See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

The remains of Longstone Farm on the shores of Burrator Reservoir apparently lie on the site of a manor house. The ruins can be dated to the early-mid 17th century, and two inscribed stones on the farm are dated 1633 and 1637. The farm was flooded in the construction of the reservoir in the late 19th century. A survey in 1999 when the reservoir level was very low found evidence of two buildings and other features associated with the Manor.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Remains of Longstone Manor House on the shore of Burrator Reservoir
• Scheduled Monument: The Remains of Longstone Manor House, Wind Strew and associated features

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE2
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438498
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANOR HOUSE (XIII - 1201 AD (Between) to 1300 AD (Between))
• MIDDEN (XIII to Early 20th Century - 1201 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• BARN (XVII to Unknown - 1633 AD (Post))
• CIDER PRESS (XVII to Unknown - 1633 AD (Post))
• COW HOUSE (XVII to Unknown - 1633 AD (Post))
• HOUSE (XVII to Unknown - 1633 AD (Post))
• OUTBUILDING (XVII to Unknown - 1633 AD (Post))
• FARMHOUSE (XVIII - 1748 AD (Between) to 1748 AD (Between))

Full description

Lysons, D. + Lysons, S., 1822, Magna Britannica. Devonshire (Monograph). SDV323771.

Sheepstor or Shipstor manor was the property of the Elford family from about the end of the 15th century to 1748. "Longstone, the ancient residence of the Elford family, is now a farmhouse."

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

'Longstone' shown on 19th century Tithe Map as large irregular-shaped building with a rectangular shaped building to the south-west and a track to the east.

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

Complex of buildings marked as 'Longstone On the Remains of a Manor House'. Map object partly based on this source.

Stephens, F. M., 1898, Longstone Farm, 30/03/1898 (Un-published). SDV257917.

Site visit 30th March 1898. The writer records that she was anxious to see the farm before it was knocked down by the construction of the reservoir. The farm was originally the seat of the Elford family who were Royalists during the Civil War. One of the family hid in Pixies' Cave when pursued by the Roundheads. Longstone was built about 1633. This date and the initials IE AE are inscribed on a stone in the wall of an outbuilding. Also refers to a winnowing alter behind the farm, composed of huge granite blocks, one of which is inscribed "IE AE 1637".

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

'Longstone on remains of Manor House' shown on early 20th century map in an irregular shaped enclosure. Map object partly based on this source.

Breton, H. H., 1911, Beautiful Dartmoor, 38-39 (Monograph). SDV257910.

Eliot-Drake, 1911, The Family and Heirs of Sir Francis Drake, 133-134 (Monograph). SDV257909.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 240 (Monograph). SDV1312.

'Longstone' was mentioned in 1694.

Breton, H. H., 1932, The Forest of Dartmoor, 2, Plymouth, 46-48 (Monograph). SDV231147.

Worth, R. H., 1934, Proceedings of the Seventy Third Annual Meeting, 15 (Article in Serial). SDV257912.

Substantial remains of a house known as Longstone, the home of an important local family; the Elfords. The house would appear to have been built by Walter Elford in 1633, according to a datestone now removed from the ruins. The house was in good repair when Burrator Reservoir was built (1891).

Worth, R. H., 1934 - 1938, The Dartmoor House, 28 (Article in Serial). SDV162908.

Beckerlegge, J. J., 1939, Eighth Report of the Plymouth and District Branch, 182 (Article in Serial). SDV149484.

Worth, R. H., 1949, The Moorstone Age, Part 1, 316, 327-8, 330-1 (Article in Serial). SDV274816.

Worth, R. H., 1950, The Moorstone Age, Part 2, 82, 333, 335-6, 344 (Article in Serial). SDV336081.

Worth, R. H., 1953, Dartmoor, 414 (Monograph). SDV231148.

Elford, I., 1976, The Elfords. The Story of an English Family, 16a (Monograph). SDV257916.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1979, South West Water Authority Burrator Survey, No. 46 (Report - non-specific). SDV278356.

Substantial ruins of the manor house survive and there are a number of granite items (troughs, cider press, apple crusher and gateposts) in the immediate vicinity. In 1978 a protective fence was erected around the ruins and it was decided not to undertake any consolidation works.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56NE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV257904.

Site visit 7th August 1980. The remains of Longstone Manor are on the shores of Burrator Reservoir and have been incorporated into a later building, Longstone House. There are ruined walls of Elizabethan and later date; this later farmhouse is now also in ruins. Medieval features include a small window frame of granite and the remains of what was once a very large fireplace but which is bricked up at the back with modern bricks. These two features are in the north-west part of the house.

