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Summary

Remains of a tin blowing mill, two stamping mills and a dressing floor and a number of mouldstones and mortarstones on the east bank of the River Walkham. Complex site that was the subject of in-depth study in the 1990s.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020039: Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mills, 750m north of Shillapark

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NE20
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439629
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/5
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/5/9
• Old SAM County Ref: 969
• Old SAM Ref: 28755
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX57NE20

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TIN WORK (Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• BLOWING HOUSE (XV to XVII - 1500 AD (Between) to 1700 AD (Between))
• EXTRACTIVE PIT (XV to XVII - 1500 AD (Between) to 1700 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (XV to XVII - 1500 AD (Between) to 1700 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card, SX57NE20, SX57NE20, Plans and photos (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV255150.

Visited on 11th July 1950. Blowing house is in ruinous condition and the northern wall reaches height of approximately 1.5 metres.

Worth, R. H., 1931, Blowing Houses in the Valley of the Walkham, 365-7, Figure 8 (Article in Serial). SDV255152.

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Blowing House, 228 (Article in Serial). SDV154693.

Blowing mill, north of Shillapark (Merrivale right bank). Less well preserved than the blowing houses nearby. Not rectangular. The wheel pit is well defined. No complete mould-stone has been found but there is a broken mould inside the doorway. It appears to be of an older type than the moulds in the houses on the e side of the river. No mortar-stones have been found in the house, but in the bed of the river, where the newtake wall meets it, there is a stone with a hollow, which may be a mortar.

Greeves, T., 1980, Outline of archaeological and historical survey of tin mining in Devon., 86 (Article in Serial). SDV255153.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750, No.57 (Report - non-specific). SDV319826.

Greeves, T., 1981, Upper Merrivale blowing/stamping mill (Report - Assessment). SDV255122.

Undocumented field evidence.

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

Not visible on 1946 Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1990, An Assessment of Dartmoor Tinworking, 38 (Report - Assessment). SDV343684.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152191 & 152198 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(15/06/1999) [152191] Upper Merrivale Blowing Mill, 750 metres north of Shillapark. [152198] Mouldstones, mortarstones and other stone artefacts at upper merrivale tin processing site (mpp).

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 80, Map 30, Site19, Figure 30.9.3 (Monograph). SDV219155.

The upper blowing house on the Upper Walkham to the north of Shillapark Farm enclosures. A silted up leat taken off the Walkham 400 metres upstream carried water to the wheel pit alongside the building. The walls have collapsed inwards hiding the site of the furnace but the bulky mould stone, with two sample moulds below the main cavity, is still in place beside the entrance. Next to the entrance is a fractured mortar stone with a pair of holes in its surface. The presence of 'stamps' is suggested both by the unusual length of the building and by the heaps of sand piled outside, being the waste product of the crushing process.

Gerrard, S., 1991, Earthwork survey at Upper Merrivale Tin Blowing Mill, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV255168.

Nenk, B. S. + Margeson, S. + Hurley, M., 1991, Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1990, 142 (Article in Serial). SDV24914.

Greeves, T. + Gerrard, S., 1991, Survey drawing of earthworks at Upper Merrivale mill (Report - Survey). SDV255156.

Griffith, F. M., 1991, Upper Merrival Blowing Mill, 22/10/1991 (Personal Comment). SDV255155.

In 1991 a programme of excavation on this site was started by the Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group (DTRG). The 1991 excavations demonstrated a considerable complexity of successive structures on the site: both stamping and smelting processes are represented.

Department of Environment, 1991, Upper Merrivale Tin Mill (Schedule Document). SDV326177.

Letter of 30th July 1991. Scheduled Monument Consent granted for excavation of mill structures dressing floors, associated water courses and reservoir.

Greeves, T., 1991, Upper Merrivale tin mill and its context (Article in Serial). SDV255167.

