Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 89 he riding to hunt in the forest of Dartmore, being in pursuit of bis game, casually lost his company, and his way likewise. The season then being so cold, and he so benumed therewith, as he was enforced to kill his horse, and embowelled him, to creep into his belly to get heat ; which not able to preserve him, was there frozen to death ; and so found, was carried by Tavistoke men to be buried in the church of that abbey; which was not so secretly done but the inhabitants of Plim- stoke had knowledge thereof; which to prevent, they resorted to defend the carriage of the corpse over the bridge, where, they conceived, necessity compelled them to pass. But they were deceived by a guile; for the Tavistoke men forthwith built a slight bridge, and passed over at another place with- out resistance, buried the body, and enjoyed the lands; in memory whereof the bridge beareth the name of GuUehridge to this day."* Further on, in his mention of Dartmoor, Risdon speaks of
- three remarkable things " existing there, and says '* The
second is Childe's of Plimstock's tomb which is to be seen in the moor, where he was frozen to death, whereon these verses were once to be read:
- They fyrste that fyndes and brings mee to my grave.
The priorie of Plimstoke they shall have ! "f The tomb continued perfect until about the year 1812, when it was nearly destroyed by the workmen of a Mr. Windeatt, who was building a farmhouse near by. In the notes to Carrington's Dartmoor ^ published in 1826, it is said to have consisted of a pedestal formed by three steps. The lower one was composed of four stones, six feet long by twelves inches square, and the upper ones of eight stones more, which, of course, were smaller. On this was an octagonal stone about three feet high, with a cross fixed upon it. The writer of the notes also states that '<a socket and groove for the cross, and the cross itself, with its shaft broken, are the only remains of the tomb," and further says that no one recollected any traces of an inscription on it. There are several versions of the couplet which Risdon says was once engraven on the tomb, but in them no mention
- Survey of Devon^ pp. 198, 199. Edit. 181 1.
t/6rV/, p. 223.
