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Summary

Large slag heap in the middle of a small field to the north of Bodham's farm. The heap, which also contains charcoal and occasional pieces of lime, is stratified indicating a build up over time. The earthwork is visible as a circular mound on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SLAG HEAP (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Lancaster University Archaeological Unit, 1998, Iron and Steel Industries, Monument Protection Programme (MPP), Introduction to Site Assessments (Report - Assessment). SDV362922.

The site was believed to consist of a large mound of iron smelting slag measuring 30 metres by 20 metres up to 3.5 metres in height together with a faint hollow way. However, the site was found to lie within a field under a standing crop which prevented assessment at the time of visit.

The NGR lies close to a small enclosure mapped by the Ordnance Survey which may have preserved the mound. However, standing crops prevented access to this area. It is also possible that the site lies within the cultivated field and has been damaged/destroyed by ploughing.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST1412 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

The slag heap is visible as an earthwork mound.

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

A slag heap of between medieval to post-medieval date is visible as a circular mound on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016, to the northeast of Bodham’s Farm. The sub-oval shaped earthwork measures approximately 18m in length by 14m in width and was not visible on aerial photographs or other digital images available to the survey owing to tree cover here.

Stanes, R., Unknown, Iron Smelting Site at Hemyock, 36-37 (Article in Serial). SDV351650.

Large mound of iron slag, about 1500 tons, in middle of a field (named as Linhay and Garden [1619] on the c1840 Tithe Map). The slag is intermixed with a certain amount of charcoal and occasional pieces of lime and is stratified, indicating that the heap has been built up over time. The site appears to be that of a smelting site although this use seems to have been forgotten by the time of the Tithe Map, so a date of 1790 at the latest is suggested. The slag, however, shows sign of considerable heat and having become molten suggesting the presence of some sort of blast furnace as the earliest bloomeries did not produce molten iron. The site is considered, therefore, unlikely to be medieval although it is possible.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV351650	Article in Serial: Stanes, R.. Unknown. Iron Smelting Site at Hemyock. Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries. Photocopy + Digital. 36-37.
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
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST1412 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016. [Mapped feature: #73941 ]

Associated Monuments: none recorded

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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