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Summary

A water powered stamping mill and associated dressing floor to Eylesbarrow tin mine. The mill was one of six which served the mine and were in use between 1814-52. A archaeological field survey by English Heritage in 1999 found it to be a double stamping mill with batteries of stamps on both sides of the wheel. The wheelpit is placed centrally within the dressing floor and has internal dimensions of 8.5 metres by approximately 1metre wide. A stone clad leat embankment, 12 metres by 4.5 metres, is situated 18 metres to the west and sits at right angles to the dried up leat channel which diverted water from further up the Drizzlecombe Valley. On either side of the wheelpit are the remains of the stamps areas, and two well preserved sunken sluice boxes of 3 metres long and up to 1.5 metres wide, with stone linings and visible sluice openings. Several rectangular buddles also survive comprising roughly rectangular earthwork hollows. A second dressing area is situated to the south of the main area and contains two earthwork buddles. To the south of the dressing floor are two rectangular structures probably representing the remains of reck or rack houses.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021055: Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE277
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1318967
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/196
• Old SAM Ref: 34467

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BUDDLE (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))
• STAMPS (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))
• WATERMILL (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Ouline of stamping mill shown on 19th century map with several buildings.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Ouline of two walls and two buildings shown on early 20th century map.

Cook, R. M. L., 1974, Eylesbarrow (1814- 1852): A Study of a Dartmoor Tin Mine, 184-193, Figures 1-4 (Article in Serial). SDV231127.

Eylesbarrow, Stamping Mill Number 6 has an extensive dressing floor. In use from circa 1820. Has a subsidiary floor about 15 metres across, complete with three square buddles. Had stamps on both sides of wheel pit.

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

Recorded on aerial photograph.

Cranstone, D. + Hedley, I., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme: The Tin Industry Step 3 Site Assessments, Devon 6B (Report - non-specific). SDV357946.

One of six water powered stamping mills which served Eylesbarrow tin mine.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1997, Tin Stamping Mills of Dartmoor after AD 1750, 6-8 (Article in Serial). SDV346020.

Bodman, M., 1998, Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 23/29 (Report - non-specific). SDV305931.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1999, Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor areas in the Plym Valley, West Devon (Report - Survey). SDV346268.

(30/09/1999) A tin stamping mill and dressing floors associated with Eylesbarrow tin mine. This was a double stamping mill with batteries of stamps on both sides of the wheel. The mill is contained within a levelled area on the north side of the Drizzlecombe stream in an area previously worked as a streamwork. A stone revetment 54 metres long forms the western side of the dressing floor and the wheelpit is placed centrally within it. The revetment is mostly collapsed though several metres of stonework remains in place. The granite wheelpit is badly ruined with fallen stone filling the wheel housing. It has internal dimensions of 8.5 metres by approximately 1metre wide. Three large rectangular granite blocks with holes to accommodate iron bolts are probably those onto which the axle bearings sat. Two are now displaced. A stone clad leat embankment of 12 metres by 4.5 metres is sited just up the hill 18 metres to the west and sits at right angles to the dried up leat channel which diverted water from further up the Drizzlecombe Valley. To either side of the wheelpit are the remains of the stamps areas comprising a raised platform with dressed granite blocks forming the edges. Just to the outside of the stamps area are two well preserved sunken sluice boxes of 3 metres long and up to 1.5 metres wide, with stone linings and visible sluice openings. Several buddles are visible on the dressing floor area consisting of roughly rectangular earthwork hollows. A second dressing area is sited approximately 4.5 metres south of the main area. It too consists of a levelled area with revetted retaining wall on the west side of approximately 11 metres long. Two earthwork buddles survive on the levelled area. South of the second dressing floor two rectangular structures probably represent the remains of reck or rack houses. The largest is 4 metres by 2.5 metres by approximately 1metre deep and built from granite with an opening on one side. A number of larger rectangular pits on the eastern side of the flat dressing floor area were clearly part of a secondary process and are connected to the main buddles by a series of channels up to 2.5 metres wide. The largest of these pits is 9 metres by 3.3 metres and has a masonry lining.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 105-148 (Article in Serial). SDV231130.

The second stamping mill to be established at Eylesbarrow referred to as the 'double' mill in 1805. It was out of action by 1847. This mill had a large diameter wheel with stamping areas and dressing floors on both sides. It has additional smaller dressing areas and tailings' pits spread over a large area. The 1:500 survey shows the relationship of features.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 25-30, Figures 2, 12-13 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Stamping Mill Number 6 at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine is probably one of the earliest at the mine. All the stamping mills have a level stance cut into the slope and return walls on one or both ends. The rectangular open-ended wheelpits are sited at right angles to the revetment and the wheelpit at this mill is placed centrally. Upslope of the wheelpits are raised embankments which would have supported wooden launders at the correct heightto bring water to the top of the overshot wheels. At Stamping Mill Number 6 the absence of a visible tailrace channel suggests it was sited below ground and covered.The stamping area consists of a stone revetted level platform raised above the dressing floor onto which the Cornish type stamps would fall onto the ore, contained within a timber coffer.. The settling pits are alll sited approximately 1 metre from the stamps area beside the wheelpit and are lined with flat granite slabs. Some of the dressing floors have additional rectangular pits or 'buddles' as at this mill where the buddles are lined with dressed granite slabs. Below the main dressing floor are a range of secondary buddles and tailings pits to further refine the the tin. The water-borne tin concentrate was transported between processes via a system of wooden launders, channels and underground conduits.

Whitbourne, A., 2001, Visit to Eylesbarrow Mine, 2-3 (Article in Serial). SDV231129.

Newman, P. + Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(10/03/2005) This feature remains as described in 1999.

National Monuments Record, 2013, 438809, SX56NE 108 (Website). SDV231126.

One of the six Stamping Mills at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine.

English Heritage, 2013, Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains (Schedule Document). SDV231131.

Eylesbarrow Tin Mine contains a broad range of different forms of evidence relating to prospecting, exploitation and processing of both tin deposits and lodes. In particular, the 19th century mining remains represent an important source of information concerning the character of a large scale water powered tin mine, where all the original elements survive in an excellent condition. The survival of so many stamping mills together with a smelting house and full range of mining remains and associated buildings is indeed unique in the South West of England. The monument includes the core part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine six separate stamping mills and a smelting house was constructed to smelt the processed tin from the stamping mills. The size of the operation is further emphasised by the large number of ancillary buildings constructed to serve the mine. Amongst these are a count house, dormitory accommodation, blacksmith's shop, powder houses, sample house and various storage buildings.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Some of the outline of the stamping mill shown on modern mapping. Map object largely based on this source.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UP-DZ 29 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 08/02/2020. Overall condition moderate. Photo x3 taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, UP-DZ 29 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo 1: View looking 010° of E rack house and S part of site showing grass/moss and bracken cover with outcrops of reeds. Photo 2: View looking 140° of SM6 and central part of site showing grass/moss and bracken cover. Photo 3: View looking 270° from across stream of N part of site showing grass/moss and bracken cover with outcrops of reeds.

Greeves, T., July 1979, Devon Studies Week. Notes for Afternoon Excursion, Thursday, July 12th 1979 (Un-published). SDV230997.

Site visited on 12th July 1979. Constructed about 1820. One of a series of tin stamping mills. Served by a leat.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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