Page:Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries.djvu/430

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Of Dartmoor and its Borderland, 6i <town upon the buildings that now stand on the site of that religious house for the support of which the Lady Amicia freely gave so much wealth. Little remains of the original structure, for not many years after the dissolution the abbey was converted into a residence by Sir Richard Grenville. In 1580 he sold it to John Hele and Christopher Harris, and in the following year it was disposed of by them to Sir Francis Drake, and it is now the property of a descendant. Sir Francis kept prisoner at Buckland Abbey one of the vice-admirals of the Armada, Don Pedro de Valdez, until the ransom that he had demanded was forthcoming. Here are portraits of this Spaniard, and also of Charles H. and his con- sort, and Nell Gwynne, as well as one of Sir Francis himself. The village of Buckland is about a mile distant from the abbey, and is pleasingly situated on a slope that descends to the Tavy. Many of the houses have an old-time air about them, and being removed some distance from a high-road tlie place wears a look of repose. Here, just within the church- yard, is a remarkably fine modern cross, set upon the ancient base. It was erected in 1898 as a memorial of the Diamond Jubilee of Her late Majesty, and forms a striking feature in the place. It formerly stood on the opposite side of the road, and during later years the open space on which it was originally erected was partly built on, one end of a row of cottages being -quite close to the dilapidated pedestal. In 1892 an old man, who was then seventy-three years of age, told me that he remembered when the space around the base was clear, and that when a lad he assisted the mason in the building of the cottages. He did not, however, recollect having seen the cross in its place on the pedestal. All that remained at the date above named was a confused heap of large stones, that had formed the pedestal, but whether this consisted of three or four stages, could not then be very well determined. It was surmounted by the socket-stone, which, however, was displaced. This was a very fine block, and like the pedestal was octagonal in shape. The new shaft, which is of considerable height, is formed of three pieces of granite, on which is a beautiful lantern cross, and the restoration which was carried out by Mr. Sedding, has been most carefully done, and with a due regard to the retention