Original - The MAN & Other Families

1 8 The Ancient Stone Crossesappellaton of Whitaburrow,* but is generally known asPetre's Cross.Sir William Petre, of whom Prince in his Worthies ofDevon gives us an account, and who was, as already stated,the possessor of certain rights over Brent Moor was bornat Tor Newton, in the parish of Tor Brian. He wasSecretary of State in four reigns, those of Henry VIII.,Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth ; and, it is said of him thatin this office he was " smooth, reserved, resolved, and yetobliging." He amassed great wealth derived from themonastic possessions which were granted to him. He diedin 1571, and was buried at Ingatestone in Essex.Our search for the third cross will take us to BucklandFord so we shall make our way down the hill in a northeasterlydirection, and passing a bound-stone, shall soonreach the foot of a steep narrow gully, close to which weshall observe an old path, which we shall descend for a shortdistance to a point where it crosses a small stream which fallsinto the Avon just below. This is Buckland Ford, but weshall look in vain for the cross. This ford is shown on somemaps as being on the Avon. This is wrong ; it is the crossing-placeover a tributary of that river, as above described.It doubtless was so called in consequence of being on themonks' path leading to Buckland. I have carefully searchedaround the spot, yet have never been able to find it, nor can Ilearn that any one has ever seen Some it. mining operationsappear to have been carried on near the bank of the Avon,and it is possible that the cross may have been destroyed bythose who were concerned in them.The old track which crosses the stream at this ford iscalled the Abbots' Way, and can be traced from Dean Moorfor several miles, passing the source of the Ernie, and thehead waters of the Plym.It formed a direct means of com-*So spelt with the addition of an e in the survey of the forest of 1609 ;in the perambulation of 1240, the name is spelled Whyteburghe. It isEastern Whitaburrow, however which is mentioned in these perambulations,and not Western Whitaburrow. The cairn known as EasternWhitaburrow is ninety yards in circumference, and twelve yards inheight. Tne name is pronounced with the i long, as though spelled\Vhite-a-burrow,