∎ Download Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies eBook William Crossing

Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies eBook William Crossing

Download As PDF : Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies eBook William Crossing

Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies
by William Crossing

"Pixies (also Piskies and Pigsies as they are sometimes known in Cornwall) are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name. In regional dialect, these mischievous little folk are sometimes referred to as piskies/piskeys or the little people. They are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed hat. Sometimes their eyes are described as being pointed upwards at the temple ends.

One myth states that pixies were a race of people who were not good enough for Heaven or bad enough for Hell and were therefore forced to remain on Earth forever. Another legend claims that they were Druids who resisted Christianity and were subsequently sentenced by God to grow subsequently smaller until they accepted Christianity."

About the Author

"William Crossing (1847 - 1928) was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. He lived at Brentor and at Mary Tavy.

He was born in Plymouth, November 14, 1847. From his earliest youth he was fond of Dartmoor, his early associations centring around the neighbourhood of Sheepstor, Walkhampton, Meavy, and Yannadon.

He acquired a taste for antiquities from his mother. Later on, Crossing explored Tavistock, Coryton, Lydford, Okehampton, and the northern borders of the Moor, as well as South Brent, on its southern verge.

After leaving school at Plymouth, he went to the Independent College at Taunton, and then returned to finish his education at the Mannamead School (Later called Plymouth College).

His earliest literary efforts were in the direction of fiction - 'thrilling romances,' composed for the delectation of his school-fellows. His first essay in poetry was at the age of fourteen, when a poem written by him appeared in the pages of Young England, December, 1861.

In 1863 he went for a short coastal voyage to Wales, and gained a liking for the sea; and in 1864 he joined a vessel bound for Canada, and had a narrow escape, nearly being crushed by an iceberg during the night. Returning from this voyage, he took to business pursuits in Plymouth, and then recommenced his Dartmoor explorations.

In 1872 he married and settled down at South Brent. In the previous year he began making notes about his rambles, without, however, any systematic arrangement; after his marriage he seems to have become more methodical, and to have decided to write a book descriptive of the moorland district.

He is now considered one of the best authorities on Dartmoor and its antiquities, having made it the subject of his life's work. He was one of the earliest members of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, joining it immediately on its formation.

It is quite probable that he effectively started the popularity of the modern pursuit of letterboxing. In his book Guide to Dartmoor he refers to what is likely to have been the first letter box. It was placed at Cranmere Pool on northern Dartmoor by a local guide in 1854. In Crossing's memory in 1938 a plaque and letterbox were placed at Duck's Pool."