Page:Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries.djvu/510

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Of Dartmoor and Us Borderland, 131 From Addiscott the road ascends to Firestone Ley, a little common, over one side of which runs the Exeter and Okehampton road. This passed through South Zeal, hut in the later days of stage coach traffic a new road was made in order to avoid the hills, joining the old one again near the bridge over the Taw at Sticklepath. We shall pass across Firestone Ley, and when at the point where the new road leaves the old one, shall observe on our left a narrow lane. We enter this, and a short distance on shall reach a gate opening upon another lane on the right, a true specimen of a Dartmoor border pathway, and encumbered with blocks of lichen-stained granite. It will conduct us to West Week, an ancient farmhouse of a very interesting character, where just inside the gate, under a. tree, is part of what formerly was undoubtedly a fine cross. It now presents the appearance of a Tau cross, as the head is broken completely off, but upon examination the marks of the fracture can be seen. It is fixed upon a mound, roughly faced with stones, thrown up around the trunk of the tree, and is two feet two inches in height. The lower part of the shaft is missing. Its form is octagonal, and it is a little over thirty-seven inches in girth, the arms being an inch or two less. The width across the arms is about thirty-two inches. It will be seen from the foregoing descriptions that the crosses in the parish of South Taw ton are, with the exception of the one at Ringhole Copse, octagonal in shape, and that two of them, namely those at South Zeal and Addiscott, are of more than ordinary beauty. Opposite to the cross at battled gateway, with a coat of arms carved m granite, telling Opposite to the cross at West Week is a fine old em-^^ ^•^ l>attled gateway, with a coat of arms carved m granite, telling p ^ C )u us something of the former importance of this old moorland T^y» dwelling.