Moretonhampstead

Set high on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, Moretonhampstead has long been a place of arrival, departure and trade.

Today it is a handsome, bustling town of granite-fronted buildings, independent shops, old inns and winding streets — but beneath the surface lies a history stretching back thousands of years.

Long before roads and motorcars, people moved through this landscape on foot, on horseback and with livestock. Tracks from the fertile lowlands converged here before pushing onto the open moor.

That made Moretonhampstead important.

Moretonhampstead is more than a stopping point.

It is one of the historic gateways into central Dartmoor.

For centuries this was a natural crossing place — a route between Exeter and the moorland interior, and between farms, mines, markets and ancient settlements.

In 1207, King John granted Moretonhampstead the right to hold a weekly market and annual fair.

That royal charter transformed the town.

Livestock, wool, cloth, grain and local goods passed through its streets.

News spread here.

Deals were struck here.

Ale was drunk here.

Arguments were settled here.

The market square remains a reminder of that era.

And the town’s role as a practical centre has never fully faded.