The History of Dartmoor Guiding
Emma Cunis, a Chagford-based guide and granddaughter of Eric Hemery, shares the fascinating history of Dartmoor guiding from a Chagford perspective, weaving together personal heritage, local legends, and the evolution of moorland exploration.
“‘The first Dartmoor guide in the annals of history – unfortunately unnamed… took John Andrews to Cranmere on 11th August 1789… Gave a man who went to Cranmere Pool 6d; Cranmere Pool, Guide and Horse 2-0; Expenses at Chagford 10-6...’”
Archive postcard showing a sheep market in the Square at Chagford - with James Perrott's shop in view (next to Webbers).
In 1903, William Crossing wrote that ‘Except in the Chagford district, guides are unknown on Dartmoor.’(2) He was referring particularly to James Perrott (and sons) who became the best-known Dartmoor Guide mainly because of his unintentional establishment of the worldwide ‘Letterboxing’ phenomenon.
Chagford’s Guiding Legacy
James was born in 1815, and made and sold fishing tackle from a shop in the Square in Chagford. His sons ‘Dick’ (Richard), (James) Stanford, William and Benjamin worked with their father when required to guide visitors as well as drive coach tours, and help with the horses. James’ great nephew Dick also accompanied him on guided walks and fishing trips, and continued to manufacture fishing flies and lead visitors up until the Second World War, when he sold the Perrott shop to the Webber family. In 1951 Eric Hemery established himself in Chagford as ‘The’ Dartmoor Guide offering pony treks and walks. In the following decade, Dartmoor National Park instituted guided walks, and since then a network of enthusiastic and knowledgeable specialists – including Moorland Guides – has developed across the moor.
Why Chagford Became a Centre for Guiding
Through the centuries, farmers and moormen are likely to have acted as local guides for visitors. There is much to recommend any one of Dartmoor’s beautiful towns and villages – so why is that Chagford in particular developed such a reputation as a centre for guided walks and holidaying?
There is no doubting the town’s advantageous location, sheltered from the prevailing weather on a gentle slope above the River Teign. There is a wealth of archaeological evidence in the vicinity, from Mesolithic flint tools and arrow heads to Bronze Age settlement and ritual evidence, and in the 1950s Lady Aileen Fox’s revelation that Roundy Pound near Kestor was an Iron Age forge that had been adapted in medieval times for work with sheep and other animals.
The village grew in importance as its reputation as a trading centre grew. In 1305 Chagford was designated a Coinage (Stannary) Town where tin was weighed, stamped, and duty paid. Wealth from tin, coupled with the burgeoning wool trade, contributed to the building of manors and the beautiful church; the revival of both trades in the nineteenth century attracted an increased population in to work in local mills. In 1900 Sabine Baring-Gould noted that ‘Chagford owes almost everything to a late Rector, who, resolved on pushing the place, invited down magazine editors and professional litteraterus… and was rewarded by articles appearing in journals and serials, belauding Chagford for its salubrious climate, its incomparable scenery, its ready hospitability, its rural sweetness and its archaeological interest…’(3). George Hayter Hames (1826–78) was responsible for the town’s modern drainage system and gas lighting and then, in 1889, Chagford became the first town west of London to have electric street lighting (hydro-powered). Horse-drawn carriages (later steam, then diesel motorbuses) regularly met trains at Moretonhampstead, Yeoford and Exeter to transport visitors to one of the town’s nine inns and various holiday accommodation. In Victorian and Edwardian times Chagford became the ideal spot for local entrepreneurs to set up as guides to service increasing numbers of Dartmoor visitors.
James Perrott and Sons
Much has been written about James P. Perrott, Wheelwright, Fishing Tackle Manufacturer (4), and celebrated Dartmoor Guide. He led many ‘worthies’ including R. D. Blackmore, Charles Dickens (whom he once pulled out of a bog) and Charles Kingsley. As well as his intimate knowledge of the moor and its fishing spots, and his noted proficiency on a horse, James possessed qualities that endeared him to visitors. In his obituary, F. B. Doveton described him as having ‘a breadth of view (considering his rather narrow sphere)… somewhat cosmopolitan… and natural shrewdness…’ Also mentioned were his ‘racy stories… and flash of fun’(5). Offering testimony to James’ sense of humour is a different backstory to the first Letterbox (a glass jar hidden in a small fabricated cairn) installed at Cranmere Pool in 1854. James’ great nephew Dick revealed that the original idea was to invite visitors to write their names inside an empty beer bottle which was then hidden in a fox den, (6) the fun being seeing how long it took for the next visitors to reply (7). Perhaps the glass ‘jar’ was a more acceptable story? And the cairn built later so that visitors didn’t have to thrust their hands into a muddy fox earth.
Great Granny Nellie, and cousin Lizzie Ridout of Teignmarsh in carriage driven by man believed to be (James) Stanford Perrott.
With a shop in Chagford Square, James was well positioned to take advantage of the new age of tourism. One ad reads ‘Guides to Dartmoor… over 30 years thoroughly acquainted with every object of interest on the Moor. Those desirous of investigating the Moor apply to the above’ and he hired out ‘saddle horses, ponies, carriages of every description at moderate charges’.(8)
Eldest son Richard ‘Dick’ Perrott was a ‘worthy successor’ (9) to his father’s shop and business. (We are told by Crossing that the other brothers assisted when required and a family member believes one of the daughters was involved too.) James’ great nephew, ‘Dartmoor Dick’, followed in the family footsteps. When about ten years old Dick rode a black stallion to victory in the last-ever Chagford Cup, beating all adult contenders (knowing a safe route through the bog, taught to him by James). Dick continued to guide locals and visitors to the best parts of the river for fishing, and drive groups with his horse and trap up to Teignhead Farm, tether the ponies then walk ‘up over’ Whitehorse Hill to Cranmere Pool (10). Dick died in 1992 at the age of ninety-one, and is still remembered as a local school bus driver and the last Perrott guide based in Chagford (many members of the family still live locally).
