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Reading the article 'Pork Hill to Pew Tor', published in the Feb/Mar edition of Moor and Tavy Links I wondered if Nichola and Rosemary, with their dogs Angus and Sennen had observed any of the marks incised into the granite at certain points around Pew Tor, and if so, if they were aware of their significance.
A great deal of granite cutting took place here in years past, particularly in the nineteenth century, for developments in Tavistock and other towns. Around the tor's summit nine marks can be seen, consisting of a cross within a circle roughly 9 inches in diameter. The taking of granite was authorised under licence from the Duchy of Cornwall and the marks were cut in 1847 to define a protective limit within which none was to be removed.
As the nineteenth century advanced some people were expressing concern at the quantity of granite being taken from the tor's immediate slopes, to the detriment of its appearance, and so, in 1896, the protective limit was widened, defined by four rather different marks comprising a slightly smaller circle and cross, with 5 holes made by a 'jumper' at the crosses' points and centre. These were recorded on a Duchy map, and those on the north-west, south-west, and south-east corners of the area have been located, but not one on the north-east, despite much searching. However, the north-west rock bears two such marks on different faces. (I often wonder if perhaps the stone-cutter sent out to make the marks had some cider with his midday snack and afterwards dozed off', then forgot to move on before cutting the last one).
Much surface granite was also worked on the north side of the Princetown road, on the southern and eastern slopes of Staple Tors. In this area, among the clitter, are a number of sett-makers' bankers, as they were called, – small primitive benches formed into the hillside by the placing of two upright pieces of granite about 1 foot 6 inches apart, and another slab across the top, approximately a foot above ground level. Here the men crouched, cutting small granite setts from larger blocks Several of the bankers are found in small groups, often surrounded by a scatter of granite chips. In this exposed situation weather can be harsh, and sometimes small shelters of galvanised iron were erected for protection. The industry was particularly busy here in the 1870s, before Merrivale Quarry was opened. The setts produced were taken away in wagons for paving roads, in Tavistock, in Plymouth and in London.
I have written about the sett-makers' bankers in my Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor (first edition 1968, published by David & Charles). After further research I dealt with the subject more extensively, and included details of the Pew Tor activities and marks, in my paper: Nineteenth Century Granite Working on Pew Tor and Staple Tor,Western Dartmoor' presented to the Devonshire Association in 1981, and published in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association 113. 1981. The full range of these Transactions is accessible in the Tavistock Library, and elsewhere. In more recent years some further examples of sett-makers' bankers have been located in other parts of the moor and described by other writers..
Helen Harris