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Summary

The fragmentary remains of a field system of medieval or post-medieval date. Centred at SX58956755 it occupies some 150 hectares of mostly south-west facing moorland north of Ditsworthy Warren in the triangle formed by Eastern Tor, Higher Hartor and the Scout Hut.
Five enclosures are recognisable adjacent to the Eylesbarrow Mine track and on the south-western flank of Hartor Down. They are bounded mostly by cornditches - turf-covered stoney banks on average 1.1m high with a ditch on the external side. Some of the boundaries apparently utilize old tinners openworks and streamworks to extend to the field pattern.
There is no trace of ridge and furrow cultivation within the recognisable fields though much of the area is obscured by long grass and heather.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021055: Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE218
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1238310

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, map 49 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Partially depicted by Butler.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Depicted and described by Robertson.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1999, Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor areas in the Plym Valley, West Devon (Report - Survey). SDV346268.

(26/07/1999) The fragmentary remains of a field system of medieval or post-medieval date. Centred at SX58956755 it occupies some 150 hectares of mostly south-west facing moorland north of Ditsworthy Warren in the triangle formed by Eastern Tor, Higher Hartor and the Scout Hut.
Five enclosures are recognisable adjacent to the Eylesbarrow Mine track and on the south-western flank of Hartor Down. They are bounded mostly by cornditches - turf-covered stoney banks on average 1.1m high with a ditch on the external side. Some of the boundaries apparently utilize old tinners openworks and streamworks to extend to the field pattern.
There is no trace of ridge and furrow cultivation within the recognisable fields though much of the area is obscured by long grass and heather.
Fragments of further banks (SX 56 NE 212) lie on the ridge crest north of the mine track and may belong to this period or to a prehistoric phase of activity.
The origin of this extensive field system is unclear but it may be contemporaneous with the longhouse settlement at Whittenknowles Rocks (SX 56 NE 112).

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

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

(10/03/2005) This field system has become further obscured by vegetation since investigation in 1999. The visible elements appear to be in a stable condition.

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.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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