Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies

William Crossing (1847-1928) was a writer and documenter of Dartmoor and Dartmoor life. 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, 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. 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.