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Summary

An area of intensive 19th century or earlier opencast lode tinworking covering an area of 19 hectares on the lower south-facing slope of Water Hill, bounded to the southeast by Walla Brook headwaters. An archaeological field survey in 1992 recorded seven openworks (MDV54593) with associated secondary features. Associated features include four reservoirs. Distribution channels have survived at three of the reservoirs leading from the sluice into the openworks. Water would have been supplied to the workings from Statts Brook by three separate leats. Tin prospecting pits are scattered over much the working area. The nineteenth century Birch Tor and Vitifer Mine leat, was constructed through the working area, intersecting two of the openworks.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SE188
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 9156223
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/231
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/233
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/233/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PROSPECTING PIT (Constructed, Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))
• RESERVOIR (Constructed, Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))
• TIN WORKS (Constructed, Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 4361 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

National Monuments Record, 1979, SF 1508, 000-002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV345478.

Photograph taken on 24th April 1979.

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

SX67408110 Linear openwork visible.
SX67378118 Group of trial pits visible.
SX 6737 8118 Trial pits enter Lydford parish.

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

(10/12/1192) An area of intensive 19th century or earlier opencast lode tinworking covering an area of 19 hectares on the lower south-facing slope of Water Hill, bounded to the southeast by Walla Brook headwaters. The openworks are depicted on Ordnance Survey six inch maps of 1883-4. An archaeological field survey in 1992 recorded seven openworks with associated secondary features. The openworks varied between 4 metres to 45 metres in width and were up to 25 metres in depth. Associated features include four reservoirs. Distribution channels have survived at three of the reservoirs leading from the sluice into the openworks. Water would have been supplied to the workings from Statts Brook by three separate leats. Tin prospecting pits are scattered over much the working area. The nineteenth century Birch Tor and Vitifer Mine leat, was constructed through the working area, intersecting two of the openworks.
See MDV54593 for openwork details.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 34-5, Map 26 Figure 26.1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Group of 13 'pits' shown on the south side of the 'field wall' to the south-west of King's Oven.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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