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Summary

Brimpts Mine Leat. A leat of 4 miles nominal length from a headweir on the Cherry Brook, just below Higher Cherrybrook Bridge at SX63497691 to supply tin mining sites near Brimpts Farm. A section was recut north-west of the Dunnabridge Pound and runs parallel to rejoin the original route north-east of Huccaby Tor. Dates to at least the late 18th century but may be earlier and was recut in 1850 by the Brimpts Tin Mining Company. Also used late for agricultural purposes and branches near Brimpts Farm to supply several distinct areas.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021049: Brimpts Mine, three prehistoric settlements and associated reaves 550m north west of Outer Huccaby Ring
• Scheduled Monument 1021050: Prehistoric enclosed settlement known as Outer Huccaby Ring and associated irregular aggregate field system
• SHINE: Remains of prehistoric field systems and hut circle settlements, as well as funerary monuments above the Cherry Brook Valley, medieval field systems around Huccaby Rings and deserted Coxlake farmstead as well as the Brimpts Tin Mine leat

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SE281
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1434383
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/199

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Constructed, XVIII to XIX - 1798 AD (Between) to 1855 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Northern section of the leat from the headweir running southwards depicted on the late 19th century historic map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 1304-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 4426 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1984, Huccaby Farm, Dartmoor: A Preliminary Archaeological Survey (Report - Survey). SDV247137.

Important 19th century mine leat leading to Brimpts Tin Mine clips the northern edge of the newtake and part of a smaller leat runs above this.

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

Sections of this leat recorded in the project. At SX64167570 there appears to be a large bank on one side of the leat visible on the Royal Air Force 1946 aerial photographs.

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

(08/05/1988) SX63507690 to SX66587393. Brimpts Mine Leat starts around SX63507690 at 355m OD on the Cherry Brook. Initially running E and S along the E side of the Cherry Brook valley, it cuts E and SE across Dunnabridge Common, and Dunnabridge and Brownberry newtakes. A sharp turn to the N above the W bank of Cox Lake brings the leat to Brimpts North Mine centred on SX65297511 at an altitude of 352m. Here it was laundered to a wheel which powered stamping and pumping machinery. The tail race was channelled SE through Brimpts newtake before entering Snider Park Plantation where it has been disturbed. AT SX66587393 in dense deciduous woodland at 319m OD, the leat powered a further wheel belonging to Brimpts South Mine. The spent water was not re-used, but drained off to the S.

The leat channel varies from 1.5m to 2.8m wide with a maximum depth of 1.0m. The substantial bank along its downslope side measures 1.8m-3.0m wide and up to 0.75m high. Brimpts Mine apparently had a short life with operations documented between 1852-1855.

The leat has been surveyed for most of its length. Exceptions are between the origin and SX63677644 on the north boundary of Smith Hill Farm, and between SX66317396 and SX66587393, Snider Park Plantation to the second wheelpit. The latter length has been investigated.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157133-4, 157137-8 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(10/5/2002) Length of Brimpts Mine Leat north of Outer Huccaby Ring (SX 6544 7471).
This length of the leat varies considerably in character within the monument. Leat adjacent to the hut is 1.1 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep and material upcast during its construction thrown up onto the hut wall. Cutting through Outer Huccaby Ring it is 0.8 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep. The sides of the channel are sharp sided. The downslope upcast bank measures 2.3 metres wide and 0.4 metres high.
Length of leat within Outer Huccaby Ring (SX 6556 7443); cutting through outer Huckaby ring, it is 0.7- 0.8 metres wide leat measuring 0.3 – 0.7 metres deep. The sides of the channel are sharp sided. The associated upcast bank is very slight. The downslope upcast bank measures 2.3 metres wide and 0.4 metres high.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 56;fig 28.2 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Depicted on Butler's map.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

Bird, R. + Hirst, P., 1995, The Brimpts Tin Mines, 8-11 (Article in Serial). SDV268993.

Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group, 1996, Brimpts Tin Mine survey, B1/1 + B1/2/1, B1/2/2, B1/2/3, B1/2/4, B1/2/5, B1/2/6, pgs 14-18 in PDF (Worksheet). SDV268992.

