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Summary

Drains associated with three pillow mounds are visible as earthwork ditches on aerial photographs of the 1940s, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013, on the south-west facing slopes of Trowlesworthy Warren overlooking the Blacka Brook.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016147: A stone alignment, kerbed cairn, prehistoric settlement, four pillow mounds, a vermin trap and animal runs 720m south west of Great Trowlesworthy Tor

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DRAIN (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5143-5144 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

Curvilinear ditches are visible as earthworks.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5763-SX5764 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Curvilinear ditches are identifiable as earthworks.

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.

Two roughly parallel ditches are visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013, as earthworks up to 2.5m wide and almost 400m long, crossing the south-west facing slopes of Trowlesworthy Warren overlooking the Blacka Brook.
The ditches are cut and joined laterally by pairs of gullies extending south-west from the downslope end of two pillow mounds, (MDV29966 and MDV29969) interpreted as extensions of the pillow mound drainage ditches.
This might support the interpretation that the longer ditches recorded here also represent water management earthworks, possibly two phases of leat or drain of medieval to post-medieval date, diverting from the Lee Moor China Clay Works leat to the north and re-joining a spur from that same leat to the south, as it becomes a tributary to the Blacka Brook.
The easternmost, upslope ditch is possibly overlain by, and therefore might predate, the pillow mounds.
The ditches are probably the same as earthworks originally interpreted as an animal run or vermin trap and recorded separately as MDV32090 and MDV32115.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• 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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