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Summary

A well preserved, two compartmented rectangular building of post medieval date. It measures 10.8m by 5.3m, is oriented north east by south west and is built of dry stone coursed masonry which survives to a height of 1 metre. It has an outbuilding or wing on the south east side.Unknown function but may have served as the warrener's house or as a miner's or quarryman's house

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019084: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement and post-medieval warren structures on the western slope of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE76
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439322
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/241
• Old SAM Ref: 24233

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WORKERS COTTAGE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1953, RAF/58/1110, 0038 (Aerial Photograph). SDV142083.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, Table 124. (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

SX 577636. A deserted Medieval site consisting of one building, showing late development, and enclosures at Trowlesworthy. (NB: site misplaced by Linehan: originally located at sx56se/197)

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor, 141, 7/2/1967 (Un-published). SDV150434.

Trowlesworthy Pound. SX576 642. A small two room drystone house with trace of lean-to on the west and porch on the south-east. Possibly a miner's or quarryman's house but very far from water and in an exposed position.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE76 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV173874.

(21/05/1977) SX 57566421. Reference to Haynes' manuscript (Warrens on Dartmoor, Manuscript in Plymouth Library, R. G. Haynes) shows that the building has been given the wrong grid reference. Haynes suggests that it is of 17th century date.
The rectangular, two-roomed building 10.8m by 5.3m. overall, has a contemporary south east wing, 5.6m. by 4.4m. and is built of coursed boulder walls, 0.8m. wide and 1.0m. high. The entrance is in the wing and has a fine jamb. The building lies on a gentle south west facing slope within the Bronze Age enclosed settlement SX 56 SE 94. The building may have been associated with Trowlesworthy Warren, SX 56 SE 66, and be of Medieval or later date.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Price, D. G., 1980, The Moorland Plym, 81-93 (Article in Serial). SDV254604.

Ruined two-roomed building on Trowlesworthy Warren, near "the Smithy". It was the house of a quarryman or a tinner. Porch entrance with the trace of a lean-to on west wall.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140701, (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

12/4/1995 Rectangular building on a south-west facing slope of Trowlesworthy Tor, overlooking the Blacka Brook, and situated within a prehistoric enclosure. This building is considered to be of historic date and material used in its construction may have been taken from nearby abandoned stone hut circles. The walls of the building are of drystone construction, measure 0.9 metres wide and stand up to 1 metres high. Interior is divided into two rooms. The north-east room measures 4.3 metres by 3.2 metres and is separated from the other room by a 0.8 metre wide and 0.7 metre high partition. The south-west room measures 4 metres by 3.2 metres wide and the exterior doorway leads into this room through the south-east wall. East of this door is a flanking wall which leads south-east to a horseshoe shaped outbuilding composed of rubble walling with inner and outer facings standing up to 0.8 metres high. The interior of this structure measures 2.5 metres square. Attached to the north-west side of the two roomed building is an outshut which survives as a rectangular area measuring 2.5 metres by 2 metres defined by lines of large stones protruding through the turf.
The function of this building remains uncertain. Price suggests that it is likely to have been a quarryman's or even a tinner's house, although clearly it could have equally been associated with warrening or upland grazing.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, Map 49/51 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Depicted and described as a building of no great age.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

SX57586423. Warrener's House. A well preserved, two compartmented rectangular building with an outbuilding on the SE side. It is composed of dry stone coursed masonry which survives to 0.7m high. The south compartment has a partition wall extending for 2m into the interior.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 27, 102.072 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

'Warrener's House' a well-preserved, 2-compartment, rectangular building situated within enclosure. Composed of dry-stone coursed masonry, surviving to 0.7 metres high. North-east compartment measures 4 metres by 3.5 metres internally; south-west compartment measures 4.5 metres by 3.5 metres internally. South-west compartment has partition wall 2 metres from the northern end extending for 2 metres into interior. Gap in east corner of south-west compartment may be an entrance. East of this is a flanking wall which leads south-east to a horseshoe-shaped outbuilding composed of inner and outer facings and some rubble. Dimensions 11 metres by 5.2 metres externally; height 0.7 metres. Dimensions of outbuilding 1.8 metres by 1.5 metres internally, 5 metres by 5 metres externally. Oriented north-east by south-west. Haynes suggests 17th century date.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(20/05/2002) The ruined structure is as described in 1977. There are no obvious internal features such as fireplaces or cupboard recesses. The origin and function of this building are unclear.

English Heritage, 2005, Survey Information (miscellaneous date) (Report - Survey). SDV345855.

Feature visible on survey.

White, P., 2013, Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads (Un-published). SDV352501.

Trowlesworthy Tor listed. No further information included.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Building visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Building is depicted on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

Two post-medieval buildings and a cache survive within the monument. The southernmost building lies within the large agglomerated enclosure and the material used in its construction may have been taken from nearby abandoned hut circles. The walls of the building are of drystone construction, measure 0.9 metres wide and stand up to 1 metre high. The interior is divided into two rooms, the north-eastern measures 4.3 metres long by 3.2 metres wide and is separated from the other room by a 0.8 metres wide and 0.7 metres high partition. The south-western room measures 4 metres long by 3.2 metres wide and the exterior doorway leads into this room through the south-eastern wall. East of this door is a flanking wall which leads south eastward to a horseshoe shaped outbuilding composed of rubble walling with inner and outer facings standing up to 0.8 metres high. The interior of this structure measures 2.5 square metres. Attached to the north western side of the two roomed building is an outshut which survives as a rectangular area measuring 2.5 metres long by 2 metres wide defined by lines of large stones protruding through the turf. The function of this building remains uncertain, although it has been suggested that it is likely to have been a quarryman's or even a tinner's house, although clearly it could have equally been associated with warrening or upland grazing.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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