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Summary

Numerous prospecting pits of probable medieval to post-medieval date are visible as earthwork pits and associated spoil heaps on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2013 on the south-west facing slopes of Crownhill Down.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002597: Round barrow 950yds (868m) N of Drakeland Corner

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PROSPECTING PIT (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)
• SPOIL HEAP (Mid 20th Century to Late 20th Century - 1951 AD? to 1969 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RS 4250-4251 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

Earthwork pits and mounds are visible.

Ordnance Survey, 1969, OS/69296, OS/69296 V 018-019 29-JUN-1969 (Aerial Photograph). SDV361475.

Earthwork pits and mounds are visible. Evidence of recent dumping is apparent.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1978, NMR 1247, NMR 1247/183-186 31-MAY-1978 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363091.

Earthwork pits and mounds are visible.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5759 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Earthwork pits and mounds are visible.

Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 24-JUL-2019 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.

Earthwork pits and mounds are visible east of expanded modern quarrying.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Numerous pits and associated mounds are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards on the south-west facing slopes of Crownhill Down. The pits are of roughly circular and oval shape, measuring between circa 2 and 9.5m across. The associated mounds are entirely surround some of the pits but the greater part of the mounds are visible on the downslope sides of the pits.
The pits and mounds are interpreted as probable prospecting pits and associated spoil heaps related to medieval to post-medieval tin mining on Crownhill Down.
Two large agglomerations of roughly circular mounds 2 to 3m in diameter are visible centred on circa SX57275950 and SX57305956., adjacent to and enclosing prospecting pits. These might be the remains of cumulative post-medieval spoil dumps. However, these earthworks appear very recent on aerial photographs of 1969 and are probably evidence of more recent dumping.
The earthworks remain clearly visible on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2013 but are located immediately to the east of recently expanded open cast mining visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2018.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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