Once again, this was really just another minor skirmish, occurring in our local civil war time line, a couple of months after the battle that claimed the life of Sydney Godolphin, but three years before the rout at Bovey Heath. However, the aftermath of this particular encounter, could have had major repercussions for the king’s war effort...
The Parliamentarian army had made advances into Cornwall, led by Major-General James Chudleigh, and had unsuccessfully tried to attack the Royalist stronghold of Launceston. Falling back to their base at Okehampton, they were pursued by an army led by Sir Ralph Hopton, who planned an attack at dawn, having marched his men overnight. When Chudleigh heard that the Royalists were camped at Sourton, ahead of an attack, and finding himself depleted in numbers, he made a brave move by setting an ambush for the advancing troops.
He instructed his riflemen to hang lit fuses in the gorse, making it look like their forces were larger in number than they actually were, and when his cavalry charged, he ordered them to make as much noise as possible, again to make it look like they were a formidable enemy to be reckoned with.
This strategy worked, for the Royalists were taken by surprise, not being sure exactly what numbers they were up against. Many straightaway turned and fled, leaving behind not only equipment and weapons, but a very valuable chest, containing specific instructions from King Charles himself, on how to proceed in the campaign, something Chudleigh could use to his advantage, making the defeat even more humiliating for Hopton. In the grand scheme of things, this proved to be but a minor setback, as the war moved on.
To date, I’m not aware of anyone experiencing odd occurrences in the area, pertaining to the anniversary of the bloodshed, but my research is still ongoing. However, just down the hillside, in the village of Sourton, stands The Highwayman Inn, and, amongst its long term residents, is Samuel, a cavalier, judging by his style of dress, who possibly died in the battle, and now, for whatever reason, he can’t leave...and who can blame him! Not for nothing has it gained a reputation for being “the most unusual pub in Britain”, and it is certainly my favourite indoor location to spend time in when I’m on Dartmoor.
The Inn was built in 1282, the surrounding land being farmed, becoming a coaching Inn, as it lay close to the main highway, in those days, as still today, and thus the hub of the local community.
It also made the area a good target amongst notorious highwaymen, who saw the passing traffic as easy pickings, with regular holdups. It was this romantic history that inspired the new owners, Buster Jones, and his wife Rita, to rename the New Inn (this title can apparently be made out above the entrance) as The Highwayman Inn.
They moved in in1959, and, seeing it as a short term project, set about building it into the unique and quirky building that you see today, full of unusual artefacts and curios, brought from all over, and given its own, unique resting place within the fabric of the building, making it one of the most must see destination properties I’ve ever visited, having been there many times over the years myself.
The establishment is now run by Sally, the daughter of Buster and Rita, and her husband Bruce, who literally grew up there, and continues to further her father’s legacy, by continuing to add to its eccentricity...the huge red shoes in the car park entrance being recent testimony to that!
We have often talked about her haunted heritage, something she is keen to play down nowadays, as she doesn’t want to upset the atmosphere of what is ostensibly her childhood home, but she is happy to list the spirits she shares it with, which, apart from Samuel, include a monk; a lady in a mop cap; a man dressed in green, with a feather in his hat, who walks along a corridor, and through a wall, leading to an old stable block; and an old sea captain, called Bill.
This last character is probably associated with a door in the Galleon Bar/Restaurant, which was said to have been salvaged from the shipwreck of a boat called “Diana’, which claimed the lives of all its crew, who may also frequent the pub, along with their captain. It was in this restaurant, that I had my own odd experience, a few years ago now, whilst out celebrating my birthday with Sarah and some friends. We were all sat around a table in one of the booths, with a couple of dogs, belonging to one of our friends, happily sleeping on a neighbouring bench, with no one else in that particular area.
Suddenly, one of the dogs awoke, jumped off the bench, and headed towards the door. Not wanting them to escape, their owner asked me to grab their lead, which was still attached, so I reached down to do so, being the nearest, and as the lead passed under my grasp, before I could touch it, it stopped moving, as though an unseen hand had hold of it, causing the dog to pull up short, with a little yelp of surprise, and obediently it returned to the bench from whence it came. No one could explain it, as I didn’t get to touch the lead, but obviously one of the resident spirits was on hand to help...
With my recent success at holding meetings at local Dartmoor pubs, for storytelling purposes, I’ve had my eye on The Highwayman as another possible location for one of my evenings...and so it was that, the other Sunday, I took my walking buddies, Colin and Michelle, for a drink there, after the weather conditions proved unsuitable for our intended walk. As it was Michelle’s birthday, it seemed only right that we raised a glass to her, and, whilst we did so, I took the opportunity to share my proposition with Sally.
In principle, she is on-board with the idea, as long as we do nothing that might upset her unpaying guests. With that assurance a given, all we have to do is decide on a suitable date, and which part of the pub can accommodate a potentially sizable audience...so if you fancy an evening of storytelling in the quirkiest, and most atmospheric building you’ve ever been in, keep an eye on this space for further details.
