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Summary

House, probably a former longhouse. Three-room and through-passage plan with probable former shippon at lower end. Late medieval, remodelled and probably enlarged in the 16th century; 20th century additions at rear.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1242058: STONE FARMHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NW/339
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LONGHOUSE (Built, Late Medieval - 1401 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

Unknown, 1400-1499, 48/14/50/9 and 48/14/51/1 (Record Office Collection). SDV293008.

Deeds of Stone present in the Devon Record Office which go back to the 15th century.

South West Heritage Trust, 1838-1848, Digitised Tithe Maps and Transcribed Apportionments, Plot 91 (Cartographic). SDV359954.

Stone is depicted on the Tithe Map (Plot 91; House, Yard etc., Arable land). Part of the Stone Estate.

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

'Stone' is shown on the later 19th century historic map. Appears largely unchanged from the Tithe Map depiction.

Beeson, M. M. R. + Masterman, M. C. H., 1979, An Archaeological Survey of Enclosed Land in Widecombe-In-The-Moor Parish, Vol IV, 775 (28/8/1979) (Report - Survey). SDV337078.

The modern name is Heather Stone. Heather Stone is no longer a working farm. It is an old longhouse that has been modernized and done up. It is thatched on one side and has a slate roof on the other. It has latticed windows. The layout of the buildings is much the same. According to Mrs E. Gawne there are two stone staircases inside.

Department of Environment, 1986, Widecombe in the Moor, 126, (3/11/1986) (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV289221.

Stone farmhouse, probably a former longhouse. Late medieval, remodelled and probably enlarged in the 16th century; 20th century additions at rear. Granite rubble with patches of ashlar, especially at the lower end; the outer face of front wall has been considerably rebuilt. Two storeys. Doorway has medieval shouldered wood door-frame matched by a similar door-frame slightly mutilated, at the rear of the passage. Large granite fireplace in the hall is probably 16th century, with hollow-moulded surround and pyramid stops; stone-framed oven at the back. Many other features present see Department of Environment List for further details.

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

House is shown on the modern mapping.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

WIDECOMBE-IN- SX 77 NW THE-MOOR 2/210 Stone Farmhouse - II
House, probably a former longhouse. Late medieval, remodelled and probably enlarged in C16; C20 additions at rear.
Granite rubble with patches of ashlar, especially at the lower end; the outer face of front wall has been considerably rebuilt. Water reed thatched roof at front, slated at rear. 4 granite chimneystacks, 1 in each gable, 2 on ridge; all have tapered caps, but that on the right-hand gable is probably considerably later than the rest.
3-room and through-passage plan with probable former shippon at lower end. Hall stack backs on to passage. Room at upper end is unusual in having been a kitchen with stack dividing it from hall. 2 storeys. 5-window front. Ground storey has a granite-mullioned window to each room with an additional C20 window (in an older opening) to the hall and kitchen. The 2 right-hand windows appear to be almost entirely late C19 or early C20, although the hall window may have one early jamb. The kitchen window, of 3 lights, seems to have an old frame, but with renewed mullions; the right-hand jamb seems to be a re-used king-mullion. To the right of the right-hand window is a blocked ventilation slit. Windows in upper storey have C19 wood casements, with round heads pushing up into the thatch. Doorway has medieval shouldered wood door-frame, matched by a similar door-frame, slightly mutilated, at the rear of the passage. C20 thatched porch at the front.
Interior: Hall has a large granite fireplace, probably of C16, with hollow-moulded surround and pyramid stops; stone-framed oven at the back. In the rear wall is a deep recess designed like a chute. Kitchen fireplace is similar to that in the hall, but with different stops, possibly scroll-stops. 2 ovens at the back. In the rear wall is a chamfered granite doorway with 2-centred arch and what are probably intended as pyramid stops. In rear wall between hall and kitchen a winding stone staircase. The back of hall stack, facing the passage, is plastered, but at the base is a chamfered plinth, characteristic of Dartmoor; there is probably high- quality ashlar masonry beneath the plaster. The lower room has a well-made ventilation slit, now blocked, in each of the front and back walls, suggesting strongly that this was originally a shippon. The upper-floor beams and roof have been rebuilt in C20.
The farm seems to have been owned and occupied by the Man family, who described themselves as yeomen, in the late C16 to mid C17.
Source: Devon Record Office 48/14/50/9, 48/14/51/1, together with other deeds; there are also deeds of Stone back to C15.
Listing NGR: SX7211979436.

Steinmetzer, M., 2021, Stone, Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Figure 2, Plates 1 and 2 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV364744.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during the excavation of new drainage works by Oakford Archaeology in October 2021 at Stone House, a Grade II listed late medieval longhouse. The works entailed the excavation of a trench against the western elevation of the house totalling circa 9.7metres in length by 1.1 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep revealing a simple deposit sequence extending across the whole site. This exposed natural subsoil at a depth of 0.3 metres below current ground level. This was overlain by dark brown black topsoil. A small collection of archaeological material was recovered from the topsoil, consisting of 3 sherds of South Somerset 18th-19th century coarseware, 5 sherds of 19th and 20th centuries industrial whitewares and 14 fragments of modern window glass.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8775 - Archaeological monitoring and recording at Stone, Widecombe-inthe-Moor, Devon

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