartmoor.

English	French
The Story of Goemagot	L'Histoire de Goemagot
The Story of Clotted Cream	L'Histoire de la Crème Épaisse
The Legend of Bowerman's Nose	La Légende du Nez de Bowerman
The Legend of Brentor Church	La Légende de l'église de Brentor
The Legend of Grey Wethers	La Légende des Grey Wethers
The Weaver of Dean-Combe	Le Tisserand de Dean Combe
The Evil Rider	Le Cavalier Maudit
The Legend of the Abbot's Way	La Légende du Chemin de l'Abbé
Cranmere Benjie	Benjie de Cranmere
Childe The Hunter	Childe le Chasseur
The Bed of Tulips	Le Parterre de Tulipes
The Legend of Jay's Grave	La Tombe de Jay
The Legend of Stephen's Grave	La Tombe de Stephen

Map of Dartmoor showing locations of the legends

Content reproduced from Dartmoor legends retold by Tom Gant & Len Copley.