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Summary

The area incorporates evidence for a Bronze Age field system, and medieval and post medieval tenements.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NE63
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 914130

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• TENEMENT (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Burnard, R., 1893, Dartmoor Pictorial Records, (1986 Edn), plate 2, 33 (Article in Serial). SDV350411.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 2458 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(08/08/1988) Riddon, of about 29ha, typifies a small tenement, taken from a sheltered part of Riddon Ridge waste and expanded by the addition of newtakes. The enclosed ground occupies a small spur rising from 310m to 340m OD, bordered by moorland on the W, and sloping eastwards down to the Steading and the Walla Brook boundary. The farm had acquired its present size by 1802-3 (OS drawing, 1802-3) and throughout the 19th century, leases, and the Tithe Award (Lydford Tithe Map and Award, 1839) quote an area of 70 to 75 acres.
In 1702 Riddon is listed as a single tenement and one of the ancient tenements of Dartmoor (Burnard, 1893) though the earliest references seem to be of 1492 and 1496. In 1610 the rent was six shillings and four pence. It was still that sum in 1786 when rent was paid to the Prince of Wales by Charles Hale for "the ancient messuage and tenement called Riddon" with and additional two shillings for Riddon Newtake and Riddon Second Newtake. (These rentals reflect the fee for the nominal eight acre newtake).
From 1841 census lists and directories name tenants and periods when the farm was unoccupied (Dartmoor Tenements and card index, 1988 Typescript NAR B Jones).
If the original tenement was a conventional ferling of about 30 acres the existing field pattern suggests it may have occupied the central part, with newtakes subsequently added to the N and the S and possibly as late as the 18th century.
There are no particular field names to clarify the process of growth but two fields "Heathy Park" in the extreme NW, and "Beatlands" in the S (Tithe Map, 1839) remained as enclosed moorland until about 1960 (information from tenant Riddon).
Whenever Riddon was established a prehistoric field system probably existed in the area, an extension of the Dartmeet parallel reave system. A long reave, visible over Riddon Down, crosses the NW part of the farm, though overlaid by a modern field bank. On the moorland prehistoric fields adjoin the SE side of the reave and since some can be traced on an aerial photograph (1946), almost to the Riddon boundary, it seems probable that the pattern has been fossilized by the existing fields between the reave alignment and the Walla Brook. (See SX 67 NE 209).
Only in the extreme S, in the recently improved "Beatlands" is there some possible original prehistoric walling. This 5ha field is divided into three parts by low redundant walls of small stones with a few larger blocks. The walls vary in width from 0.7m to 1.2m with an average height of 0.4m and the resulting plots are of about 1ha and 2ha, sizes repeated elsewhere on the farm but with substantial enclosing banks. One plot has been depicted on OS plans since 1883, possibly because the wall is surmounted by bushes, but "Beatlands" was portrayed as a single unit in 1839 and is considered so today.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8635 - Riddon Farm, Duchy Farms Survey

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