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Summary

Leats of probable post-medieval to 20th century construction are visible on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards as earthworks up to circa 3.6km long, extending from Penn Moor in the east to Lee Moor in the west. The leats have been partly destroyed by the later 20th century expansion of the Lee Moor China Clay Works.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015428: Enclosure and stone hut circles 600m ESE of Penn Beacon, forming part of a stone hut circle settlement
• Scheduled Monument 1008644: Enclosure 560m south east of Penn Beacon, forming part of a stone hut circle settlement

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Post Medieval to Mid 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1966 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The visible earthworks correspond in part with a depicted leat.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

The visible earthworks correspond in part with a depicted leat.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, Leats are visible as curvilinear ditches. (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

Leats are visible as curvilinear ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5144-5145 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

Leats are visible as curvilinear ditches.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 2295-2296 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

RAF/106G/UK/1190 RS 4255-4256 27-FEB-1946

Ordnance Survey, 1963-1996, 1963-1996 National Grid OS Metric (Cartographic). SDV350058.

The visible earthworks correspondwith depicted leats.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5962, SX6062 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

The leats have been partially destroyed.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5763-SX5863, SX5862-SX6062 01-JUN-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

The leats have been partially destroyed.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5962, SX6062 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

The leats have been partially destroyed.

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 curvilinear ditches circa 1.5 to 3.5m wide are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1946 extending from Penn Moor in the east to Lee Moor in the west. The northernmost ditch is the longer, originating at a spring-fed stream on Penn Moor at circa SX604866288 and extending for circa 3.6km to Lee Moor, where it joins the shorter, southern ditch.
This originated near the head of the Tory Brook at circa SX5877962938 and extended for circa 1.1km to Lee Moor, where it joins the northern ditch.
The ditches are interpreted as the remains of leats intended to supply the Lee Moor China Clay Works with water.
Two leats crossed at c SX5775763290, where a sluice probably controlled the direction of flow, sending water either to join the Lee Moor China Clay Leat at circa SX5771563384, feed into ‘Big Pond’ as a reservoir for the clay works or disperse on the slopes to the west.
The southernmost leat is depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edtion 25inch map, and therefore predates circa 1880.
The northernmost leat is not depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edtion 25inch map, and therefore postdates circa 1880. It is largely depicted on the Second Edition map, and was therefore partly constructed by circa 1906, but its full eastern extent is first depicted on the 1963-1996 OS metric map, supporting the interpretation that this full extent might be later 20th century in date, probably associated with the expansion of the China Clay works to the west.
The expansion of these clayworks destroyed the leats for circa 1.6km, from SX5763 into SX5863 and SX5862.
East of this point the leat remains identifiable as an earthwork on digital images derived from aerial photographs and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.
These are probably the same as the leats previously recorded as MDV43396 and MDV29983.

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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