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History of the River Teign
Myth and Legend
Swathed in moonlight or in swirling fog, Dartmoor's rocky tors can take on an uncanny resemblance of human or animal forms. In our age of reason, we (mostly) credit this to centuries of erosion by the elements, or to flights of human fancy, but our predecessors came to different conclusions.
The story of Bowerman's Nose has been passed down the generations. According to local legend, Bowerman was an accomplished huntsman (or ‘bowman') who went out one night with his hound and most unfortunately crossed paths with the Devil himself (or in some versions a witches' coven). This unhappy mistake led to his transformation into a tall granite tor - there are no prizes for guessing the fabled origins of nearby Hound Tor!
The blood-curdling cry of the Baskerville hound is known far and wide, thanks to the work of Sherlock Holmes – or perhaps more properly to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, Dartmoor residents lived in fear of an immortal black hound, long before Conan Doyle brought his great detective here. One particularly poignant tale concerns a local squire, Richard Cabell, who lived at Brook Manor. Legend has it that upon his death in the 17th century, a set of black, howling and fire-breathing hounds of hell raced across the bleak moorland.
Historical Fact
Humans have inhabited Dartmoor and the Teign Valley on and off since the far gone days when the earth's climate first began to cool. Evidence suggests that early Dartmoor residents lived on cave bears, wild horse and deer. The moor has also yielded large quantities of flint artefacts, which seem to pertain to the use of temporary shelters.
Sheep farming has played a role in Devon's economy since medieval times. Sheep still roam the fields surrounding the Teign Valley and this bucolic scene provides a sharp contrast with the grey remnants of the mining industry, which brought wealth to the county for many years.
