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HER Number:MDV29994
Name:Farmstead to east of Spanish Lake and Little Trowlesworthy Tor, Shaugh Prior

Summary

The remains of a deserted farmstead on a west facing slope overlooking Spanish Lake. The settlement consists of a rectangular structure containing a single entrance and adjoined by several ancilliary buildings and two garden enclosures. Farmstead is shown on modern mapping to east of Spanish Lake and Little Trowlesworthy Tor and within a rabbit warren but not shown on earlier maps

Location

Grid Reference:SX 582 645
Map Sheet:SX56SE
Admin AreaDartmoor National Park
Civil ParishShaugh Prior
DistrictSouth Hams
Ecclesiastical ParishSHAUGH PRIOR

Protected Status

Other References/Statuses

  • National Monuments Record: SX56SE77
  • National Record of the Historic Environment: 439325
  • Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/266
  • Old SAM Ref: 24231

Monument Type(s) and Dates

  • FARMSTEAD (Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Not shown on mid 19th century Tithe Map.

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

Not shown on late 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

Farmstead not shown on early 20th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1953, 58/1110, 0038 (Aerial Photograph). SDV157241.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 124 Table (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

A deserted Medieval site consisting of enclosures and one building, probably the longhouse at the head of Spanish Lake which was thought to have been used as a Warren house. The material for the longhouse came from Willings Wall Reave, north of the bog.

Haynes, R. G., 1970, Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor, 159 (Article in Serial). SDV166302.

Fleming, A. + Collis, J. + Jones, R. L., 1973, A Late Prehistoric Reave System near Cholwich Town, Dartmoor, 4 (Article in Serial). SDV358808.

A deserted Medieval site consisting of enclosures and one building, probably the long house at the head of Spanish Lake which was thought to have been used as a warren house. (SX 583647). The material for the long house came from Willings Wall Reave (SX 56 NE 123), north of the bog

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE77 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV139332.

(14/06/1977) SX 58256455. The Medieval Longhouse lies at the base of a gentle southwest facing slope, at 335m. above OD. It consists of a single building, 15m. by 4m. internally, with a single partition wall near the east end. The walls, 0.7m. thick and 0.5m. high, are constructed of small, coursed, boulders, probably from the destroyed reave, which would have run across the site. The entrance, 1.0m. wide, is on the south side. There is possibly an outshut, 2.0m. wide and in poor condition, on the south side, together with the remains of an enclosure, about 7m. by 4m. A second enclosure, 11m. by 7m., is built on the north wall. There is no ground evidence, that the building was used as a warren house, although there are pillow mounds SX 56 SE 91 nearby. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD. Enlargement survey at 1:500.

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

'DMS' shown on aeial photograph transcription but no reference given.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 140750 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 15th April 1995. Medieval farmstead in the centre of an historic field system. The farmstead is partly built upon an earlier Prehistoric reave and includes at least one long house, outbuildings, garden plot and farmyard. To the north of the long house is a second enclosure which survives as a 10 metre long and 6.4 metre wide sub rectangular area defined by a 1.2 metre wide and 0.4 metre high rubble wall which abuts the long house.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West (Monograph). SDV137656.

Depicted by Butler.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Depicted and described by Robertson.

National Trust and English Heritage, 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape (Report - non-specific). SDV166309.

Thackray, c.(ed)/the upper plym valley: the management of an historic landscape/(1994)/164-5/102.543.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(23/04/2002) SX 58256457. This feature remains as described in 1977. While described as a longhouse it does not possess a cross-passage, there being only a single entrance in the southern side. The eastern end of the building is divided from the remainder by a cross wall but there is no evidence for the division between the shippon and dwelling. Given the narrow approach to the entrance it would seem likely that if stock were kept they were probably housed in the adjacent structures. This building is typical of all alleged and documented medieval structures in this part of the Plym Valley. Rectangular structures containing a single entrance and an associated range of outbuildings are visible at Gutter Tor (SX 56 NE 119), Whittenknowles Rocks (SX 56 NE 112) and Shavercombe Tor (SX 56 NE 129).
The fields described by English Heritage lie within a massive enclosure of at least 100 hectares to the south-east of Great Trowlesworthy Tor which is bounded on the south and east by a bank around 2.0m wide and 0.7m high with an external ditch. Parts of this have been interpreted as a Prehistoric cross dyke (see SX 56 SE 84).

White, P., 2013, Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads, Little Trowlesworthy (Un-published). SDV352501.

Deserted settlement at 'Spanish Lake Head'.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

'Farmstead' shown on modern mapping.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UP-HT4 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(11/03/2020) Condition assessed as good; some vegetation encroachment.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Images taken during March 2020 visit.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV137656Monograph: Butler, J.. 1994. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West. Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West. Three. Paperback Volume.
SDV139332Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card: Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division. 1977. SX56SE77. Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card. Card Index.
SDV139549Post-Graduate Thesis: Robertson, J. G.. 1994. The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley. Edinburgh University. Unknown.
SDV157241Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1953. 58/1110. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. 0038.
SDV166302Article in Serial: Haynes, R. G.. 1970. Vermin Traps and Rabbit Warrens on Dartmoor. Post-Medieval Archaeology. 4. A4 Bound + digital. 159.
SDV166309Report - non-specific: National Trust and English Heritage. 1994. The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape. National Trust Archaeological Survey Report. 102.130. A4 Comb Bound.
SDV277946Report - Survey: Gerrard, S.. 1990-2002. Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset.. Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset.. Mixed Archive Material + Digital. 140750.
SDV307246Article in Serial: Linehan, C. D.. 1966. Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon. Medieval Archaeology. 10. Digital. 124 Table.
SDV319854Cartographic: Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. 1985. Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP. Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England Aerial Photograph P. Cartographic.
SDV325644Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1904 - 1906. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV336179Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349431Cartographic: Devon County Council. 1838-1848. Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848. Digitised Tithe Map. Digital.
SDV350782Report - Survey: Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J.. 2002. Plym Valley survey. English Heritage Archaeological Investigation Report. Unknown.
SDV352501Un-published: White, P.. 2013. Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads. Excel Spreadsheet. Little Trowlesworthy.
SDV358808Article in Serial: Fleming, A. + Collis, J. + Jones, R. L.. 1973. A Late Prehistoric Reave System near Cholwich Town, Dartmoor. Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Exploration Society. 31. Unknown. 4.
SDV359352Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2016. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital. [Mapped feature: #86691 ]
SDV362781Worksheet: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording forms. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital. UP-HT4.
SDV363073Photograph: Various. 2018-2020. PALs Condition Recording photographs. PALs Condition Assessment Project Forms. Digital.

Associated Monuments

MDV13511Part of: Willings Walls Warren, Shaugh Prior (Monument)
MDV24937Related to: Phillips Leat, Shaugh Prior (Monument)

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

  • EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
  • EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

Date Last Edited:Sep 21 2021 8:25AM