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Summary

Historically Great Houndbeare was within a detached part of Woodbury parish but was amalgamated with Aylesbeare parish in 1844 and finally transferred in 1931. The farm buildings today are grouped around a rectangular open farmyard with the farmhouse on the east side. The oldest building on the site today is a cob barn on the west side of the yard which is probably 17th century in origin.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMSTEAD (Early Medieval to XX - 1066 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Great Housebeare depicted (plot 2249) comprising buildings around four sites of a rectangular yard which also has a building in the middle. Two smaller buildings are shown to the north and a larger building to the south.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Great Houndbeare marked. Comparison with the Tithe Map shows some changes, in particular the large barn to the south has gone as has a building adjoining the south side of the farmhouse.

Watts, M., 2010, Great Houndbeare, Aylesbeare, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV347841.

Historical background given. Both Great and Little Houndbeare belonged to the Vicars Choral of Exeter Cathedral, who held the manor of Woodbury from the late 12th century. The two farms formed an island in the parish of Aylesbeare until the late 19th century. This detached part was amalgamated with Aylesbeare in 1884 and finally transferred by royal approval in 1931. At the time of the c1840 Tithe Map about 45% of the total holding was arable land and so the emphasis at this time appears to have been on crop production. The layout of the buildings at that time shown what appears to be a barn with a roundhouse for a horsegear to drive a threshing machine in north-west corner of plot 2248 (Higher Orchard). The plot to the south, 2247 is named as Rick Yard, where harvested grain would have been stacked prior to threshing.
The present farm buildings are grouped around a rectangular open farmyard with a cob barn on the west side and a brick linhay on the south side. The barn formerly extended further to the north and there was an adjoining building between it and the linhay. Two brick buildings that form the south side have been converted to office use. A small rectangular building shown on the Tithe Map and the first edition Ordnance Survey Map in the centre of the yard may have been a dung house. It is no longer extant. The farmhouse at the northern end of the east side of the yard has been substantially rebuilt. To the north a domestic building called Mill Cottage appears to have been a pound and cider house. Towards the end of the 20th century the site was used as a transport depot. The buildings on the south side were converted to office use and a large modern shed was built behind them.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5302 - Historic Building Recording at Great Houndbeare, Aylesbeare

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