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Summary

Former longhouse, now extended and divided into two houses. 16th century with later additions. Shippon at south end rebuilt in 20th century; north end extended, with lean-to on west side, in 20th century. The basic plan appears to be the traditional three-room one, but with a long inner room at the north end; this has now been sub-divided, leaving a cross-passage on the south and a smaller room (now part of Higher Cator) on the north.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1241425: CATOR HIGHER CATOR

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NE/65

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LONGHOUSE (Built, XV to XVI - 1500 AD to 1599 AD (Between))

Full description

Beckerlegge, J. J., 1937, 6th Report of the Plymouth and District Branch, 222 (Article in Serial). SDV339417.

Old Middle Cator, Cottage. A thatched cottage which stands on the site of one mentioned in Domesday. It has an old spiral staircase of stone, and inside one of the bedrooms is a rare wool chamber equipped with a trap in the floor, through which the wool was thrown down to the room below.

French, H., 1963, Field Names in Widecombe in the Moor (Article in Serial). SDV340274.

Beeson, M. M. R. + Masterman, M. C. H., 1979, An Archaeological Survey of Enclosed Land in Widecombe-In-The-Moor Parish, Vol I, 113 (Report - Survey). SDV337078.

Middle Cator, field no 1508, 'House, yard etc.', shown on Tithe Map.
(27/7/1979) Remains of original longhouse can be seen below present house and at right angles to it. Cobbled courtyard is visible. The present house is about 150 years old.
Ladyswell, the old water supply for Cator, lies below the old longhouse. Deeds for Middle Cator go back to 1243. Discussion of possible extractive industry remains on site with owner, see worksheet for full details. Exeter Record Library/48/14/50/4.

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England, 1241425 (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

WIDECOMBE-IN- SX 67 NE THE-MOOR 1/138 Cator and Higher Cator - II
Former longhouse, now extended and divided into 2 houses. C16 with later additions. Shippon at south end rebuilt in C20; north end extended, with lean-to on west side, in C20. A long lean-to on west side, probably mostly of C18 or early C19; parts of it could be earlier. Granite rubble. The original house-part is thatched; present owners say the lowest layer of thatch has not been removed in their time. Granite rubble chimneystack on each gable; that on south (heating former hall) is of small stones and has a tapered cap that on north is of larger stones but with a plain top. The other roofs are covered with asbestos slates, except for the lean-to on west (facing road), which has real slates.
The basic plan appears to be the traditional 3-room one, but with a long inner room at the north end; this has now been sub- divided, leaving a cross-passage on the south and a smaller room (now part of Higher Cator) on the north. The hall has its stack backing on to shippon (on the south) with a winding staircase in a shallow turret beside the stack on the east. There is now no cross-passage at the north end of the shippon, but one is reported to have existed before this end of the building collapsed in early C20.
2 storeys; lean- tos single-storeyed. East front, facing garden, is 4 windows wide in the old house- part. Windows are mostly C19 wood casements with 2 or 3 panes per light, but left- hand second-storey window is early or mid C18; it is of 3 lights with lightly- moulded wood mullions, the 2 outer lights having diamond-shaped leaded panes of old glass. At left-hand end is the slightly projecting, rounded stair turret with a single, small stone-framed window. The front wall of the hall to right is built out almost level with the turret. To right of this again is the doorway into the inserted cross-passage; it has a C20 stone porch with a re-used segmental-arched granite doorway brought from a barn at Huccaby Farm, Lydford. The windows flanking the porch in ground storey have granite lintels, that to right being chamfered. The C20 lean-to at right-hand end has an early C16 stone window-head with 2 moulded round-arched lights, brought from Lizwell Farm, Widecombe; the left half of the left light is a restoration. The west front, facing the road, is almost entirely concealed by the lean-to, which has mostly small-paned wood casement windows, except for 2 C20 metal casements at the right-hand end. Higher Cator (to left) has an old plank door. Cator has an old chamfered granite doorway with a flattened 4-centred arch; this was brought from Peak Hill farm, near Yelverton. To left of it is a small square window (now blocked) with hollow-moulded granite jambs extending almost the full height of the opening. Beneath it is an old granite mounting-block with 3 steps.
Interior: Hall has chamfered upper-floor beams with straight-cut stops; plain joists. Fireplace has hollow-moulded right jamb and lintel of granite. Left jamb rebuilt; in this side is an oven with stone-framed opening. To left is the winding staircase with granite steps. Stone wall at upper end, rising only through ground storey. Inner room not inspected (except for the inserted passage); owner says gable-fireplaces on both floors (now blocked in) have plain granite lintels. Former shippon has original drain, now floored over. Back of hall stack, facing former cross-passage, is plain.
House-part has old roof-trusses with plain feet; no inspection hatch to roof-space. Source: information from the owners, Sir Guy and Lady Sayer.
Listing NGR: SX6830576834

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

Old Middle Cator is depicted on the modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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