I was privileged to be part of a group supporting the return of James Perrott’s descendants to Cranmere Pool (May 2019): Leslie Staple, David Perrott, Jane Riggs, Tom McGlynn (11)
David Perrott and Tom McGlynn at Cranmere Pool, May 2019
Eric Hemery
Eric Hemery, who moved to Chagford with his first wife Val, walked regularly on Dartmoor to strengthen his leg, damaged in the Second World War. Inspired by ‘one of the few regions wherein man can still commune in peace with God and Nature’ (12) he established himself as a Walking and Pony Trekking Guide throughout the 1950s, supplementing his income during winter by writing articles and giving lectures. Ponies were hired out from spotless stables owned by respected Dartmoor Pony breeder Diana Coaker at Sherberton, and clients led for two-to-three-day rides. In the summer holidays, daughter Sally would assist with the treks by looking after the ponies. She also accompanied Eric and his clients on many walks and rides, and has retained old OS 1-inch maps of their wide-ranging routes together. The family were gifted a Hillman Husky by Margaret Thornley - ‘Christian Mystic’ (13) and friend to the famous Wellsley Tudor Pole who walked occasionally with Eric, enabling Val to drive clients’ suitcases between overnight stops offered by Brimpts Farm, Headland Warren, and more. Val would also occasionally offer cream teas for clients to enjoy at the end of a walk in her home.
Eric Hemery with (client and later friend) Andrew Stevens and sons in the 1950s
Eric Hemery’s advert in the local parish magazine (1950s)
Eric was an early riser; ‘always wore gaiters and carried a khaki-coloured army pack, billycan and metal drinking cup – disliking the taste of tea from a thermos, he boiled up fresh water from the rivers he passed instead, having first checked 100 yards upstream for dead animals, by which time the water would have purified itself he said’ (14). Spending many hours walking, photographing (he particularly liked days with clouds and sunshine as he liked the contrasting light and shade – ‘cloud shadows’, he called them) and researching, Eric avidly read Crossing’s works; walked for miles documenting everything in his many notebooks; interviewed and rode out with the moormen to be sure that he understood the ‘proper’ names and dialect pronunciation of places as well as local stories. Published posthumously by second wife Pauline, Walking Dartmoor’s Ancient Tracks documents twenty-eight of Crossing’s originally estimated 100 ancient tracks. It’s again notable that Chagford is situated on many important trans-moorland tracks including the King’s Way and Mariners’ Way, and packhorse tracks such as Tavistock–Chagford, Plymouth–Chagford, Barnstaple–Truro (15) and the Ashburton–North Devon track (for the transport of wool and cloth).
‘Thruselcombe' riding party - Eric Hemery’s daughter Sally is 2nd from right and holding his horse whilst he took the photo.
Through recent decades other guides have worked from Chagford including John Dickson with his pony and trap at Yeo Farm (16); Chris Chapman, the late Martin Stephens-Hodge, Jim and Pauline Hamer, Peter Cooper, Mike Palmer and Graham Pidgeon. Returning to the land of my maternal ancestors I have also felt called to offer my services by following in the footsteps of my grandparents. I love the whole of this glorious moor but must confess to a bias towards this extraordinary northeast corner where ‘the people there never stop smiling. And no wonder, for it lies open to the sun, it is on the threshold of the purple moor, and at its feet run the brown waters of the Teign, loveliest of Devon’s rivers.’ (17)
Article originally published in Dartmoor Magazine (Winter, 2019)
References
Andrews Papers referenced in High Dartmoor – Land and People Eric Hemery
‘The Guide’ in Dartmoor Worker William Crossing
A History of Chagford Jane Hayter-Hames
1891 Census records James Perrott as Fishing Tackle Supplier, and son Richard as a Wheelwright; 1901 Census lists James Perrott as Wheelwright, and Richard as a Coach Builder. This census also lists three ‘Jobmaster’ or ‘Jobmaster Groom’. Thanks to Jean Rhodes and Judy Moss of Chagford History Archive for research support.
1895 edition of Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes
‘…It was a small pool years ago, where the rain water lodged; but at Okememt Head hard by a fox was run to ground, a terrier was put in, and by digging out the terrier Cranmere Pool was tapped, and has never been a pool since.’ William Collier, Transactions of the Plymouth Institution 1897–8.
Author interview with Trevor (George) James, friend of Dick Perrott
Chris Webber’s papers
Obituary notice August 1895 edition of Baily’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes F. B. Doveton
Author interview with Trevor James, friend of Dick Perrott
Author conversations and correspondence with Tom McGlynn and David Perrott
Letter to newspaper ‘Exploitation of Dartmoor’ Eric Hemery
High Dartmoor – Land and People Eric Hemery
Author interview with Sally Cunis nee Hemery
Map by John Ogilby
Author interview with Linda Lemieux
S. P. B. Mais 1930s
Want to experience Dartmoor’s rich history and breathtaking landscapes firsthand? Book a private guided walk with Emma Cunis, a Chagford-based Dartmoor guide with deep family roots in the area. Whether you're interested in history, archaeology, or simply exploring the moor’s beauty, Emma will tailor the experience to your interests. Get in touch today to plan your Dartmoor adventure!