The Great Thunderstorm

The Church of Saint Pancras is a Church of England church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, England. It is also known as the Cathedral of the Moor. The church is Grade I listed.It has received the nickname "Cathedral of the Moor" because of its 120-foot tower and relatively large capacity for such a small village. The church was originally built in the fourteenth century, in the Perpendicular (late Gothic) style, using locally quarried granite. It was enlarged over the following two centuries, partly on the proceeds of the local tin-mining trade. Inside, the ceiling is decorated with a large number of decorative roof bosses, including the tinner's emblem of a circle of three hares (known locally as the Tinners' Rabbits). The church was badly damaged in the Great Thunderstorm of 1638, apparently struck by ball lightning. An afternoon service was taking place at the time, and the building was packed with approximately 300 worshippers. Four of them were killed, around 60 injured. According to local legend, the Great Thunderstorm was caused by the village being visited by the Devil.The size of the parish meant that, for centuries, families were obliged to walk for miles to go to church at Widecombe every Sunday. The task was even more challenging when it came to burying their dead, whose coffins had to be carried over rough ground and both up and down exceptionally steep hills. Halfway up Dartmeet Hill, for example, lies the Coffin Stone, close to the road, where the body would be placed to allow the bearers to take a rest. The rock is split in two along its length. Local legend has it that the body of a particularly wicked man was laid there. God took exception to this, and struck the stone with a thunderbolt, destroying the coffin and splitting the stone in two. Beatrice Chase, writer known during the first half of the 20th century for her Dartmoor-based novels, is buried in the churchyard.

Widecombe in the Moor () is a village and large civil parish in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. Its church is known as the Cathedral of the Moors on account of its tall tower and its size, relative to the small population it serves. It is a favourite tourist centre, partly for its scenic character and partly for its connection to the popular song "Widecombe Fair".

Pil Tor is a granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, England. It sits at a height of around 420 metres (1,380 ft).

The East Webburn is a stream in the Dartmoor moors in Devon in south-west England. It rises on the western side of the moors flowing off the west side of Hameldown ridge. Its source is less than 1 kilometre south west of Grimspound Bronze Age settlement. It flows south past Widecombe-in-the-Moor and joins the West Webburn River. These combined streams then join the River Dart close to the village of Holne.

Jay's Grave (or Kitty Jay's Grave) is supposedly the last resting place of a suicide victim who is thought to have died in the late 18th century. It has become a well-known landmark on Dartmoor, Devon, in South-West England, and is the subject of local folklore, and several ghost stories. The small burial mound is at the side of a minor road, about 1 mile (1.6 km) north west of Hound Tor, at the entrance to a green lane that leads to Natsworthy. Fresh flowers are regularly placed on the grave, although no-one admits to putting them there.

Buckland in the Moor is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 94. The village is in Dartmoor. According to Elias Tozer (1825–1873) a ritual until recently had been observed in the village of Buckland-in-the-Moor on Midsummer Day in which the youth of the village would sacrifice a sheep on the block of granite and sprinkle themselves with the blood. He could not find what the significance of the ritual was, but says it was thought to have pre-Christian Celtic origins. The church is made of stone quarried on the moor. The face of the clock spells out "My Dear Mother". The baptismal font is Norman, and decorated with leaves and stars. Nearby there is a viewpoint called Buckland Beacon where may also be found the 10 Commandment Stones (1282 ft). In 1927 the Lord of Buckland Manor, Mr Whitley, learnt that parliament had rejected a proposed revision of the Book of Common Prayer using Jesus' Two Commandments instead of Moses' Ten, at Holy Communion. He celebrated by engaging Mr W A Clements, a stonemason from Exeter, to engrave granite stones in situ on Buckland Beacon with the Ten Commandments. He started work on 15 December 1927 and completed the job on 14 June 1928. Whilst engraving the stones he lived in a cow shed on the site and was supplied each week with a loaf of bread by Mr Whitley. In later years Mr Clements said, "Day after day I was on my knees chipping away and I wondered if the originator of the Commandments suffered from an aching back and sore knees as I did". A glance at the stones reveals eleven commandments, the eleventh inscribed, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another. John 13 v34."

Leusdon is a parish in the southern part of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, UK. It is near Poundsgate and Ponsworthy. The village church is St John the Baptist's, Leusdon, built in 1863.At the church a memorial bench raised over the departed Sarah Catherine Hayter, married Ehler. 1940-1984 Nearby is Leusdon Common, a site of special scientific interest, now in the Widecombe in the Moor parish.

The West Webburn is a stream on Dartmoor in Devon in south-west England. It rises on the eastern side of the moors flowing off the east side of Hameldown Ridge. Its source is extremely close to the Grimspound Bronze Age settlement, and it was probably the main source of water for the settlement. It flows south, going past Widecombe-in-the-Moor, and joins the East Webburn River at Lizwell Meet in Oakmoor Wood. These combined streams then join the River Dart at Buckland Bridge in Holne Chase.

Ponsworthy is a hamlet on the eastern side of Dartmoor, Devon, England. It lies in the steep valley of the West Webburn River about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) southwest of the village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Its row of picturesque thatched cottages, climbing up a steep hill, are often the subject of calendars and postcards. It also has a mill and old bakehouse, converted to a house in 1976. Ponsworthy House, built c.1800, has a porch with Doric columns of granite. At the foot of the hill is the ‘Ponsworthy Splash’, where vehicles must drive through a small stream which runs across the road. The village is also well known for Ponsworthy Bridge over the West Webburn River. It has a single arch and contains a stone engraved with the dates 1666 and 1792 - believed to be when repairs were carried out. It was further repaired in 1911. The bridge has a 7.5 foot (2.3 m) width restriction, which is one of the reasons the village is so quiet, for it is impassable to modern coaches.

Hound Tor is a tor on Dartmoor, Devon, England and is a good example of a heavily weathered granite outcrop. It is easily accessible, situated within a few minutes from the B3387 between Bovey Tracey and Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The site is administered by Dartmoor National Park Authority for English Heritage as it includes the ruins of a medieval village, alongside prehistoric works of stone construction nearby.

Rippon Tor is a striking tor on eastern Dartmoor, in England, that stands at 473 metres (1,552 ft) above sea level. It has three cairns, of which are some of Dartmoor's largest, a triangulation pillar, and several rock piles that overlook the northern high moors near Fernworthy Forest and Great Mis Tor. Field boundaries surround the tor. The views extend down to North Hessary Tor around Princetown and Holne Ridge. On most days the River Teign is visible with the sea at Teignmouth. The clay pits in between Kingsteignton and Bovey Tracey are also usually visible. Most of the other eastern tors can be seen, such as popular Haytor and Saddle Tor. The logan stone known as the Nutcracker is nearby. The tor can be accessed from the Hemsworthy Gate Car Park by the B3387 from Widecombe-in-the-Moor to Bovey Tracey. Rippon Tor Rifle Range lies nearby on Horridge Common and the tor is close to the source of the River Ashburn, a tributary of the River Dart.

Buckland Beacon is a granite tor and conical beacon, near to the village of Buckland-in-the-Moor on Dartmoor, England. It is well known for its Ten Commandments Stones, which are inscribed on its south eastern edge. It stands at 382 metres (1,253 ft) above sea level, overlooking the Dart Valley. The elevated position meant that it was the location of a fire beacon to warn of danger, and the tor takes its name from this role.