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Summary

A water-powered stamping mill and associated dressing floor at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. The mill is one of six stamping mills which processed tin ore for Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and is one of three mills which were constructed in 1814. An archaeological field survey by English Heritage in 1999 found the mill to comprise a level stance of ground with a revetted retaining wall on the upslope, eastern side with a return wall end. At right angles to the revetment is a rectangular, stone wheelpit, measuring 8.2 metres by 0.9 metres. Upslope of the wheelpit is a raised earth leat embankment, which would have supported a wooden launder channel at the correct height to bring water to the overshot wheel. The embankment is 50 metres long and 5.5 metres wide. A deep open tail race channel diverted water away from the wheelpit . The water source was the Eylesbarrow Engine leat which stored water in the large reservoir 160 metres uphill (Monument HOB UID 1300605). Before connecting with this mill the water had already passed over or bypassed, the Engine Wheel (Monument HOB UID 1300630) and the upper stamping mill wheel (Monument HOB UID 1300527). A possible stamping area has also been identified. It consists of a 1.9 metre by 2.4 metre stone revetted level platform, raised above the dressing floor onto which a set of Cornish stamps were operating. The mill used the wet stamping process whereby a flow of water was passed over the base of the stamps, washing the crushed particles through a perforated grate, into a stone lined settling pit sited on the dressing floor. The settling pit measures 2.9 metre by 1metre long and has a lining of flat granite slabs, which are still partially visible. Below the main dressing floor are three secondary buddles and tailings pits. These measure between 5 metres by 7 metre and up to 3 metres wide, and survive to a maximum depth of 0.5 metres, some have traces of a masonry lining visible.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021055: Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE248
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1300530
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/193
• Old SAM Ref: 34467

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BUDDLE (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• OVERSHOT WHEEL (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• SETTLING PIT (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• STAMPS (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• TAIL RACE (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• WATERMILL (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (Built, XIX - 1814 AD to 1814 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Three sides of a rectangular structure shown as earthworks on 19th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 4353 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Cook, R. M. L., 1974, Eylesbarrow (1814- 1852): A Study of a Dartmoor Tin Mine, 184-193, Figures 1-3 (Article in Serial). SDV231127.

Eylesbarrow Stamping Mill Number 2. Extensive dressing floor. Stamps on one side of wheel only. Before reaching the wheel, the water was carried for some distance on an artificial embankment to ensure a sufficient fall onto the wheel. The embankment terminates several feet short of the wheelpit, space between presumably occupied by a wooden launder. A wall divides the wheel pit from the stamping area; this seems to have screened the stamping machinery and mill operators from water cascading beside the wheel. Four large settling pits in the lower part of the floor are roughly rectangular.

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

Recorded on aerial photograph.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157193 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 9th May 2002. Stamping mill 930 metres south west of Eylesbarrow, forming part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. The wheelpit wall on the eastern side is 2.3 metres high and appears mortared, although this may be the result of later consolidation. The 1.2 metre wide wheelpit is filled with rubble. The opening through the wall to carry the axle is 0.7 metres high, originally 0.6 metres wide and 0.55 metres deep. Evidence of recent consolidation. Covered with grass and nettles.

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

Depicted and described by Robertson.

Cranstone, D. + Hedley, I., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme: The Tin Industry Step 3 Site Assessments, Devon 6B (Report - non-specific). SDV357946.

Additional reference.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1997, Tin Stamping Mills of Dartmoor after AD 1750, 6-8 (Article in Serial). SDV346020.

Bodman, M., 1998, Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 23/25 (Report - non-specific). SDV305931.

Fletcher, M. + Newman, P. + Probert, S., 1999, Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor areas in the Plym Valley, West Devon (Report - Survey). SDV346268.

