Editing Clapper bridge

{{short description|Bridge formed by large flat slabs of stone}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
<!--Note that this taxobox is for  generic bridge types, not specific (except as an example). The ancestor, sibling, and descendant references should follow the current taxonomy at media:BridgeTaxonomy.jpg, see also Talk:Bridge -->
{{BridgeTypePix|
|type_name         = Clapper Bridge
|image = Tarr Steps 01.jpg
|image_title       = [[Tarr Steps]], Exmoor, Somerset, England
|sibling_names     = [[Log bridge]]
|descendent_names  = [[Arch bridge]], [[trestle bridge]]
|ancestor_names    = [[Step-stone bridge]]
|carries           = footpaths, tracks, roadways
|span_range        = Short
|material          = [[Rock (geology)|Stone]]
|movable           = No
|design            = Low
|falsework         = No
|}}
A '''clapper bridge''' is an ancient form of [[bridge]] found on the moors of the English [[West Country]] ([[Bodmin Moor]], [[Dartmoor]] and [[Exmoor]]) and in other upland areas of the United Kingdom including [[Snowdonia]] and [[Anglesey]], [[Cumbria]], [[Derbyshire]], [[Yorkshire]], [[Lancashire]], and in northern [[Wester Ross]]
and north-west [[Sutherland]] in Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canmore.org.uk/site/88560/achnamara-clapper-bridge|title=Achnamara, Clapper Bridge &#124; Canmore|website=canmore.org.uk|accessdate=28 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB485|title=ACHRIESGILL BRIDGE OVER ACHRIESGILL WATER|website=Historic Environment Scotland|access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref> It is formed by large flat slabs of stone, often [[granite]] or [[schist]]. These can be supported on stone piers across rivers, or rest on the banks of streams.

==History==
Although often credited with prehistoric origin, most were erected in [[medieval]] times, and some in later centuries.<ref>{{Cite book
  |url=http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au-arch.pdf
  |title=A Guide to the Archaeology of Dartmoor
  |publisher=Dartmoor National Park Authority
  |year=2003
  |isbn=1-84114-226-3
  |ref={{harvid|Archaeology of Dartmoor|2003}}
  |page=27
  |url-status=dead
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006185810/http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au-arch.pdf
  |archive-date=6 October 2008
  |df=dmy-all
  }}</ref> They are often situated close to a [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] where carts could cross. According to the Dartmoor [[National parks of England and Wales|National Park]], the word 'clapper' derives ultimately from an [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] word, {{lang|ang|cleaca}}, meaning 'bridging the stepping stones';{{sfnp|Archaeology of Dartmoor|2003|p=59}} the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' gives the intermediate Medieval Latin form  {{lang|la|clapus}}, {{lang|la|claperius}}, "of Gaulish origin", with an initial meaning of "a pile of stones".<ref group="note" >French and Provençal ''clapier'' developed the additional significance of a rabbit warren. (''OED'', ''s.v.'' "clapper".)</ref>

==Examples==
[[File:Postbridge Clapper Bridge 2005-07-21.jpg|thumb|left|The clapper bridge at Postbridge]] 
A fine example, the Postbridge Clapper Bridge, can be found at [[Postbridge, Devon|Postbridge]], on Dartmoor. Its slabs are over {{convert|4|m}} long, {{convert|2|m}} wide and weigh over {{convert|8|MT}} each, making the bridge passable to a small cart. It was first recorded in 1380 and was built to facilitate the transportation of [[Dartmoor tin-mining|Dartmoor tin]] by [[pack horse]]s to the [[stannary]] town of [[Tavistock, Devon|Tavistock]].

Other surviving examples include the [[Tarr Steps]] over the [[River Barle]] in Exmoor, and [[Stara Bridge]] over the [[River Lynher]] in east [[Cornwall]].

[[File:Wycoller clapper bridge.jpg|thumb|Clapper bridge at Wycoller, Pendle, East Lancashire]]
Some larger clapper bridges, such as at [[Dartmeet]] and [[Bellever]], have collapsed – their slabs swept away by floods, or raided for building or wall construction - and have since been rebuilt. However, there are many other smaller examples in existence on Dartmoor and still in use, such as those at Teignhead Farm (close to [[Grey Wethers]] stone circles), Scorhill and across the Wallabrook stream.

While the term "clapper bridge" is typically associated with the United Kingdom, other "clapper-style" bridges exist throughout the world. One example is the [[Anping Bridge]] in China, being over two kilometres long and one in [[Louisburgh, County Mayo]] in Ireland.
{{clear left}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note|liststyle=lower-roman}}

==References==
{{commons category|Clapper bridges}}
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Dartmoor]]
[[Category:Exmoor]]
[[Category:Beam bridges]]
[[Category:Footbridges]]