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Summary

Tin pitworks on the slopes of Chants Hill or Chance Hill, north west of Nuns Cross, east of Newleycombe Lake and north of Drivage Bottom. The pits are arranged into several alignments, mostly oriented approximately west-south-west to east-north-east following the predominant direction of the lodes.

Summary from record MDV25991:
Tin pitworks on the slopes of Chants Hill or Chance Hill, north west of Nuns Cross, east of Newleycombe Lake and north of Drivage Bottom.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains of a section of the late 18th century Devonport Leat running from Raddick Hill to Nun's Cross, including extensive tinning remains at Cramber Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1446248
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/214
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/204
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/205
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/206

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• EXTRACTIVE PIT (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• PROSPECTING PIT (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 2364 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 3436 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

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

SX 6015 7030 Two lines of trial pits intersect at this point. One line extends from SX60007050 to SX 6017 7027. The other line extends from SX60007027 to SX60247033.
SX 6024 7023 Trial pits visible on the aerial photograph between SX60247023 and SX60007013 (where they leave the edge of the paper map sheet).
Trial pits also visible between SX 6029 7017 and SX 6060 7024 [RAF/CPE/UK1890/2364, (10/12/1946)].

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

Newman, P., 2007, Cramber Tor Training Area Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV348210.

(01/08/2006) A tin openwork and pitworks on the slopes of Chants Hill or Chance Hill, north west of Nuns Cross, east of Newleycombe Lake and north of Drivage Bottom. The openwork is located near the bottom of the slope leading off from the valley floor streamworks at SX 5983 7023. It comprises a linear trench with steeply cut sides and has a 90 degree bend in the middle. It is 140m long, by 25m wide and up to 7m deep. The pits are arranged into several alignments, mostly oriented approximately WSW to ENE following the predominant direction of the lodes. However, others are set at 90 degrees to the first and likely therefore to have followed cross courses. The pits vary in size and form, the smallest being approximately circular, 2m in diameter and between 0m(when silted) and 2m deep and were certainly prospecting pits. Some of the larger pits are round but others are elongated and were clearly used for extraction. These are up to 9m across and 3m deep with moderate spoil heaps surrounding them. Each alignment has a mixture of the smaller prospecting pits and the larger extractive or lodeback pits. The openwork and the majority of the pits are likely to be post-medieval in date though some may well be earlier. The lode followed by the openwork and one of the pit alignments was reworked in the early 19th century as part of Wheal Chance Mine.
A small earthwork reservoir at SX 6026 7021 was probably built to supply water to the pitworks east of the main openwork. It comprises a 21m-long bank of 7m wide and 1m high with a central sluice opening of 1.8m wide. A shallow water channel leads down the slope from the sluice opening. Several other shallow channels on this hillside are associated with these tin workings.

Probert, S., 2008, Follow-Up Works to Cramber Tor Archaeological Baseline Condition Survey, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV351304.

Probert, S. A. J., 2017, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Cramber Tor Training Area, Devon, 2017 (Report - Survey). SDV360392.

Newman, P., 2021, Archaeological Sites within Cramber Tor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation February 2021 (Report - Survey). SDV364449.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7382 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project
• EDV8711 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV4939 - Condition survey of Devonport Leat
• EDV6034 - Monument Condition Survey in Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV6152 - Follow-up Works to Threatened Sites in the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV6153 - Monument Baseline Condition Survey in the Cramber Tor Training Area

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