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Summary

A medieval field system which surrounds the upper reaches of Legis Lake and was associated with three contemporary settlements (14143; 13243; 13244). The system immediately linked to these farmsteads covers 96ha, but connects with other components of the medieval agrarian landscape extending west across Lynch Common and east beyond Gutter Tor. An area of fields to the NW around Ringmoor Cottage may also represent expansion of this system. The system is currently bounded to the south by the later Legistor Warren boundary wall, which probably follows approximately the course of an earlier boundary forming part of this system. On the NW side, the course of a prehistoric reave has been adapted for 500m running NE to SW, where, for 300m, two banks run in parallel, 7m apart forming a droveway. The enclosed spaces vary in size from 1ha to 11ha, the smaller fields being closer to the settlements. Ridge and furrow evidence of cultivation is present in several of the fields, particularly visible on lidar. Other evidence of cultivation comes in the form of linear stone clearance, where stone and boulders have been moved out the way of the plough and deposited in lines. The field boundaries are all constructed from earth to form a bank and probably once supported hedges. These banks have now spread to as much as 3.5m but remain to between 0.3m and 0.6m high. Several have a silted ditch running alongside formed by the construction of the bank. The large tin streamworks that follows the course of Legis Lake, may have been imposed on this landscape while these farms were still occupied, though the tinworking activities would certainly have impinged on those of the farmers destroying approximately 10ha of land within the field system and altering the hydrology of the area.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE329
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1409366

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(17/03/2005) Centred SX 56726639. Approximately 160 hectares of abandoned medieval field system within Sheepstor Parish on Ringmoor Down. The bulk of the system, some 110 hectares is centred around three abandoned medieval farmsteads (438831, 438834 and 438843). These fields vary in size from 0.25 hectares to 25 hectares and most possess traces of slight ridge and furrow. The enclosing banks vary in width from 1.5 to 3.5m and stand a maximum of 1.2m high. Dense molinea grass over the eastern part of the system has obscured much detail.
The western elements of this field system lie adjacent to the Sheepstor/Meavy parish boundary and probably represent an extension to the similar (in age and form) field system on Lynch Common (438858). Again traces of ridge and furrow lie within the fields though the interiors of most are obscured by molinea and gorse.
Both elements of the field system have been disrupted by later tinworking activity (1408405).

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

A medieval field system which surrounds upper reaches of Legis Lake. SX 56827 66200. A medieval field system which surrounds the upper reaches of Legis Lake and was associated with three contemporary settlements (14143; 13243; 13244). The system immediately linked to these farmsteads covers 96ha, but connects with other components of the medieval agrarian landscape extending west across Lynch Common and east beyond Gutter Tor. An area of fields to the NW around Ringmoor Cottage may also represent expansion of this system. The system is currently bounded to the south by the later Legistor Warren boundary wall, which probably follows approximately the course of an earlier boundary forming part of this system. On the NW side, the course of a prehistoric reave has been adapted for 500m running NE to SW, where, for 300m, two banks run in parallel, 7m apart forming a droveway. The enclosed spaces vary in size from 1ha to 11ha, the smaller fields being closer to the settlements. Ridge and furrow evidence of cultivation is present in several of the fields, particularly visible on lidar. Other evidence of cultivation comes in the form of linear stone clearance, where stone and boulders have been moved out the way of the plough and deposited in lines. The field boundaries are all constructed from earth to form a bank and probably once supported hedges. These banks have now spread to as much as 3.5m but remain to between 0.3m and 0.6m high. Several have a silted ditch running alongside formed by the construction of the bank. The large tin streamworks that follows the course of Legis Lake, may have been imposed on this landscape while these farms were still occupied, though the tinworking activities would certainly have impinged on those of the farmers destroying approximately 10ha of land within the field system and altering the hydrology of the area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV7551 - Ditsworthy Warren: An archaeological investigation
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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