stannaries

Dartmoor ponies. The first known reference to the Dartmoor pony appears in the will of a Saxon bishop, dated 1012. Their use as a working pony peaked during the heyday of tin mining on Dartmoor, when they carried tin to the stannary towns in Cornwall. Although the breed is now domesticated, and popular with young riders, wild ponies can still be seen roaming freely on Dartmoor.

Tin mines in Devon and Cornwall, England, which belonged to the Duchy of Cornwall. The workers had the right to have their cases heard in their own stannaries court and the administration of the area was largely delegated to the court under a special privilege granted by Edward I in 1305. In recent times, attempts have been made to impede legislation from Westminster on the grounds that the ancient rights of the stannaries have been ignored. They have been unsuccessful.