(30/09/1999) SX 5953 6784. One of six stamping mills with attached dressing floor aligned along Drizzlecombe, where tin ore was processed at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine which is documented between 1814 and 1852.
The stamping mill consists both of a level stance of ground with a revetted retaining wall on the upslope, eastern side with a return wall end. The rectangular, open-ended, stone wheelpit is sited at right angles to the revetment approximately in the centre and measures 8.2m by 0.9m. It is very ruinous containing much tumbled masonry, though has an upstanding wall on the stamps side remaining to 2.7m high. This wall has a central aperture of 0.6m by 0.7m through which the axle would have passed. Upslope of the wheelpit is a raised earth leat embankment, which would have supported a wooden launder channel at the correct height to bring water to the overshot wheel. The embankment is 50m long with an average width of 5.5m. A deep open tail race channel diverted water away from the wheelpit and onto the launder of the third stamping mill in the sequence (Monument Hob UID 1300534). The water source was the Eylesbarrow Engine leat which stored water in the large reservoir 160m uphill (Monument HOB UID 1300605). Before connecting with this mill the water had already passed over or bypassed, the Engine Wheel (Monument HOB UID 1300630) and the upper stamping mill wheel (Monument HOB UID 1300527).
A stamping area may be identified beside the mill, immediately adjacent to the side of the wheelpit. It consists of a 1.9m by 2.4m stone revetted level platform, raised above the dressing floor onto which the stamps, of the Cornish type, would fall, contained within a timber coffer. The upper surface has a robust granite kerb to contain rammed quartz and possibly scrap iron, onto which the stamps would strike. The mill would have used the wet stamping process whereby a flow of water was passed over the base of the stamps, washing the crushed particles through a perforated grate, into a stone lined settling pit sited on the dressing floor. The settling pits into which the crushed tinstone would run from the stamps are sited approximately 1m from the stamps area on the left of the wheelpit. It measures 2.9m by 1m long and has a lining of flat granite slabs, which are still partially visible. The pit is not a perfect rectangle but has a coffin shaped upper end. At the lower end is a narrow sluice opening formed by a gap between the two slabs which make up the end. An additional rectangular pit or 'buddle' sits on the dressing floor though has survived less well, the remains consisting only of an earthwork hollow, adjacent to the revetment wall.
Below the main dressing floor is a range of 3 secondary buddles and tailings pits. These would have served a range of purposes including further refining the tin concentrate and settling the waste sands, or 'tailings', out of the water before returning it to the river. They measure between 5m and 7m by up to 3m wide, and survive to 0.3m to 0.5m deep, some have traces of a masonry lining visible. (1) The mill is likely to be one of three mills for which construction is recorded in 1814.
For documentary references and full description see EH 1999.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 105-148 (Article in Serial). SDV231130.

One of the later stamping mills at Eylesbarrow built in 1814-15 with little stonework visible as walls built as stone-faced bank with slight batter. Location of features shown on 1:500 survey.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 21-22, 25-28, Figures 2, 8-9 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

When work commenced at 'Ailsboro Mines in 1814 a programme of refurbishment was undertaken and three stamping mills were referred to as 'New Mill'. These included Stamping Mill Number 2 which was thatched and a new leat was under construction. All the stamping mills at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine consist of a level stance cut into the slope with a revetted retaining wall on the upslope side and return wall on one or both ends. The rectangular open ended wheelpits are sited at right angles to the revetment. Upslope of the wheelpits are raised leat embankment which would have supported wooden launders. A stamping area can be identified at each mill immediately adjacent to the wheel which consists of a stone revetted level platform raised above the dressing floor onto which the Cornish Type stamps would fall onto the ore contained within a timber coffer. The upper surfaces have robust granite kerbs. The mills would have used the wet stamping process washing the crushed particles through a perforated grate into a stone-lined settling pit sited on the dressing floor. Below the main dressing floors are a range of secondary 'buddles' and tailings pits which would have further refined the tin concentrate. The water-borne concentrate and waste would be transported between processes via a system of wooden launders, channels and underground conduits.

Whitbourne, A., 2001, Visit to Eylesbarrow Mine, 2-3 (Article in Serial). SDV231129.

National Monument Record, 2013, 1300530, SX56NE248 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV352479.

A waterpowered stamping mill with attached dressing floor at Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. The stamping mill was built in 1814 and is one of six aligned along the Drizzlecombe Valley and was included in an English Heritage archaeological field survey of the tin mine in 1999. The mill consists of a level stance of ground with a revetted retaining wall on the upslope, eastern side with a return wall on the south end. The rectangular, stone wheelpit is sited at right angles to the revetment , measures 8.2 metre by 0.9 metres. Upslope of the wheelpit was a wooden launder channel which took water at correct height to overshot wheel. A deep open tail race channel diverted water away from the wheelpit. A stamping area situated to the south of the wheel comprises a 2.6 metres by 2.2 metres stone revetted platform, raised above the dressing floor onto which the Cornish set of stamps operated. The mill used the wet stamping process; a flow of water was passed over the base of the stamps, washing the crushed particles through a perforated grate, into a stone lined settling pit sited on the dressing floor. The settling pit measures 2.8 metres by 0.9 metres long and has a lining of flat granite slabs. Three secondary buddles and tailing pits are situated below the main dressing floor. These measure approximately 8 metres by 3 metres and survive a depth of 0.5 metres. A possible 'reck house' has been built into the south wall of the dressing floor.

National Monuments Record, 2013, 438809, SX56NE108 (Website). SDV231126.

Eylesbarrow Tin Mine with six stamping mills.

English Heritage, 2013, Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains (Schedule Document). SDV231131.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Three sides of a structure open to the south-west shown on modern mapping.

Greeves, T., July 1979, Devon Studies Week. Notes for Afternoon Excursion, Thursday, July 12th 1979 (Un-published). SDV230997.

Site visited 12th July 1979. Constructed about 1820. One of a series of tin stamping mills. Served by a leat.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor. The Eylesbarrow archaeological landscape
• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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