Surname Index

to

Amid Devonia's Alps, or Wanderings and Adventures on Dartmoor

by

William Crossing

Plymouth: W H Luke, Publisher (1888), illus. vii, 242 pp.

Index prepared by Michael Steer

William Crossing (1847-1928) was a writer and chronicler of Dartmoor and the lives of its inhabitants. He lived successively at South Brent, Brentor and Mary Tavy but died at Plymouth. He is now considered one of the best authorities on Dartmoor and its antiquities, having made it the subject of his life's work. Crossing was one of the earliest members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, joining it immediately on its formation. It is likely that he started the popularity of the modern pursuit of letterboxing. In his book Guide to Dartmoor he refers to what might have been the first letter box. It was placed at Cranmere Pool on northern Dartmoor by a local guide in 1854. In Crossing's memory in 1938, a plaque and letterbox were placed at Duck's Pool on the southern moor by members of the Dobson's Moormen walking club. He was buried with his wife at Mary Tavy: his house at Mary Tavy bears a commemorative tablet unveiled in 1952. The book has a general index at page 221. This rare and much sought-after book was produced digitally by Google from a copy in the Harvard University Library collection and can be downloaded from HathiTrust. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.