Childe the Hunter travelling home one dark and stormy night, got caught in a Blizzard his horse fell and died so the story goes he slit the horse's belly open and crawled in to keep warm sooner or later realising he would'nt get home composed a note (just happened to have Quill and ink on him) saying that who ever finds me and gives me a Christian Burial shall have all my land and money later a couple of uneducated peasants found Childe and the note and of course not being able to read took the note to the Tavistock monks whereby they set off to find Childe the Hunter as they were doing this the monks of Plymstock also heard about Childe's land and money and the request for a Christian Burial set off on to the moors where they ambushed the monks of Tavistock and gave them a good seeing too! took the note and all that went with it.
The weather on Dartmoor can be very changeable. Make sure you pack a jumper and some waterproofs if you look for Childe's Tomb - or you may end up repeating this 'The Empire Strikes Back' moment:
"It is left us by tradition that one Childe of Plimstoke, a man of fair possessions, having no issue, ordained, by his will, that wheresoever he should happen to be buried, to that church his lands should belong. It so fortuned, that he riding to hunt in the forest of Dartmore, being in pursuit of his game, casually lost his company, and his way likewise. The season then being so cold, and he so benumed therewith, as he was enforced to kill his horse, and embowelled him, to creep into his belly to get heat; which not able to preserve him, was there frozen to death; and so found, was carried by Tavistoke men to be buried in the church of that abbey; which was so secretly done but the inhabitants of Plymstoke had knowledge thereof; which to prevent, they resorted to defend the carriage of the corpse over the bridge, where, they conceived, necessity compelled them to pass. But they were deceived by guile; for the Tavistoke men forthwith built a slight bridge, and passed over at another place without resistance, buried the body, and enjoyed the lands; in memory whereof the bridge beareth the name of Guilebridge to this day."
(Thomas Risdon's Survey of Devon, early 17th century, quoted by Jennifer Westwood in 'Albion').
'Childe' apparently comes from the Anglo Saxon 'Cild', meaning 'young lord'. Obviously the tomb, if you follow the story, can't be where he's buried. Because that's Tavistock. Oh well.
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