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Summary

The remains of a damaged clapper bridge stands high and dry on the floodplain of the Baggator Brook at SX54438102. One span, on two drystone piers is intact and the river flows around its northern end where the bridge has been washed away. Investigated as part of the RCHME Willsworthy project.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SW23
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440727
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/39

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CLAPPER BRIDGE (Built, XV to Post Medieval - 1401 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

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

'F.B.' shown on 19th century map with 'Ford' shown 30 metres to the south-east.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX58SW23 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215568.

(18/07/1950) Clapper bridge on the old Lych Way. The bridge measures 5.8 metres in length and is approximately 1.1 metres wide. There are two piers between the two terminal supports (three supports are built into the river bank). The piers being built of two rather flat stones. The top of the piers are 0.4 metres above the water and are 1.3 metres long. Of the three spans between the supports, the two through which the stream flows are 0.7 metres and 1.5 metres wide respectively and the other is approximately 0.8 metres wide. The length of the stone which reaches the bank to the first pier is 1.3 metres. The length of the stone which rests on the two piers is 1.7 metres and the remaining stone which reaches from the second pier to the other bank is 2.4 metres long.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 396 (Monograph). SDV231148.

An old clapper bridge on a well-defined track crosses the Baggator Brook. The bridge at one time gave access to Standon.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 946-7 (Monograph). SDV249702.

An ancient clapper bridge, located 100 yards downstream from the present bridge, formerly had three openings. Two openings remain, one choked by silt and driftwood and main flow of the brook passes where the third once stood.
Signs remain of the curved, sunken way approaching the bridge which may be regarded as part of the authentic Lych Way.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV350638.

(24/08/1998) The remains of the damaged clapper bridge stand high and dry on the floodplain of the Baggator Brook at SX54438102. One span mounted on drystone piers each now 0.4m high, is intact. It comprises a pair of adjacent granite slabs lying lengthways which combined measure 2.5m long by 0.9m and 0.2m thick. The second span, photographed by Worth (2), has been washed away; a large, semi-buried slab at the foot of the central pier which measures 1.8m long by 0.4m and 0.2m thick is probably part of this destroyed span. Boulder and slabs evident both in the bank on the north side of the river and in the river bed are probably also part of the collapsed span.
It is depicted as a footbridge on the OS 1:2500 1st edition dated 1884 but it is not shown on the OS 2nd edition dated 1906.

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(20/02/2001) The remains of the clapper bridge are as described (1998). The river bank at the northern end of the bridge is now being eroded and large boulders here are becoming displaced. A fallen tree, just upstream of the bridge, is causing some damage to both river banks.

Greeves, T., 2009, Standon Farm: an historical and archaeological survey, 100, Figures 1 & 54 (Report - Survey). SDV360465.

Site of a clapper bridge on Baggator Brook. Part of the bridge structure survives on the south side of the stream and a supporting slab is visible in the south bank of the stream. Other likely bridge slabs lie in the bed of the stream. This was the original southern pedestrian access to Standon presumably linking to Drift Lane between the fields named 'Little Three Field' and 'Little Meadow' on the mid 19th century Tithe Map Apportionment.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7425 - Standon Farm: an historical and archaeological survey
• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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