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Summary

A stamping mill situated on the west side of the Redwater Valley within Soussons Plantation at Golden Dagger Tin Mine. This mill was not depicted on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map though it was in use by 1912 when it was photographed by Chapman and Son photograph. The photograph shows a very broad waterwheel and attached galvanised sheds. An archaeological survey in 2002 recorded the wheelpit, a level area to the south where the shed which housed twelve heads of Cornish stamps once stood; and two leat embankments of between 5 and 6m long. One of the embankments aligns with the wheelpit but the purpose of the second is not obvious though it may have diverted water onto a smaller water wheel housed within the sheds. Two clear leat channels may be traced north from embankments before being effaced by the forest track. The leat channels are up to 1.5m wide and 0.8m deep. A partly stone-lined tailrace survives below the wheelpit which diverted water back into the stream.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021340: Tinworks, field systems, settlements, warren, cairns and a stone alignment at Headland Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SE402
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1362177
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/296
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 34499

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Constructed, Early 20th Century - 1912 AD (Between) to 1912 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (Constructed, Early 20th Century - 1912 AD (Between) to 1912 AD (Between))
• STAMPS (Constructed, Early 20th Century - 1912 AD (Between) to 1912 AD (Between))
• WATERMILL (Constructed, Early 20th Century - 1912 AD (Between) to 1912 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (Constructed, Early 20th Century - 1912 AD (Between) to 1912 AD (Between))

Full description

Broughton, D. G., 1968-1969, The Birch Tor & Vitifer tin mining complex (Article in Serial). SDV291528.

Depicted and described by Broughton 1968.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1986, Tin Mines and Miners of Dartmoor, A photographic record (Monograph). SDV351363.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 21-2, Map 24 (Monograph). SDV219155.

An old leat leads west from the Redwater Brook to the old dressing floors at Golden Dagger Tin Mine where only a few walls can be found and bit further on a wheel pit of 7 metres by 3 metres on the edge of the plantation. The exceptionally wide wheel was used to drive sixteen head of stamps in a shed alongside but these have been cleared from the site.

Richardson, P. H. G., 1992, The Mines of Dartmoor and the Tamar Valley after 1913 (Article in Serial). SDV323598.

Passmore, A., 2000, Golden Dagger tin mine, 7 (Article in Serial). SDV305928.

SX 68338012 Large stamps and wheel was constructed at Golden Dagger mine circa 1903 on west side of valley.

Newman, P., 2002, Headland Warren and the Birch Tor and Vitifer Mines (Report - Survey). SDV363213.

(25/07/2002) A stamping mill at Golden Dagger Mine. This stamping mill on the west side of the Redwater valley within Soussons Plantation is well-known from a widely publicized Chapman and Son photograph of 1912 recording the site while still operational and showing the very broad waterwheel and attached galvanised sheds (Richardson 1992, Greeves 1986). All that remains today is the stone wheelpit, which although intact has been fenced off for safety purposes; a level area to the south where the shed which housed twelve heads of Cornish stamps once stood; and two leat embankments of between 5 and 6m long, just up the slope to the west. One of these embankments certainly aligns with the wheelpit but the purpose of the second is not obvious though it may have diverted water onto a smaller wheel housed within the sheds. Two clear leat channels may be traced north from embankments before being effaced by the forest track. The leat channels are up to 1.5m wide and 0.8m deep. A partly stone-lined tailrace survives below the wheelpit which diverted water back into the stream. This mill was not depicted on the 1904 OS map though it was in use by 1912 when photographed. A large 940 square metre tailings pond consisting of an earthwork dam oriented east-west is located 75m south of the wheelpit at SX 6837 8006.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

Small rectangular building shown at this location on modern mapping with a curving feature to the west..

Devon Archaeological Society, Unknown, List of Soussons Archaeological Sites (Worksheet). SDV293249.

'Stamps wheel' recorded. Spruce growing in ruins.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7390 - Archaeological condition survey in Soussons Woods
• EDV7402 - Archaeological condition survey in Soussons Woods
• EDV7431 - Woodland Survey (1989-90) at Bellever, Soussons and other woodland parcels
• EDV7139 - Headland Warren and the Birch Tor and Vitifer Mines Survey (Ref: A1/20/2001, A1/34/2002)

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