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Summary

A curvilinear ditch, probably the remains of a leat of medieval to post-medieval date, is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 as an earthwork following the contours on the west-facing slopes of Crownhill Down. The leat has been largely destroyed by modern open cast mining.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1363228
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX55NE/156

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FP 1126-1127 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

A linear earthwork ditch is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Linear feature shown on aerial photograph. Map object based on this Source.

AMAX, 1982, The Hemerdon Project. Archaeological Sites (Plan - measured). SDV149232.

Devon County Council, 1982, Untitled Source (Plan - measured). SDV337246.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, SX55NE (Cartographic). SDV337243.

One of a series of leats below the road on Crownhill Down. Shown on 1982 plans and aerial photogrpahs which also show another possible leat about 100 metres to the west. Leat extending from SX56015921 to SX56225950 into an area of tin streaming, for 400 metres in length. It is parallel to another leat. A ditch meets the leat at SX56135936 and is crossed by a bank at SX56115935.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5659 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A linear earthwork ditch is visible.

National Monuments Record, 2002, 1363228 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV343967.

Two leats cross the lower slopes of Crownhill Down. Both appear to be cut by the tin streamworks however one, or both, may have been conveyed by a wooden launder over the broad workings probably to serve the mines which lie to the east. Other details: NMR Number SX55NE34.

Fletcher, M., 2002, The Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Ridding Down: Survey Report (Report - Survey). SDV343412.

Other details: Figure 3 and Crownhill Down Survey. Map object based on this Source.

Ordnance Survey, 2009, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV341569.

Line of watercourse shown on modern mapping. Map object based on this Source.

Google, 2019, Google Earth Pro, EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 22-JUN-2018 ACCESSED 04-JUL-2019 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363088.

The earthwork has been largely destroyed.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A curvilinear ditch is visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards as an earthwork on Crownhill Down.
The ditch is under 2m in width, embanked along much of the western, downslope side and is visible as an earthwork following the contours on the west-facing slopes of Crownhill Down for approximately 340m. The visible earthwork corresponds to a channel depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25inch map. It appears to connect with or abut a second section of ditch immediately to the east, not depicted on the 19th century map, which continues across and to the north of medieval tin streaming earthworks immediately to the north. This has been interpreted as the remains of a leat associated with tin mining, and the ditch recorded here probably also operated as a leat alongside or superseded this second ditch.
The leat remains visible as an earthwork on images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014 but has subsequently been largely destroyed by modern open cast mining. A short section might survive south of the road, east of Bude Farm.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4559 - Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Riddding Down
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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