This cross is called Goldsmith's cross after Lt. M.Lennon Goldsmith, R.N. who rediscovered it in 1903. It had been missing for many years, but was found not far from its original position, and was replaced there. His daughter recalls that Lt. Goldsmith, when returning to base at Devonport after naval duty at sea, would regularly walk on the moors before returning home to Crownhill. His favourite walk was from Devonport to Chagford, and he would lunch overlooking Foxtor Mire. On one visit, he noticed that there was what looked like a socket-hole of a cross on the stone that he was sitting on. He hunted around and found the broken pieces of the cross lying nearby. This discovery was reported to William Crossing, who was not best pleased as he had just published his book on Dartmoor Crosses! So Lt. Goldsmith recruited some naval colleagues to help him, and returned to cement those pieces of the cross that he had found back together again. The centre piece is still missing, but the cross was in time more securely joined with iron clamps. William Crossing eventually did concede that this was another Dartmoor Cross, and included details of it in his 1910 edition of his "Guide to Dartmoor".

Boddy Collection