Page:Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries.djvu/501

 124 ^^ Ancient Stone Crosses referred to. Crossing this, a path will lead us through the wood down to the East Ockment, where is a ford and stepping-stones, by means of which we gain the opposite bank. Mounting the hill, and keeping a little to our left the while, we shall observe, on reaching the enclosures, a lane leading from the common, and this we shall enter. Soon the gate of the old Belstone rectory will be seen on the right, and we shall pass through it in order to examine a sculptured stone, which we shall find built into a wall not very far from the house. It is a little over four feet in height, and about one foot wide at the bottom, but higher up this increases to over eighteen inches. The lower part of the stone being broken, the device is interfered with there, but a line can be seen running up its centre, for about two- thirds of its length ; this is crossed by another, which forms the segment of a circle, near its top, and above this is a circle^ within which is a cross. All these markings are incised, the lines being about an inch wide. I learnt several years ago that this stone was found at the church, in 1861, when some steps leading to the vestry were being taken down, and also that a cross, which was removed from the churchyard, had been built into the wall of a stable near by. But as nothing of the sort can be seen, there is probably some mistake here, the report of the finding of the latter object originating, I suspect, in the discovery of the stone we have just been examining. A walk of about half a mile will bring us to the village, which we shall find is on the very edge of the moor. There is a green round which the houses cluster, and at one end a diminutive pound, circular in shape. To the east, across the valley of the Taw, rises Cosdon, the hill whence the perambu- lators of 1240 set out to view the bounds of the royal forest. From Belstone our ramble will take us to the Okehamp- ton and Exeter road which we shall strike at a liltle common called Tongue End. Near a smithy a large granite post, now in a slanting position, marks the boundary of the parishes of Belstone and Sampford Courtenay, and about a quarter of a mile from this, on the left of the road as we proceed towards Sticklepath, an inscribed stone will be seen.* It stands where Bude Lane diverges from the highway, and is rather over four and a half feet in height, and sixteen inches wide at the