Dartmoor commons – our link to a world we have lost
When we talk about going for a walk on the ‘open moor’, we’re usually heading for common land, land that is mostly unfenced and where we can seemingly roam at will. Within the boundaries of the Dartmoor National Park, 37% is classified as common land, a huge area amounting to 85,525 acres. But what is common land? And how did it come about?
Well, the first point here is that common land is owned by someone. The big central area of the moor - still known as the ‘Forest of Dartmoor’ - has been owned by the Duchy of Cornwall since 1337 and before that directly by the Crown. Beyond, but adjacent to, this central area is a belt of common lands which threads through most of the parishes that surround the ‘Forest’. In the past, these parish commons tended to belong to the lords of various manors. Such common land makes up much of the area of some parishes, such as Gidleigh, Belstone and Peter Tavy. In addition to this belt, there are many ‘islands’ of common land, separate from the main bulk, such as Meldon Hill in Chagford.
The second point is that we all have right of access over common land. People have been roaming freely over the open moors for hundreds of years, but, amazingly, this wasn’t set into law until 1985 with the Dartmoor Commons Act.
The third point is that on common land, certain people have rights to use it in particular ways. The sheep, the ponies, the cattle you see on the moor are all there because their owners have the right to graze their stock in particular parts of the moor. But today’s farming practice is a survival of an ancient tradition that encompassed far more than grazing. It’s a tradition that takes us back to the lives of Dartmoor folk hundreds of years ago. So as well as the right of pasture or grazing there were: turbary - the right to take turf for fuel for domestic use; estovers - the right to take underwood or branches for fuel or repairs and bracken for animal bedding; pannage - the right to allow pigs to eat acorns and beech mast and common in soil - the right to take sand, gravel or stone for use on the commoner's holding. So, in the past, rights to the common provided householders with many of life’s necessities. Living within easy reach of the resources available from common land must have been a huge bonus.
How this all came about is not completely known as the origins go back well before any surviving records.
It’s likely that in the pre-Norman period (ie before 1066), under pressure from increasing population, would-be farmers started to settle on the fringes of what was by then waste land, with no clear ownership. They would have been followed by estate-owning lords who would have taken the opportunity to appropriate the open grazing lands closest to their estates. Once that land was under their control, lords were in a position to introduce charges to others for grazing on ‘their’ land, but also to offer various rights. The lords could then start making tenancy agreements with colonists who settled on the common lands, which would involve a range of mutual obligations. These colonists may have previously been free, but would attach themselves to a lord for protection and the right to exploit some of the resources of the moorlands.
Fast-forward to the mid-20th century and these rights still existed, attached to a multitude of different properties in the many parishes adjacent to the moor – not just farms, but individual fields and small plots of land supporting homes. By then it was apparent that many aspects of this basket of ancient customs wasn’t fit for purpose. Reform was needed. So entailed a long complicated process, starting in 1964, whereby everyone who claimed commoners’ rights had to apply to have them officially registered. Some 50 years later the system we have today was finally settled and we are left with about 54 owners and 850 registered commoners. It’s still a complicated picture, but it provides us with a wonderful link to the lives of moorland folk hundreds of years ago.
At the beginning of September, Chagford Local History Society mounted an exhibition in the Jubilee Hall, followed by a week in the parish church, exploring the history of our common lands. While the particular story for our town is unique, the big-picture outline told above is largely true for most of Dartmoor parishes. The exhibition is entitled ‘From turf cutting to the Two Hills Race’ and it can now be seen on our excellent website: www.chagfordlocalhistorysociety.org.uk.
The website, thanks to an enormous voluntary effort and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has grown into a fascinating interactive resource. The website will also tell you about all our activities, including our winter talks programme, how you can access our archive and membership details.
Ralph Mackridge
Secretary, Chagford Local History Society
01647 433204