Editing Childe's Tomb (section)

==Destruction==
[[File:Ruins of Foxtor Farm - geograph.org.uk - 635099.jpg|thumb|left|All that remains of Fox Tor Farm]]
In the early 19th century, there was much interest in enclosing and "improving" the open moorland on Dartmoor, encouraged by [[Thomas Tyrwhitt (MP)|Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt]]'s early successes at [[Tor Royal]] near [[Princetown]].<ref>Rowe (1985) p. 255</ref> Enclosure was aided by the greatly enhanced access provided by the construction of the first [[Turnpike trust|turnpike roads]] over the moor: the road between [[Ashburton, Devon|Ashburton]] and [[Two Bridges, Devon|Two Bridges]] opened in around 1800, for instance.<ref>{{cite book
| last=Mercer
| first=Ian
| title=Dartmoor – A Statement of its Time
| publisher=Collins
| location=London
| year=2009
| page=293
| isbn=978-0007184996}}</ref> In February 1809 one Thomas Windeatt, from [[Bridgetown, Devon|Bridgetown]], [[Totnes]], took over the lease of a plot of land (a "newtake") of about 582 acres in the valley of the [[River Swincombe]]. In 1812 Windeatt started to build a farmhouse, Fox Tor Farm, on his land and his workmen robbed the nearby Childe's Tomb of most of its stones for the building and its doorsteps.<ref name=S42>Stanbrook (1994) p. 42–43</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/child_hunter.htm
|title=Childe the Hunter
|publisher=www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk
|access-date=2011-02-07
|last=Sandles
|first=Tim
|archive-date=25 November 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125070546/http://legendarydartmoor.co.uk/child_hunter.htm
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

In 1902, [[William Crossing]] wrote that he had been told by an old moorman that some of the granite blocks from the tomb's pedestal had also been used to make a [[clapper bridge]] across a stream flowing into the River Swincombe near the farm. The moorman also said that they had lettering on their undersides.<ref>Crossing (1902) p. 93</ref> This encouraged Crossing to arrange to lift the clapper bridge, but no inscription was found. However, he did locate nine out of the twelve stones that had made up the pedestal, as well as the broken socket stone for the cross.<ref name=S42/>