Tors through time

Today was another walk on the moor. We took in Bell Tor, Chinkwell Tor, Honeybag Tor and Hound Tor - each different with their own character. Where do the names come from?! I went on-line to look and then stopped pretty quickly in one case....
The picture above is what remains of a 4500 year old burial. The crouched body would have been placed in the rectangular cist in the centre and then the whole circular area would have been covered by soil. In the background you can see Hound Tor - the biggest group of rock we visited today. An atmospheric spot.
Slightly more recent and out the back of Hound Tor are the remains of a Medieval Village. It came into being at about 1250 AD but was always a marginal place to live being high up on the moor. It was abandoned by 1400 AD as the inhabitants were able to move down to better land as a consequence of both worsening weather and the Black Death. Hopefully not a parable for our future with climate change and avian flu.
The most recent bit of history was Jay's Grave - the site of the burial of a suicide victim in the late 18th century. Not surprisingly stories abound about it, some more believable than others and including the obligatory Dartmoor ghost story. For those of a similar vintage to myself, Wishbone Ash's song Lady Jay was inspired by the grave as was, for the more erudite than myself, a John Galsworthy short story.
Best news of the day - when we got to the Rugglestone Inn this time it was open....