The Acland Cross is a memorial to Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (TDA) a politician and educational reformer who was born in 1809 in Killerton, Devon. He was the 7th and the 11th Baronet Acland, succeeding in 1871 to both the titles on the death of his father, also called Thomas Dyke Acland. Quite why the Aclands held two baronetcies simultaneously is a mystery that is not entirely satisfactorily explained either by Wikipedia or thePeerage.

TDA was educated at Harrow and Oxford, where William Gladstone was one of his friends. From 1837 to 1847 he served as the MP for Somerset West and was a Tory supporter of Robert Peel. For the next 18 years he remained out of Parliament and pursued his interests in education, agriculture and the arts. In 1865 he returned to the House of Commons as a Liberal – first as one of the two members for Devonshire North and later for Wellington. He never held ministerial office but became a Privy Councillor in 1883.

TDA married twice. His first wife was Mary, daughter of Sir Charles Mordaunt, 8th Baronet (1771-1823). Thomas and Mary had three sons and two daughters. After Mary's death in 1851 TDA married another Mary, the daughter of John Erskine. There were no children by this marriage. On the death of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland in 1898 the baronetcy passed to his eldest son Charles Thomas Dyke Acland and, when Charles died in 1919, to his second son, Arthur Herbert Dyke Acland. Like their father, both Charles and Arthur were of the Liberal persuasion and had political careers.

The wooden cross is about 7 m high and is mounted on a stone block. On the block is etched in Latin an extract from Psalm 148. As the words have become illegible a wooden plaque has been erected with an English translation:

Praise God from the earth, you dragons and all the depths Fire, hail, snow, ice, storm-winds that obey His word. Mountains and all hills, orchards and every cedar, Wild beasts and all cattle, serpents and winged birds, Praise the name of God, because his name alone is exalted. His praise is above Heaven and Earth.

At the head of the plaque are the initials T.D.A and the dates 1809-1898.

The cross stands at map reference is 907475 in the woods below Selworthy Beacon in West Somerset. You can reach it from the Parade in central Minehead by driving up North Hill via Holloway Street and past St Michael's Church. When you reach the top, continue westwards, admiring the views to left and right. The road ends at the Beacon car park. From there, walk down the track and through the wide gate. The Cross is about 50 m further down into the woods. If you are a little more adventurous you can walk up to the Cross from the villages of Selworthy or Bossington. Either way, when you have viewed the cross you can take a look at the stone hut about 500 metres east of the car park. It was erected in memory of TDA's father, the 6th and 10th Baronet.

For me the Acland Cross is a very special place.