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Summary

The remains of whetstone mine galleries and spoil heaps of probable 18th, 19th and early 20th century date were visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s and 1950s and digital images derived from lidar data captured from 1998 to 2014, as earthwork hollows, pits and mounds on the west-facing slopes of Hembury Hill, from Hembury Hill Farm northwards across Witness Moor, Payhembury parish.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST10SW/97
• Old SAM County Ref: 34(PART)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE (XVIII to XX - 1751 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

APH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV102946.

Belt of whetstone mining visible on raf ap's. Runs along w side of greensand spur from c st114043 to s tip of hembury fort, c st112029. Part lies on ramparts of hembury fort, within scheduled area. Collapsed mine tunnels with downslope spoil mounds (aph).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV102947.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/1974/4450-51/(11/4/1947).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV102948.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/1974/2452-3/(11/4/1947).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV102949.

Stanes, r. /tda/125(1993)86/devonshire batts.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2452-2453 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Narrow earthwork hollows and earthwork mounds were visible.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/453, RAF/541/453 RS 4104-4105 04-MAR-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357845.

Narrow earthwork hollows and earthwork mounds were visible. Map object based partly on this source.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST1103 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

Narrow earthwork hollows and earthwork mounds were visible. Map object based partly on this source.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1103 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The earthworks were obscured from view by dense tree cover.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

Linear gullies and lines of pits running perpendicular to the contours of the scarp were visible as earthwork hollows, pits and mounds above extensive irregularly shaped earthwork mounds and terraces on the west-facing slopes of Hembury Hill, for circa 575 metres from Hembury Hill Farm northwards across Witness Moor, Payhembury parish. The ditched earthworks were most clearly visible on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1950 whilst the banked remains were most identifiable on digital images derived from lidar data captured from 1998 to 2014, specifically DTM visualisations. Transcriptions are derived from both sources.
The linear hollows were largely between 2 and 6 metres wide and 10 to 25 metres long, running perpendicular to the contours of the scarp. They are interpreted as forming over the collapsed remains of post-medieval whetstone mine galleries.
Immediately downslope of the collapsed tunnels, mounds of spoil excavated from the mine galleries formed an irregular earthwork terrace up to 40 metres wide and over 350 metres long, with smaller mounds extending to the north for a further 280 metres.
The mining remains are obscured by dense woodland on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010 but the lidar date indicates that they probably survive as earthworks.
Further whetstone mining remains were visible to the north in Broadhembury parish and are recorded separately (see MDV50052 and MDV117163).

Sources / Further Reading

SDV102946	Migrated Record: APH.
SDV102947	Aerial Photograph:
SDV102948	Aerial Photograph:
SDV102949	Migrated Record:
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2452-2453 11-APR-1947.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1103 22-MAY-2010.
SDV357845	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/541/453. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/541/453 RS 4104-4105 04-MAR-1950.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST1103 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014.
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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