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HER Number:MDV20850
Name:Blowing or stamping mill at Riddon, Widecombe

Summary

Site of a possible tin mill suggested by find of a mouldstone, within area of tin working on the right hand bank of the Walla Brook.

Location

Grid Reference:SX 674 766
Map Sheet:SX67NE
Admin AreaDartmoor National Park
Civil ParishDartmoor Forest
Civil ParishWidecombe in the Moor
DistrictTeignbridge
DistrictWest Devon
Ecclesiastical ParishLYDFORD

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

  • National Monuments Record: SX67NE62
  • National Record of the Historic Environment: 914121
  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NE/121

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • FINDSPOT (Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
  • TIN MILL (Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750, No. 72 (Report - non-specific). SDV319826.

SX 6741 7668 Blowing/stamping mill at Riddon. Undocumented mill site. Field evidence includes a mouldstone, mortarstone and slag found at above grid refence.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 523 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Hemery recrds a tin mould stone on Riddon, and says it is reasonably certain a blowing house was situated on Walla Brook, under Calor Common at the downstream end of the stream workings.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Not visible on RAF 1946 aerial photograph.

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

(08/08/1988) The mould stone is set into the base of a field wall at SX 67417667, near the right hand bank of Walla Brook. The mould has been cut centrally in a moorstone 1m long, between 0.7 and 0.5m wide, and at least 0.5m thick. The mould measures 40cms by 25cms at the top, 31cms by 20cms at the bottom, which is slightly dished, and from 11cms to 16cms deep. This would produce an ingot of about 170lbs weight. Beside the mould is a sample or tester mould 20cms long, 12cms wide, and 4cms deep.
Casual observation indicates at least a half hectare of tin working around SX 6738 7675 and two hectare centred at SX 6752 7657 along the left bank of Walla Brook. All were outside the area of fieldwork, and a number of low banks at SX 6748 76459, seen from Riddon farmland, might represent the site of a blowing house, 100m downstream of the mould stone.
At SX 6746 7589 a small isolated patch of streamworking straddles the extreme SW boundary of the farm

Greeves, T. A. P., 1990, An Assessment of Dartmoor Tinworking, 43 (Report - Assessment). SDV343684.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV249702Monograph: Hemery, E.. 1983. High Dartmoor. High Dartmoor. Hardback Volume. 523.
SDV319826Report - non-specific: Greeves, T. A. P.. 1981. List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750. List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750. 35. Unknown. No. 72.
SDV319854Cartographic: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1985. Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP. Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Aerial Photograph P. Cartographic.
SDV343684Report - Assessment: Greeves, T. A. P.. 1990. An Assessment of Dartmoor Tinworking. Digital. 43.
SDV350839Report - Survey: Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England. 1987-1993. Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit. Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England Archaeological Survey. Unknown. N. V. Quinnell. [Mapped feature: #135348 ]

Associated Monuments

MDV30896Related to: SLAG in the Parish of Dartmoor Forest (Monument)
MDV26213Related to: Streamworking on the Walla Brook, Riddon Ridge (Monument)

Associated Finds

  • FDV7749 - MOULD (Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD to 1901 AD)

Associated Events

  • EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

Date Last Edited:Feb 7 2022 9:43AM