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Summary

A ruinous former stamping mill lies amidst streamworking remains at the foot of a steep scarp on the left bank of the River Plym. The remains consist of a T-shaped building and a well-defined wheelpit. A mortar stone is incorporated into the walling of the pit and four similar stones are scattered around the site. The site was fed by a leat which rises on the Plym and approaches from the east. A short launder bank lies immediately above the wheelpit.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE95
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438770
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/189
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56NE95

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1750 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (XVI to XVII - 1540 AD to 1700 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151263.

Worth, r. H. /tpi/11(1892)174,179.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151264.

Worth, r. H. /tpi/17(1925-1926)121.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV151266.

Des=burnard, r. /ms notes in os 6" map of dartmoor vol ii(opposite sheet cxiiisw)(in possession of lady sayer).

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Mill Corner blowing house (remains of)' indicated on 6 inch (1906) historic map and on later (1954) version.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 434 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Worth, R. H., 1929, Stray Notes on Dartmoor Tin-Working. Part 2, 402, plate 30, fig.1, (Article in Serial). SDV357076.

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Blowing House, 221, plate 15, fig. 2 (Article in Serial). SDV154693.

Remains of a blowing house at Mill Corner comprising one 23 ft 8 ins x 13 ft 9 ins building with a well marked 10 ft x 3 ft wheel pit. No mould stone has been found, but there are five mortar stones.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE95 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV151260.

(18/05/1950) Mill Corner, blowing house. Card cites Worth's 1940 description. Building is correct as shown on the 6 inch map. Very mutilated, so accurate measurements impossible. Only four mortar stones were seen during visit.
One mortar stone has been split and a part removed since the photograph was taken.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 164 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX56NE95 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV151257.

(23/03/1979) At SX 59356676 on the south-east bank of the River Plym at a spot named Mill Corner are the remains of an extremely ruinous building of overall dimensions 8.5 m by 7.0 m with a well-marked wheel pit. The walls have a thickness of 0.7 m and stand to a maximum height of 0.8 m.
Five mortar-stones were found, one of them being a double mortar.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750, no.18 (Report - non-specific). SDV319826.

Stamping mill. Documented as Colesmills in 19th century. Field evidence.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, Medieval Industry, 94 (Article in Serial). SDV275197.

Listed as a pre-1700 tin mill.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Not visible on 1946 aerial verticals.

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

Depicted by Butler.

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

Depicted and described by Robertson.

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

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

(19/03/2002) Centred SX 59366676. A ruinous former stamping mill lies amidst streamworking remains at the foot of a steep scarp on the left bank of the River Plym. The remains consist of a T-shaped building with maximum internal dimensions of 7.4m east to west by 6.2m with coursed boulder walling around 0.8m wide and a maximum of 0.7m high. The interior is obscured by rubble. Adjacent to and parallel with the northern wall of the building is a well-defined wheelpit measuring 8.0m long by 0.55m wide and 1.0m deep. A mortar stone is incorporated into the walling of the pit and four similar stones are scattered around the site. The waterwheel was formerly supplied by a leat which rises on the Plym at SX 59786712. Measuring 1.1m wide and around 0.4m deep this feature approaches the site from the east, cascading down the steep scarp to a short launder bank immediately above the wheelpit.
There are several hollows around the site but none can be positively identified as buddles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey

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