Additional information
| Weight | 0.67 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 30 × 21 × 1 cm |
BODMIN MOOR’S BOUNDARY MARKERS
£18.00
Author: Peter Moore
Publisher: Author.
ISBN 978-1-3999-8904-6.
Format: 146 pages, illustrations (all colour), maps, bibliography.
Description: Subtitled’A legacy in stone’, this is a splendid A4 compilation of the numerous boundary stones of different kinds which the author has located and recorded. They are all shown in colour with exact locational references and helpful sketch maps, together with notes on their purposes. Part 1 lists the boundary markers for parishes, estates, industrial holdings, etc and Part 2, those for quarries. There are 4 useful pages itemising the individual marks and their owners. This is a unique record, and will interest every curious moorland walker amongst others!
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1 review for BODMIN MOOR’S BOUNDARY MARKERS
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Terry Knight –
Old Cornwall/Kernow Goth, vol 16, no 6, Autumn 2024. This book is the result of many years of active fieldwork by Peter Moore, who has walked every part of Bodmin Moor, surveying, photographing and recording all the surviving boundary stones and markers. The boundary stones covered in this volume include manorial Boundstones marking large estates, parish boundaries, industrial boundary stones marking the extent of quarrying and mine setts for china clay, iron and copper, and even land owned by water companies.
The author has divided the volume into two parts. The main body of the work is devoted to the free-standing boundary stones, while the second records the many quarry boundary marks engraved on ground-fast boulders.
The first part of the work is divided into 24 short chapters, each relating to a distinct Common or area of moorland. Each chapter includes a clear map, plotting all the individual boundary stones and landscape features, while colour photographs of each boundary stone are provided. For each stone there is an accurate grid reference, dimensions, and a note of the inscription: the symbols, letters or numbers carved on the stone. The author describes what each symbol or legend represents and discusses the possible reasons why the stones were set up – for example whether they relate to common rights such as grazing, mining rights or boundary disputes. The author notes that while these Boundstones may seem insignificant individually, collectively they help give us a glimpse into the past. They tell stories of disputes, ownership and boundaries and changing fortunes. The book also includes the named stones most recently carved as part of the Blisland Commons Boundary stone project.
The majority of the stones are publicly accessible and stand within areas of land designated as open access through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, giving the public the right to roam.
The second part of the work focuses on the many quarry boundary marks carved on the rocks of Bearah Tor, Kilmar Tor and Stowe’s Hill, land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. Their purpose was to limit the extent of quarrying and protect these tors. Here the author has painstakingly searched for and recorded many of the marks, which include incised fleur-de-lis, crosses within circles and numbers, all which are difficult to discover.
This attractive A4 book has 146 pages, contains over 380 colour photographs, lists over 260 boundary stones and many more boundary marks. An appendix provides a list of all the symbols, initials, letters and numbers carved on these stones, along with a glossary of terms used in the publication and a short bibliography for further reading. The affordable book is a ‘must have’ for any walkers and hikers on Bodmin Moor as well as those who love the moor and Cornwall.
This book is a labour of love and by writing it, the author hopes to raise awareness of these boundary stones so that they can be better understood and protected by future generations.
Andrew G Langdon / Dyffresyas Crowsow