Dartmoor

Dartmoor, granitic tableland in southwestern England, in southern Devon County. The area is remarkable for its wild, rugged scenery and relics of aboriginal inhabitants. Dartmoor proper (or the ancient royal forest of that name) and the outlying common lands cover more than 900 sq km (more than 350 sq mi); this region, and the surrounding area, is incorporated into Dartmoor National Park (established 1951). This moorland region, encircled by a natural rampart and moated by deep valleys, is considerably higher than the surrounding area and culminates in High Willhays, 621 m (2,037 ft) above sea level. Vegetation includes heather and peat moss; bogs cover parts of the land. Cattle and sheep are raised here and semiwild Dartmoor ponies roam the area. Copper is found, and productive tin mines are in Wheal, Duchy, and Birch Tor. Large kaolin works are at Lee Moor, also the site of a meteorological observatory. The antiquities include the Gray Wethers, a fine specimen of what is believed to be a Druidic temple located below Sittaford Tor; the vestiges of a large aboriginal village at Grimspound; and the circle of stones, or cromlech, (see Dolmen) at Drewsteignton. During the long war with Napoleon, a prison for French captives was erected in 1802 in western Dartmoor. It is now used for convicts. Princetown sprang up close by and soon became a thriving town. Many captured Americans were confined at Dartmoor during the War of 1812 (1812-1815) between the United States and Britain. Mistreated, they rebelled; many were killed and wounded in what has become known as the Dartmoor Rebellion. The castle, manor, and forest of Dartmoor were granted by King Henry III of England to his brother Richard, earl of Cornwall, and since 1337 Dartmoor has been, in part, permanently annexed to the duchy of Cornwall.