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Summary

Part of the tinworking on Morwell Down, worked from the surface for tin from at least the 16th century. Later bought and worked by the Tavistock Canal Company (1806) as one of the mines in their portfolio. Earthworks of irregularly shaped pits and banks of extractive pits and spoil heaps are visible on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2010 and 2013.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TIN MINE (Constructed, XVI - 1550 AD to 1599 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The earthworks correspond with woodland of Morwelldown Plantation and an area depicted as rough ground.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DTM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360208.

Visible in parts on the lidar data.

Environment Agency, 2000-2019, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Environment Agency LAST RETURN 17-JAN-2010 (Cartographic). SDV363954.

Irregularly shaped pits and banks are visible as earthworks.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: Tamar Aerial Survey project area, LIDAR Tellus LAST RETURN 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV363955.

Irregularly shaped pits and banks are visible as earthworks.

Waterhouse, R., 2017, The Tavistock Canal. Its History and Archaeology, 169-172, 182-186, figs 6.22-4, 6.35-6 (Monograph). SDV361789.

Holming Beam - north lode
Holming Beam consisted of a group of three interconnecting lodes, running parallel across the southern part of Morwell Down. Worked for tin from the surface from at least the 16th century (probably earlier); part of a large sett. Rights to this were bought by the Tavistock Canal Company with Wheal George and Charlotte in 1806. Probably included the copper mine later known as Wheal Russell which worked two lodes in the Tamar Valley to the west, and South Wheal Crebor which worked the eastward continuation of the Holming Beam lodes in the Tavy Valley to the east. Main period of working of this mine by the Company was between 1816-28.
Depicted on map of ancient mining evidence of Morwell Down, running north of Wheal Russell and crossing the line of the canal tunnel north of Bray's Shaft. Just north of this shaft, the lode was worked on an easterly drive for 43 metres, but only stoped above the tunnel, where the stoped area rises for about 12 metres above the tunnel roof. Author entered the stope in 2005 to survey it and noted dabs of clay on the walls to support candles.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2020-2021, Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M project) (Interpretation). SDV363945.

Earthworks of irregularly shaped pits and banks, between 3-115 metres long, are visible on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2010 and 2013.
The visible earthworks do not correspond with any pit and banked features in this location on the late-19th century First Edition Ordnance Survey map which shows this area as comprising woodland of Morwelldown Plantation and as rough ground.
They are interpreted as the extractive pits and spoil heaps associated with post-medieval or 19th century tin workings, that had probably been abandoned by the late 19-century.
Owing to the poor resolution of the available lidar data in this area, it is possible that the earthworks are more extensive than has been transcribed as part of this survey.
The earthworks are not visible on other available aerial imagery owing to the dense tree cover of Morwelldown Plantation.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8013 - Survey of the Tavistock Canal Tunnel on Morwelldown
• EDV8345 - Tamar/Lidar; A Single Source Approach to Landscape Survey and Socially Distanced Community Archaeology Area 1 (AI&M) (Ref: ACD2380)

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