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Summary

A Medieval or later tinner's hut situated on the west bank of Steeperton Brook within an area of streamworks. The hut is located on level ground within the upper, southern section of a tin streamworks known as Bow Combe. Archaeological field surveys conducted in 1993 and 2003 found it to be built into a depression created by adjoining tinners' mounds and is a well built granite structure with walls remaining to a height of 0.4 metres and 0.7 metres thick. The internal dimensions are 5.2 metres by 3.1 metres. A single-slab clapper bridge straddles a stream 120 metres north-north-east of the hut. The bridge comprises a roughly triangular piece of uncut moorstone, with sides of 1.5, 2.0 and 1 metre by 0.25 metres thick. The east end of the slab now lies in the river.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and walling remains of medieval or later streamworking along the Steeperton Brook as well as tinners' buildings and blowing houses

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68NW31
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443745
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68NW/55

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CLAPPER BRIDGE (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• TINNERS HUT (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Le Messurier, B., 1975, Ruined huts within tin streaming (Worksheet). SDV267810.

Site visited on 31st May 1975. A ruined hut confined between steep banks. Very ruinous, but what remains is well-preserved. Walls are low but well-built. Floor of tumbled stone. Fireplace appears lost. There is a ruined clapper bridge not far downstream. Tin streaming remains nearby. Internal measurements 3.0 metres by 4.9 metres.

Le Messurier, B., 1978-1979, Post-Prehistoric Structures in Central North Dartmoor: A Field Survey (Un-published). SDV269282.

SX 61608740. On the left bank of Steeperton Brook, a hut with low but well built walls. Internal measurements 3.0m by 4.9m. A cupboard is incorporated in the north wall. Tin streaming nearby. Probably pre-1700.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX68NW31 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV239039.

(02/10/1979) At SX 61608730, surrounded by tin streaming spoil heaps is a tinners' hut in fair condition. It is as described by Le Messurier, constructed of double-faced roughly dressed drystone walling 0.7m wide and 0.4m high, but with no visible entrance. (Extent of tin-streaming shown on 1:10 000 map). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.
See ground photograph.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 214, Map 41, Site 'TH7' (Monograph). SDV219155.

'TH7' is a tinners' hut of 5.0 metres by 3.0 metres with only a few courses of the wall visible on the west side of Steeperton Brook to the south-west of Wild Tor. It is at the higher end of a substantial streamwork which has lowered the bed of the stream by up to 2 metres.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, P. Newman (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(08/09/1993) SX 61598730. A ruined rectangular building on the west bank of Steeperton Brook, located on level ground within the upper, southern section of a tin streamwork known as Bow Combe. The hut is built into a depression created by adjoining tinners' mounds. It is a well built granite structure with walls remaining to a height of 0.4 metres and 0.7 metres thick. The internal dimensions are 5.2 metres by 3.1 metres. There is a puzzling absence of tumbled stone within or nearby the structure suggesting the original height of the walls was little more than it is today. An opening in the north wall, which is 0.5 metres wide, has two jambs standing to a height of 0.4 metres. This could be an entrance though Le Messurier shows a photograph of the opening with a stone covering the top and claims it was a cupboard recess. This stone is no longer in place.
120 metres north-north-east of the hut at SX 61658740 a single-slab clapper bridge straddles the stream. The bridge consists of a roughly triangular piece of uncut moorstone, with sides of 1.5 metres and 2.0 metres and 1 metre by 0.25 metres thick. The east end of the slab now lies in the river.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(22/10/2003) These features remain as described in 1993.

English Heritage, 2005, Survey Information (miscellaneous date) (Report - Survey). SDV345855.

Small rectangular building shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

'Tinners' Hut (remains of)' shown as a circular feature on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range

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