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Summary

A good example of a late 18th or early 19th century linhay,

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LINHAY (XVIII to Modern - 1750 AD to 2013 AD (Between))

Full description

Watts, M., Linhay at 2 Hayes Dairy Cottages, Ratsloe, Poltimore, Devon. Historic Building Recording (Report - non-specific). SDV351080.

Linhay recorded prior to repair and conversion.
A typical medium-sized linhay, about 21 metres by 5 metres. Orientated south-east – north-west, its north-west end abutting the road. It contains 8 structural bays, each about 2.2 metres wide, the bay at the west end being slightly wider and extending forward of the mai front of the building. The rear wall is of cob on a base of rubble stone masonry which stands about 0.6 metre high. Internally, the lower part of the cob wall has been eroded quite deeply in places, due to animal activity. There is a modern agricultural building abutting the south side of the exterior wall. The cob is rendered and the stone base of the wall is obscured by a concrete blockwork outer skin built in front of it. The west wall, to the road, was formerly of cob on a stone base, but has been rebuilt in concrete blockwork. There is a concrete block churn stand projecting from the wall, over the ditch that runs alongside it. The east end has also been infilled with concrete block up to cross beam level, with the remains of horizontal timber boarding above. This elevation is now obscured by a modern shed.
The ground floor was partly obscured but, where visible, there is an uneven mix of levels and materials, including concrete, earth and cobbles. In bay 3 (from the east) there is a mixture of small stones set on edge and larger blocks and in bay 4 small cobbles and earth. Some of the bays were formerly divided, but no internal partitions now remain.
The front posts which define bays 1 to 5, are of oak, about 19 x 19 centimetres cross section. The feet of the front posts were carried on padstones, some of which survive. All the posts are decayed at their lower ends. The main cross beams are of elm, about 30 centimetres square at the north end and slightly lighter at the south. Their outer ends are notched into the backs of the posts, each with a shouldered through tenon held with two pegs through the post. The front posts that define bays 6 and 7 are much wider, being 34 x 19 centimetres in section, and of very knotty oak or elm. Some pintle hinges survive in the front posts towards the east end, where half doors were hung.
The joists that carry the tallet floor are of random widths and centres, generally 8 per bay, with some missing and some additions. They are predominantly of sparingly converted hardwood. The joist ends generally sit on the tops of the cross beams, only a random few being notched in. The floor is of circular-sawn elm boards laid with gaps between them, some boards being held in place only by a nail at each end.
The roof is fully hipped at both ends, set at a pitch of about 48 degrees. There are 7 trusses of similar construction, although again there are slight differences between the south and north ends. The timbers are pit-sawn, plainly finished and predominantly of elm. The principals, which are 20.5 by 9 centimetre section, have their front feet tenoned into the heads of the front posts and their rear feet sit on short timber plates on the head of the cob wall. The heads of the principals are notched and lapped at the apex, front over rear looking south. The ends of the collars are notched over the west faces of the principals, those to T1, 2, 3 and 4 being fixed with two large nails or spikes and those to T5, 6 and 7 fixed with a large spike and a wooden peg. The collars at the west end are of slightly superior form to those at the east, some having a natural camber. T5 and 6 have two purlin trenches on the back of each principal, whereas the trusses to the east have none. T7 has an empty mortise with 3 pegs on its under-face, close to the head of the post, and there is a small empty mortise lower down on the back of the post. There is a timber wall plate on the tops of the front posts, 24 by 10 centimetres section, in lengths joined by plain scarfs.
The present roof is of corrugated metal sheet on a light softwood structure which overlays the original construction. There are 10 by 8 centimetres timbers over each of the trusses, carrying 4 purlins on each slope and a ridge.
The linhay conforms broadly to Alcock’s T1 type. It is possible that only the west end of the building appears on the Ordnance Survey surveyor’s map of 1801, although the definition is not clear enough to be certain. It seems likely that the west end of the linhay, at least, was standing in the late 18th century. From the differences in construction between the three western and five eastern bays it appears that the linhay was built in two phases. The broad front posts at the west end are less typical of linhay construction than the square section posts to the east and the roof trusses at the west end are also of slightly superior construction, which may support an earlier construction date. The pitch of the roof suggests that it was originally thatched.
The 1832 estate map shows a northern extension which appears to be wider than that which is shown on the tithe map and what survives, so it is feasible that the 5 eastern bays were added to extend an earlier, squarer building sometime before 1839. The three western bays may have originally been constructed as a cart or wagon linhay, being adjacent to the road. While the basic structure appears to have survived generally as built, the tallet floor has been re-boarded, using circular-sawn boards placed with gaps between them. It is also of note that there is no surviving evidence of a manger along the inside of the rear wall.
A good example of a late 18th or early 19th century specialised Devon farm building,

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6129 - Building Recording at Hayes Dairy Linhay

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