The Ten Commandments Stones, Buckland in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park

The Ten Commandments Stones, Buckland in the Moor, Dartmoor National Park

Walking/attraction/views

There are plenty of slabs of rock on Dartmoor into which verses and names have been carved. From the Heath Stone to the Lydford Viking Rune Stone, Datuidoc's Stone to the Ted Hughes Memorial Stone, these carved stones tell fascinating stories. The most impressive, however, are The Ten Commandments Stones up at Buckland Beacon.

Carved by W.A.Clement in summer 1928, The Ten Commandments Stones were commissioned by a local landowner W.Whitely to celebrate Parliament's 1928 rejection of a new Book of Common Prayer.

In addition to the Ten Commandments, there are other verses carved into the stones. Because the stones are exposed and battered by wind and rain, the words fade. June 2017 saw conservators working on the stones making the commandments and verses legible again.

Browse the photo gallery to see images of The Ten Commandments Stones, their location and the views from Buckland Beacon.

 

Easiest and recommended route to The Ten Commandments Stones for the first time

We've positioned The Ten Commandments Stones on Google maps so zoom in on the 'Satellite' setting to see their location. To visit for the first time, head for Cold East Cross between Rippon Tor and Buckland Beacon as marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer OL28 'Dartmoor' map. Either park at Cold East Cross or a little further south west where open access moorland on Buckland Common meets private farmland. Walk south west on either side of the farm wall to Buckland Beacon. The Ten Commandments Stones are obvious below the main rocky outcrop.

See also Buckland Beacon and Buckland Beacon Walk.