Brimpts Mine Leat; headweir to divergence of routes near Dunnabridge Pound (SX63497691 to SX64777500). The initial part of the leat, from its start 12 metres south-east of Higher Cherrybrook Bridge is shown on Ordnance Survey maps and labelled. On entering the forest, it curves towards the south and then south-west, emerging against the track at the most westerly point of the forest at 353 metres ordnance datum. It then retains this level through newtakes and over Dunnabridge Common to a point about SX64777500. The leat as surviving is the final widened and deepened version from the 1850-55 working.
At SX64777500 the 1850 channel swings through an s-bend to take up a route about 5 metres downslope of an earlier cut which can be seen as a shallow channel, little more than a sheep track. The two routes maintain this separation through the remainder of Brownberry Newtake, through the Cocks Lake fields and into Brimpts newtake where, at SX653747, the north mine stamping mill was served from the lower 1850 route. After this point, the two leat routes diverge slightly, giving the newer route a slightly enhanced gradient until in the newtake, just north-north-east of Huccaby Tor, the old route falls and both routes merge again. There is no known documentary record that specifically dates the older route along this section. It is assumed that it is the route used for the 1798-1807 workings. The reason for cutting a later parallel route seems to lie in the observation that the leat as it approaches the point of divergence is cut deeply into the ground, whereas the old route appears to have been only a relatively shallow leat. By re-routing downslope a little, the new cut did not need such a deep channel. Once the routes have merged again, the leat passes back into Brimpts newtake.
Late route to Brimpts entrance. SX66397384 to SX66577360. The 1850 route to the plantation wheel, turned abruptly through the Snider Park Plantation boundary bank at SX66397384. A channel continues from here down the boundary bank and ends near Brimpts' entrance at SX66577360. This channel may have been used for agricultural purposes once mining ceased in 1855, rather than having been associated with mining. The leat may have terminated at the small enclosure on the north-east side of Brimpts' entrance. Brimpts Mine Leat: 1850 route to plantation waterwheel (SX66217405 to SX66577392). When mining restarted in 1849, a new stamping mill was required and the chosen site had to be fed by a new branch from the leat. This was cut in 1850 and ran from SX66217405 south-east to pass under the west-north-west to east-south-east boundary wall, then east-south-east to follow this boundary before curving south-east to follow the Snider Park Plantation boundary bank. After 100 metres, it then passed abruptly through this boundary and cut across the plantation to the wheel at SX66577392.
Brimpts Mine Leat; original route to gully openwork, from SX65787414 to SX66917386, and late route from SX66327413 to SX66467430, thence to East Dart River at SX66667482. At SX66217405, the leat splits into two branches. Curvature at this point indicates that the channel heading to the north-east was the original one and this can be followed as far as the boundary with Outer Newpark Plantation at SX66357419 beyond which it has now disappeared. The presumed route is via the northern corner of the plantation west of Brimpts Farm, SX66727403, then down the hill to the 1798-1807 gully wheelpit at SX66917386. The section of this route in Brimpts newtake is in far better condition than the contemporary old route. It may have been re-cut for agricultural use after mining ceased.
Late route from SX66327413 to SX66467430, thence to East Dart River at SX66667482. At SX6327413, a branch leaves the route of the section recorded as subsheet 1, and can be traced north-east to a point just north-west of the crossroads at SX66467430. Here, another leat originating in the mire in Brimpts newtake at SX66327461 cuts across the route and then turns north-east to be lost in the plantations. It seems likely that this latter leat supplied Brimpts northern fields and that the mine leat was diverted into it once mining ceased. Presently, the mine leat route can be seen to continue beyond this point to merge with a stream that empties into the East Dart River.

Bird, R. + Hirst, P., 1996, The Brimpts Tin Mines Dartmeet, 38-40, Figure 1 (Monograph). SDV222443.

Brimpts Mine Leat. A leat of 4 miles nominal length from a headweir on the Cherry Brook, just below Higher Cherrybrook Bridge at SX63497691. Heads south then south-east to tin mining sites near Brimpts Farm, the greater part of the leat being at a level just above the 350 metre contour line, there being only a slight gradient.
In Brownberry Newtake, north-west of the Dunnabridge Pound - Laughter Hole track, a later route diverges from an earlier route and these dual routes run in parallel through that newtake, diverge slightly in the vicinity of Outer Huccaby Ring and rejoint north-east to Huccaby Tor. (See full detail below)
Shortly after this, in Brimpts newtake, the leat divides and each branch subsequently divides again to feed points around Brimpts Farm. The leat is known to have had two periods of usage but there is a possibility that it may be of an even earlier date. During the 1798-1807 workings above and below Brimpts Farm, the leat was reported cut by Nicholas Fezzy about 30 years before 1835 (Devon Record Office 924B/B2/1). In 1850 the leat was re-cut by the Brimpts Tin Mining Company (mining journal) and functioned until 1855 as a mine leat. After this date, fieldwork suggests the leat was retained for a time, probably for agricultural purposes.

English Heritage, 2005, Leats Survey Information (Report - Survey). SDV347529.

Sections of the leat surveyed and depicted on the map layer. Map object based on this source.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Leat visible on the aerial photographs, including the section where it branches and the two routes run parallel. Map object based on this source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7388 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7406 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7431 - Woodland Survey (1989-90) at Bellever, Soussons and other woodland parcels
• EDV3462 - Survey at Huccaby Farm, Lydford
• EDV8633 - Dunnabridge Farm, Duchy Farms Survey-Not finished
• EDV8632 - Sherberton Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8634 - Brimpts Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8638 - Dunnabridge Common, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8640 - Spaders and Muddilake and Smith Hill Newtakes, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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