Hemery, E., 1981, Forgotten Sheepstor Manor, 8 (Article in Serial). SDV351164.

Remains of Longstone Manor House on a promontory projecting into Burrator Reservoir. The manor house was rebuilt in 1633 by Walter Elford and his wife Barbara. The inscribed stone recording this (1633 WEB) which was formerly above the front entrance to the house was removed to The Lodge in 1928. Improvements undertaken by Walter Elford's son, John, included the provision of a cider mill and a windstrew, an open-air threshing platform. One of these bears the inscription J.E. 1640. In more recent times the manor house became a farm and in the early 20th century was occupied by the Creber family. The farm was abandoned between 1900 and 1925 on the grounds of hygiene in the reservoir catchment area. Visible remains include the shell of the house, two large fireplace lintels, an old garden wall, a slotted gateposts, granite troughs and the cider mill.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 115-118 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Behind the house is the cider-press, with modern framework and roof, and a complete cider mill. Nearby is the 'Windstrew', a granite platform 16 feet square and 4 feet 6 inches high, which was the manor's threshing floor. One of its' steps bears the inscription 'J.E. 1640'. This floor is one of only a few left in Devon.
It is thought that there may have been a dwelling on the site from the 13th century, constructed by Herbert de Cumba, however much of the present structure dates to 1633 when it was constructed by Walter Elford. The house itself survives as a structure measuring 14.5m long by 6.5m wide and stands over 4m high. There is evidence of a double height ashlar porch, as well as five windows and three fireplaces, and the main building materials include granite stones, killas infill and internal white plaster. There are only two other sets of buildings which survive to any substantial extent; the barn and byre, and the threshing floor. The barn sits to the southwest of the house and contains a surviving stone trough. The threshing floor stands at up to 1.2m in height, and measures 6m long by 5.5m wide, constructed of granite with three stones used as steps. An inscription stone formerly built into the wall of this structure reads 'IE AE 1637', initials thought to refer to John and Anna Elford.
The other associated structures across the site are visible as earthworks and low walls, with cobbled surfaces visible between the buildings as well as midden deposits. These deposits have been shown to contain large amounts of pottery dating from the Medieval period to the 19th century, which lends credence to the possibility of an earlier dwelling on site dating from the 13th century. Architectural fragments can be found scattered around the surface of the site, many of which represent the windows and doors.
The building was sold by the Elford family to Sir Massey Lopes in 1748, and tenant farmed until the last tenant, George Creber, was given notice to quit in 1897. In 1898 the valley adjacent to the site was flooded to create the Burrator Reservoir, during which event part of the manorial site was also flooded.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1993-2001, Survey of archaeological sites Burrator (South West Lakes Trust), No. 46 (Report - non-specific). SDV365167.

Substantial ruins of the manor house survive and there are a number of granite items (troughs, cider press, apple crusher and gateposts) in the immediate vicinity. In 1978 a protective fence was erected around the ruins and it was decided not to undertake any consolidation works.

Passmore, A., 1999, Longstone Manor: Archaeological Recording of the Structures below the Water Line (Report - Survey). SDV360285.

Survey in 1999 of below the full level of Burrator Reservoir recorded agricultual buildings and field boundaries associated with Longstone Manor. Two agricultural buildings were identified as probably contemporary with the 17th century manor house. The larger building was still standing up to the desertion of the farm in 1898. Various lengths of field boundaries were recorded as well as a futher length of the Sheepstor- Longstone track. Seven phases of activity dating from the Medieval period to consolidation works in 1999 were identified. Pottery recovered provides further evidence for Medieval activity on the site. Eleven fragments of worked granite stones were recorded including a possible cross base socket stone. Map object partly based on this source.

Bosense, O., 2007, Lowery Barn, Leathertor Farm, Longstone Manor Farm Survey and Report (Report - Survey). SDV365159.

Report commissioned by SWLT to record the condition of the buildings to inform a consolidation and partial repair programme.

Bosense, O., 2011, Condition Report on Lowery Barn and Longstone Manor Farm at Burrator Reservoir for SWLT (Report - Survey). SDV365165.

Report commissioned by SWLT to update and review condition of the buildings to inform a consolidation and repair programme. Site visited 28/07/2011.

English Heritage, 2013, Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act. Longstone Manor Remains, Burrator, Dartmoor, West Devon (Correspondence). SDV351167.

Letter informing of receipt of application to add Longstone Manor Remains to the Schedule of Monuments.

Ordnance Survey, 2017, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359962.

'Manor House (remains of)' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8862 - Survey of archaeological sites on SWLT land in the Burrator catchment
• EDV8863 - Survey of archaeological sites on SWLT land in the Burrator catchment

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