Dartmoor’s very own Ten Commandments Stones monument has been restored to its former glory thanks to the work of local community members Guy and Annette Hilhouse and Bath-based conservator and lettering expert Iain Cotton and his team. The four-week long undertaking took place over May and June 2017, and was a Moor than meets the eye Parishscapes project. Additional funding came from the Dartmoor National Park Authorities’ Communities Fund.

The first phase, completed in late May, saw the stones cleaned and wrapped in preparation for the restoration work to commence. The second phase of the process saw further careful cleaning before the 1500 characters were re-carved and painted to bring them back to legibility.

The monument was created in 1928 to celebrate the rejection by parliament of the proposed new Common Book of Prayer. The Lord of Buckland, Mr. William Whitley of Welstor appointed stonemason Mr. WA Clement to undertake the work, which was started on 23rd July 1928 and finished by August of the same year. Story has it that Mr. Clement, who came from Exmouth, lived on site in a shepherd’s hut in order to complete the work and earnt the nickname ‘Moses’. Made up of two tablets of natural granite, the monument displays the commandments, a favourite saying of Mr. Whitleys and the dates when the Bill was read out in parliament. The site, which is accessible to members of the public and hugely popular with visitors to the area, will now be monitored by Dartmoor National Park Authority’s archaeologists.