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Summary

There has been a farmstead here since the medieval period. Excavations here have recovered pottery ranging from the 10th-19th centuries. The present farmstead is considered to be a good example of a late 19th century farmyard, contemporary with the farmhouse which itself is thought to have been rebuilt after a fire c.1890. There were also formerly buildings to the south of the farmhouse.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SS71SE19
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS71SE/12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMSTEAD (VIII to XIX - 701 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

The Tithe Map shows a range of buildings to the south of the house, at the northern end of a garden to the north and on either side of the trackway just to the north-west.

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

West Yeo marked. Comparison with the Tithe Map shows the buildings to the south to have been altered and additional ranges of buildings added around the yard to the north of the house. A larger, open fronted buildings is shown on the south side of the trackway to the north-west but the building on the north side of the trackway has gone.

Reichel, O. J., 1898, The Domesday Hundreds of Devon, part 6. The Hundred of Witheridge, 399, 421 (Article in Serial). SDV49633.

Westyeo. Appears in the Domesday Book as Ratdone when it was held by Walter de Clavil. In later documents, including the tax roll for 1302 and Testa de Nevil (1243), it appears as Fremaniscot and the holders at the time are given.

Reichel, O. J., 1900-1901, Feudal Aids (Article in Serial). SDV360894.

Fremancote is West Yeo in Witheridge, as the ownership of William Vassal proves.

Dyer, M. J., 1993, West Yeo Farm, Witheridge (Site Visit). SDV63120.

Site visit 6th July 1993. The 'original' farmhouse was destroyed by fire c.1890. It was situated slightly south of the present house because 'part of the front wall' and a cobbled area as well as pieces of lead and glass were uncovered when the garden was landscaped in 1989 (RCHM, citing Dyer).

Child, P., 2000, Countryside Stewardship: West Yeo Farm (Correspondence). SDV366743.

West Yeo is a good example of a late 19th century farmyard. It is still traditional in its components but shows some elements borrowed from Model farm practises developed in the 19th century. Apart from the western range, which has been replaced with a modern building, the group appears to be contemporary with the farmhouse, understood to be c.1880. This is considered to be relatively unusual for Devon. Single period complexes are usually the product of estate building. However, West Yeo was not part of an estate but was built it seems by a newcomer to the district which again makes it unusual. The buildings are almost entirely constructed of local rubble stone but there are a few sections of cob walling which are thought to be remains from the previous farmyard on the site. The roofs were all originally clad in slate.
See associated monuments for details of individual buildings.

Bryant, D & Green, T., 2014, North Devon Archaeological Society Archaeological and Historical Project at West Yeo Farm, Witheridge, North Devon 2009-2012, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV360664.

The farm buildings are located to the North West of Witheridge where soil is mostly red clay , with ridges of sandstone. Excavations, during 2010-2012, saw two main trenches, one in the garden and one in the adjacent meadow. A large amount of pottery was found ranging from the 10th -19th century including Saxo-Norman material, North Devon gravel-tempered ware, sgraffito, salt glazed Bellamine ware, Bristol ware, creamware, and domestic china. Hundreds of flints and some chert were recorded, including a variety of tool types. The majority of the worked flint could be dated to the Mesolithic period, with some Neolithic arrowheads found also.

Ordnance Survey, 2026, Mastermap 2026 (Cartographic). SDV366713.

The buildings to the south of the house, shown on the 1880s-1890s map, are no longer extant. The range on the western side of the yard to the north of the house has also been removed as has the southern part of the eastern range.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV6709 - FLINT (Mesolithic to Late Neolithic - 8000 BC to 2201 BC)
• FDV6707 - SHERD (XI to Late 20th Century - 1001 AD to 2000 AD)
• FDV6708 - BOTTLE (XVIII - 1715 AD to 1770 AD)

Associated Events: none recorded

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