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Summary

Rows of prospecting pits of possible medieval to post-medieval date are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014, as earthworks on the western edge of Crownhill Down. The pit earthworks have probably been partly destroyed by modern open cast mining.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1363231
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX55NE/62

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Former Type) TRIAL PIT (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)
• (Former Type) PROSPECTING PIT (Late Medieval - 1401 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RP 3252-3253 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

Circular pits flanked by spoil mounds are visible as earthworks.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Curving line of pits shown on aerial photograph on the west side of Crownhill Down. Map object based on this Source.

National Monuments Record, 1978, SX5659/3, 127-129 (Aerial Photograph). SDV343983.

Edwards, C., 1979, An archaeological survey of an area surrounding Hemerdon Ball (Report - Survey). SDV337241.

Site visited on the 18th June 1979. A line of adjacent trial pits runs in a 'dogs leg' from SX56215996 to SX56235987 cutting a Medieval field boundary at SX56215991. Length 3 metres by width 1 metre and deptth 0.5 metres.

AMAX, 1982, The Hemerdon Project. Archaeological Sites (Plan - measured). SDV149232.

Devon County Council, 1982, Untitled Source (Plan - measured). SDV337246.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, SX55NE (Cartographic). SDV337243.

Pits shown on aerial photograph interpretation. Map object based on this Source.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5659 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Circular pits flanked by spoil mounds are visible as earthworks.

National Monuments Record, 2002, 1363231 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV343984.

An impressive group of prospecting or trial tin pits lie lie in a line or in tight groups with a number of individual scattered pits. They are each circa 4 metres diameter and up to 0.8 metres deep. Other details: NMR Number SX55NE35.

Fletcher, M., 2002, The Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Ridding Down: Survey Report (Report - Survey). SDV343412.

Other details: Figure 3 and Crownhill Down Survey.

Next Perspectives, 2015-2017, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5659 31-MAY-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV361515.

The pits have probably been destroyed by modern opencast mining.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Rows of prospecting pits are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, as earthworks on the western edge of Crownhill Down.
The pits are difficult to define but appear to be between 2 to 4m in diameter, are very closely spaced with some intercutting apparent, and flanked by roughly circular spoil mounds of similar size. The most clearly defined pits extend in a doglegged row circa 94m long northwards from SX56225987 to SX56205996.
The row of pits has previously been recorded as cutting a south-west to north-east aligned ditch, circa 100 long (MDV12664) interpreted as a field boundary of medieval date. Reassessment of this south-west to north-east aligned feature using lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 supports a reinterpretation of the earthworks as comprising a series of intercut pits flanked by conjoined spoil mounds on its southern edge, not a single continuous ditch.
This might support the further interpretation of this as an early phase of prospection, cut by the later, north to south aligned pits.
Whilst the earthworks remain clearly visible on lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014. the pits have probably been largely destroyed by subsequent open cast mining.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4559 - Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Riddding Down
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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