William Crossing
Encyclopedia
William Crossing was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor
and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor
and at Mary Tavy
but died at Plymouth.
, November 14, 1847. From his earliest youth he was fond of Dartmoor, his early associations centring around the neighbourhood of Sheepstor
, Walkhampton
, Meavy, and Yannadon. He acquired a taste for antiquities from his mother. Later on, Crossing explored Tavistock, Coryton
, Lydford
, Okehampton
, and the northern borders of the Moor, as well as South Brent
, on its southern verge.
After leaving school at Plymouth, he went to the Independent College at Taunton
, and then returned to finish his education at the Mannamead
School (Later called Plymouth College
).
His earliest literary efforts were in the direction of fiction - 'thrilling romances,' composed for the delectation of his school-fellows. His first essay in poetry was at the age of fourteen, when a poem written by him appeared in the pages of Young England, December, 1861.
In 1863 he went for a short coastal voyage to Wales
, and gained a liking for the sea; and in 1864 he joined a vessel bound for Canada
, and had a narrow escape, nearly being crushed by an iceberg
during the night. Returning from this voyage, he took to business pursuits in Plymouth, and then recommenced his Dartmoor explorations.
He is now considered one of the best authorities on Dartmoor and its antiquities, having made it the subject of his life's work. He was one of the earliest members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association
, joining it immediately on its formation.
It is quite probable that he effectively started the popularity of the modern pursuit of letterboxing
. In his book Guide to Dartmoor he refers to what is likely to have been the first letter box. It was placed at Cranmere Pool
on northern Dartmoor
by a local guide in 1854. In Crossing's memory in 1938 a plaque and letterbox were placed at Duck's Pool
on the southern moor by some individuals and members of a walking club known as Dobson's Moormen. He was buried with his wife at Mary Tavy: his house at Mary Tavy bears a commemorative tablet unveiled in 1952.
The style of Crossing's work in Guide to Dartmoor has similarities to the much more recent work of Alfred Wainwright
. The hand drawn sketches of views and rough maps of walks together with the descriptive nature of the walks are like those of the Wainwright guides to the Lake District
(see Lakeland Guides
).
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
and Dartmoor life. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor
Brentor
Brentor is a village in West Devon, England. Its population in 2001 was 423. The village is dominated by the hill of Brent Tor, topped by the village's church....
and at Mary Tavy
Mary Tavy
Mary Tavy is a village with a population of around 600, located four miles north of Tavistock in Devon in south-west England; it is named after the River Tavy. It used to be home to the world's largest copper mine Wheal Friendship, as well as a number of lead and tin mines. It borders Dartmoor...
but died at Plymouth.
Early life
He was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, November 14, 1847. From his earliest youth he was fond of Dartmoor, his early associations centring around the neighbourhood of Sheepstor
Sheepstor
Sheepstor is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. In 2001 its population was 53, down from 95 in 1901. For administrative purposes the parish is grouped with the parishes of Meavy and Walkhampton to form Burrator Parish Council, and for...
, Walkhampton
Walkhampton
Walkhampton is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. The village lies on the Black Brook, a tributary of the River Walkham, about south-east of Tavistock, near the villages of Horrabridge, Yelverton and Dousland. Burrator Reservoir, constructed...
, Meavy, and Yannadon. He acquired a taste for antiquities from his mother. Later on, Crossing explored Tavistock, Coryton
Coryton, Devon
Coryton is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of Devon, England, to the north west of Tavistock.Coryton is in the valley of the River Lyd. It has a church and a former mill. There was formerly a railway station on the Launceston and South Devon Railway , closed in 1962....
, Lydford
Lydford
Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon situated north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district.-Description:The village has a population of 458....
, Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
, and the northern borders of the Moor, as well as South Brent
South Brent
South Brent is a large village on the southern edge of Dartmoor, England, in the valley of the River Avon, population 2998 , 8 km north-east of Ivybridge, and next to the Devon Expressway which connects Exeter to the north-east and Plymouth to the west.-History:It was originally a woollen...
, on its southern verge.
After leaving school at Plymouth, he went to the Independent College at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, and then returned to finish his education at the Mannamead
Mannamead
Mannamead is a suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. It was an affluent Victorian and early Edwardian suburb with wide avenues such as Seymour Road, grand villas and Thorn Park referred to in Pevsner. It has a solid late Victorian Anglican church, a small row of shops and a frequent...
School (Later called Plymouth College
Plymouth College
Plymouth College is a co-educational independent school in Plymouth, Devon, England, for day and boarding pupils from the ages of 11 to 18...
).
His earliest literary efforts were in the direction of fiction - 'thrilling romances,' composed for the delectation of his school-fellows. His first essay in poetry was at the age of fourteen, when a poem written by him appeared in the pages of Young England, December, 1861.
