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Summary

A curvilinear ditch, probably the remains of a leat of medieval to post-medieval date, is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 as an earthwork following the contours on the west-facing slopes of Crownhill Down. The leat has been largely destroyed by modern open cast mining.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1363228
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX55NE/155

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Timms, S. C., Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV343952.

One of a group of leats below the road on Crownhill Down. Its course can be traced on both sides of the Crownhill Down streamworks. On the north side it continues into Hooksbury Wood and shown on the 1982 plans.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FP 1126-1127 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

A curvilinear ditch is visible as an earthwork.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Linear feature shown on aerial photograph. Map object based on this Source.

AMAX, 1982, The Hemerdon Project. Archaeological Sites (Plan - measured). SDV149232.

Devon County Council, 1982, Untitled Source (Plan - measured). SDV337246.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, SX55NE (Cartographic). SDV337243.

Leat, extending from a field boundary at SX56025916 to SX56235940 where it enters an area of tin streaming. It crosses a ditch at SX56155938 and at SX56125933. It runs parallel to another leat. This leat is 400 metres in length and visible on aerial photograph. It is crossed by a bank at SX56135933.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5659-SX5660 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A curvilinear ditch is visible as an earthwork.

National Monuments Record, 2002, 1363228 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV343967.

Two leats cross the lower slopes of Crownhill Down. Both appear to be cut by the tin streamworks however one, or both, may have been conveyed by a wooden launder over the broad workings probably to serve the mines which lie to the east. Other details: NMR Number SX55NE34.

Fletcher, M., 2002, The Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Ridding Down: Survey Report (Report - Survey). SDV343412.

Other details: Figure 3 and Crownhill Down Survey. Map object based on this Source.

Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 04-JUL-2019 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.

The earthwork has been largely destroyed by open cast mining.

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.

A curvilinear ditch is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as an earthwork on Crownhill Down.
The ditch is under 2m in width, embanked along much of the western, downslope side and is visible as an earthwork following the contours on the west-facing slopes of Crownhill Down for approximately 1km. The visible earthwork corresponds to a channel depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25inch map to the north of the streamworks but is not depicted to the south.
The ditch crosses, and therefore post-dates, and area of medieval tin streamworking at circa SX56215950, and is probably the remains of a leat associated with a later phase of tin mining. A second section leat, recorded separately as MDV25256 connects with the earthwork at circa SX56195945 and diverts to the south-west, initially by approximately 12m but diverging by up to circa 30m to the south. This earthwork may have superseded the leat recorded here, south of the streamworks.
The leat remains visible as an earthwork on images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 but has subsequently been largely destroyed by modern open cast mining. A short section might survive south of the road, east of Bude Farm.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4559 - Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Riddding Down
• 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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