See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A compact, rectangular complex of six ponds, presumed to be for the intense breeding and rearing of fish. They are suggested to be late-post medieval in origin and had gone out of use by the mid 19th century,

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Ruins of a stone building marked on the AD 1843 Parish Tithe Map and earthworks of former garden and ponds at Thorne Manor/Farm

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS30NW/9/1
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FISHPOND (XV to Post Medieval - 1401 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Brown, S. W., 1991, Fishponds at Thorne Manor (Worksheet). SDV340762.

The arrangement of six small rectilinear ponds (1-6) probably represent stew ponds or breeding tanks. Pond 7 is still filled with water and may be later in date. The earthwork banks stand to a height of up to 0.5m, and the ponds are around 0.5m deep. The whole area is covered by a little copse at present (1988) although the owner is thinking of clearing the ponds prior to cleaning them out. See sketch plan on worksheet for further details.

Brown, S. W., 1991, Thorne Farm, Holsworthy Hamlets, Devon, 5 (Report - non-specific). SDV16190.

Arrangement of 4 ponds, one subdivided into 3, ie 6 ponds in all. Linked by narrow channels. Water supplied by ditch leading in from east. To south is a large retaining bank 5m wide, then a 4m wide ditch which carried away surplus water. Pond 7 is 20m to south east. Other details: English Heritage Presentation Report.

Wilson-North, W. R., 1992, Thorne Manor, Holsworthy Hamlets, Torridge, Devon (Report - Survey). SDV17569.

Site comprises breeding and holding ponds of uncertain date. Good state of preservation, with ponds surviving to average 0.5m deep. Probing suggests a silt depth of approx 0.5m. Complex measures 22m by 37m, divided into 4 quadrants by flat topped dams 2.5m wide. North west pond measures 11m by 7.5m; north east pond 18m by 8m; south west pond 11.5m by 7.5m; south east pond consists of 4 ponds each measuring 6m by 7.5m. Water supplied either from a header supply or a natural spring rising within the ponds. A partly infilled hedge from north east may mark the course of a feeder leat, but no inlet sluice or channel visible. A by-pass channel, 3m wide, 1m deep, defines southern side of complex. The position of at least 4 possible sluices can be seen. A well defined sluice separating ponds 2 and 4 consists of a 4m break in the dam. Others, circa 1.5m wide, exist between ponds 4 and 5, 5 and 6, 4 and 3. Breaches in the west dam drain ponds 1 and 3. These may be original outlets or may be associated with later draining of the complex. To the south is a west facing scarp 0.5m high. This may have been a 7th pond, larger than the others, but evidence is tenuous. An apparently modern pond to the east is shown on the 1988 survey (see Brown) as pond 7.
The 3 smallest ponds presumably functioned as fry-rearing ponds. It is uncertain whether sufficient capacity survives to allow the "finishing" of growing fish. It may be that some of the original complex has been destroyed, or that the ponds were intended for breeding only. Probably represents a late medieval/postmedieval complex which was unrecognisable by mid 19th century.

Wilson-North, R., 1993, A Survey of Fishponds at Thorne Manor (Report - Survey). SDV355547.

In 1992 a detailed survey of the fishponds, which were first recorded in 1988, was undertaken at the request of Devon County Council; the site having been put forward for one of the Council’s land management schemes.
The site of the fishponds, now drained and silted, is circa 150m west of the farmhouse. It is depicted on the Tithe Map by pecked and solid lines, but not named as such.
The earthworks are generally well-preserved with the ponds surviving to an average depth of 0.5m. The complex is rectangular, 22m by 37m, divided into four quadrants with 2.5m wide baulks between, the western quadrants slightly smaller than the east. The south-eastern quadrant is further divided into three smaller ponds.
The ponds with the exception of Pond 1[north-west quadrant] are linked by breaks in the dams. The water supply is unclear, possibly from a header supply or from a spring rising beneath the ponds, or natural ground water. There is a by-pass channel along the south side.
The date of the ponds, which were presumably for the intensive breeding and rearing of fish, is uncertain but it is suggested that they represent a late medieval/post medieval complex which had gone out of use by the mid 19th century.
The fishponds, which are a rare survival in this part of Devon, are in a good state of preservation. The complex is also considered unusual for its symmetry and compactness, and also for the number of very small ponds. Management proposals include safeguarding the earthworks from future ground disturbance.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.