In 1863 he went for a short coastal voyage to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and gained a liking for the sea; and in 1864 he joined a vessel bound for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and had a narrow escape, nearly being crushed by an iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
during the night. Returning from this voyage, he took to business pursuits in Plymouth, and then recommenced his Dartmoor explorations.
Later life and writings
In 1872 he married and settled down at South Brent. In the previous year he began making notes about his rambles, without, however, any systematic arrangement; after his marriage he seems to have become more methodical, and to have decided to write a book descriptive of the moorland district. In the 1890s he published numerous other works and his Guide to Dartmoor, illustrated by Philip Guy Stevens in 1909. He was much afflicted by rheumatism in the last 25 years of his life and in 1921 his wife died. From July 1925 to his death Crossing was an invalid and he died at Plymouth, 3 September 1928.He is now considered one of the best authorities on Dartmoor and its antiquities, having made it the subject of his life's work. He was one of the earliest members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association
Dartmoor Preservation Association
The Dartmoor Preservation Association, or DPA, was founded in 1883. It is a charity, which provides an independent viewpoint on the current issues affecting Dartmoor and performs valuable conservation work on archaeological sites...
, joining it immediately on its formation.
Letterboxing
Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual...
. In his book Guide to Dartmoor he refers to what is likely to have been the first letter box. It was placed at Cranmere Pool
Cranmere Pool
Cranmere Pool is a small depression in the peat set in the northern half of Dartmoor at SX604858. It is approximately 0.5 km north west of the source of the East Dart and is effectively the head of the West Okement which feeds Meldon reservoir...
on northern Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
by a local guide in 1854. In Crossing's memory in 1938 a plaque and letterbox were placed at Duck's Pool
Duck's Pool, Dartmoor
Duck's Pool is a small depression set in a remote location in the southern half of Dartmoor, Devon, England at . It lies between the sources of the River Plym and the River Erme....
on the southern moor by some individuals and members of a walking club known as Dobson's Moormen. He was buried with his wife at Mary Tavy: his house at Mary Tavy bears a commemorative tablet unveiled in 1952.
The style of Crossing's work in Guide to Dartmoor has similarities to the much more recent work of Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright
Alfred Wainwright MBE was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the...
. The hand drawn sketches of views and rough maps of walks together with the descriptive nature of the walks are like those of the Wainwright guides to the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
(see Lakeland Guides
Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells of the Lake District in northwest England...
).
Books
- Leaves from Sherwood, etc.; original poems. Plymouth, 1868
- The Ancient Crosses of Dartmoor; with a Description of their Surroundings; Exeter, 1884. (An expansion of a series of articles which originally appeared in the Western Antiquary)
- Amid Devonia's Alps; or, Wanderings and Adventures on Dartmoor. Plymouth, 1888
- Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies: Glimpses of Elfin Haunts and Antics. 1890
- The Land of Stream and Tor; Plymouth, 1891. (For private circulation)
- Crockern Tor and the Ancient Stannary Parliament. Exeter, 1892
- Old Stone Crosses of the Dartmoor Borders. Exeter and London, 1892
- The Chronicles of Crazy Well. Plymouth, 1893
- The Ocean Trail. Plymouth, 1894
- Widey Court. Plymouth, 1895
- A Hundred Years on Dartmoor. Plymouth 1901
- The Western Gate of Dartmoor: Tavistock and its Surroundings. London, 1903
- Gems in a Granite Setting. Plymouth, 1905
- From a Dartmoor Cot. London, 1906
- Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor. Plymouth, 1909. (Republished 1990, Peninsula Press, Newton Abbot, ISBN 1872640168)
- Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, the 1912 edition reprinted with new introd. by Brian Le Messurier. Dawlish: David & Charles, 1965 (The third edition was published at Exeter in 1914 and was still in print until about 1940)
- Folk Rhymes of Devon. London, 1911
- Cranmere: The Legendary Story of Binjie Gear and other Poems. London, 1926
- Posthumous works
- The Dartmoor WorkerThe Dartmoor WorkerThe Dartmoor Worker is a collection, first assembled in 1966, of newspaper articles originally written for The Western Morning News by the principal authority on Dartmoor and its history, William Crossing, in the early 1900s...
. Newton Abbot, 1966 (From a series of articles written for the Western Morning NewsWestern Morning NewsThe Western Morning News is a politically independent daily regional newspaper founded in 1860 and covering Devon and Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset.-Organisation:...
in 1903 but published in book form after his death) - Dartmoor's Early Historic and Medieval Remains. Brixham: Quay, 1987. (A collection of articles originally published in West Country newspapers during 1905)
- The Dartmoor Worker