The 1991 excavation concentrated on the larger of two mill structures identified in earlier survey. The building was oriented north-west to south-east with north and east sides of drystone walling. The other sides were masked by a steep turfed slope, but evidence for their position suggests a building measuring approximately 11 metres by 4 metres. Entrance visible in north wall. In the western part of the building was evidence for a dividing wall or collapsed furnace chimney. Stone lined wheel pits lay to east and north sides. That to the east related to an earlier mill lying to the east. Five major phases of activity were identified:
i) during medieval or earlier period the area was streamed for alluvial tin.
ii) medieval? processing of tin ore.
iii) eastern wheelpit serving a mill (as yet unexcavated) to the east.
iv) stamping mill constructed within the present visible structure. Little if any of its walls survive, but several features recorded including stone lined channel leading away from stamp pit at west end into tailrace of eastern wheelpit. Wheelpit backfilled with rubble, which contained early 17th century tobacco pipes.
v) most surviving walls and structures relate to this phase. Visible building (blowing mill), furnace, post-hole evidence for timber supports for bellows, stone bench, mouldstone, stonelined buddle and occupation surfaces. This phase can be dated to circa 1700.
The north-west corner of mill a revealed evidence of revetments against the steep slope. Built into the upper revetment were pieces of slagged furnace lining, clearly from smelting predating that phase of revetment walling. A shallow channel, descending steeply downslope, was contemporary with one of the revetment phases and may have held a timber launder/'pass' for bringing ore (or water) down into the mill.

Gerrard, S. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1992, Summary report on the excavation of Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill (Article in Serial). SDV255169.

Mill 'b'. Most work was concentrated here. The walls of the mill structure are clearly defined on the south, west and north, but on the east, against the river, survive only as a few large stones resting on earlier sands and silts. At the south end of the structure is a substantially built recess, internally approx 1.8 metres by 1.3 metres. The north end of the structure is defined by a wheelpit lying approximately east to west. Overall dimensions are internally 7.4 metres north to south by 2.8 to 3.5 metres east to west. Access to the mill was through a doorway in its south wall, where a small threshold stone is visible. At the north end of Mill 'b' was a pit (as yet unexcavated) containing a double mortarstone which is apparently lying in situ. A channel, filled with sediments, leads south from this pit. Another double mortarstone, used on at least 3 sides, lies at a higher level immediately to the west, and may also be more or less in situ. Two bearing stones, each with smoothly worn open bearings were recovered from the immediate vicinity of these mortarstones.

Dickinson, M., 1992, Upper Merrivale mill and the Civil War, 8 (Article in Serial). SDV255170.

Greeves, T., 1992, Upper Merrivale tin mill - Interim Report 2 (Report - Interim). SDV255178.

Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group, 1992, Upper Merrivale Tin Mill, Planetable Survey (Report - Survey). SDV223118.

Visited on 25th September 1992. Excavation exposed an undisturbed stamps area in Mill 'b', probably dating to the 17th century, and large quantities of tin slag, on the hillside upstream of the mills, which is probably of prehistoric or Romano-British date. Leats were excavated south of the reservoir and on the hillslope above the site to the west where an earthwork channel could be seen leading off the grimstone and sortridge leat. Both revealed simple channels, with no evidence of recutting. Part of the supposed reservoir was also excavated and revealed sloping sides which had been at least partially lined with clay. Three discrete concentrations of slag were found, each associated with worked prehistoric flints. The southernmost concentration is on the upslope side of a natural boulder and may represent a clearance cairn of some sort. The middle concentration lies north of the reservoir, on the upriver side of its outflow channel, between two ditches about 7.5 metres apart. These ditches are now thought to be the flanking ditches of a prehistoric cairn, though they were probably re-used by the medieval or later tinners. Only the tipper levels of the cairn have been excavated so far. The most extensive concentration of tin slag occurred in the extreme north (upstream) end of the trench. An ill-defined scatter of stone was revealed, lying on a buried soil surface. Towards the centre of this scatter was a discrete spread of thousands of pieces of tin slag. With the slag were several worked flints and an unabraded rim sherd of pottery of either Prehistoric 04: Romano-British type.

Gerrard, S. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1993, Summary report of excavations on the excavation of Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill, 3 (Article in Serial). SDV255135.

The discovery of mortarstones and bearing stones confirm the status of this mill as a stamping mill, operated by a waterwheel housed in the wheelpit immediately to the north. Until the discovery of the mortarstones it had been assumed that the stamps themselves lay parallel to the extended axle of the waterwheel, as they do in all known illustrations of stamps from the 18th century onwards. But at Upper Merrivale it appears that the stamps must have had a separate axle of their own, operating at right-angles to the main waterwheel axle. Above the wheelpit to the west is a substantial leat embankment revetted with stone. Preliminary excavation indicates that a timber launder may have rested on its upper levels. Mill 'a'. Relatively little excavation was done here. However, work was done on the clay lining to the back of the furnace, and samples taken for analysis. The top half of the lining contained fragments of slate and appeared to have slumped from above, while the lower portion was consistently of clay. This material is thought to represent the outer lining of the furnace, which was laid against a massive, and presumably earthfast, natural boulder, which must also have dictated the position of earlier stamping machinery at the head of the mill. Nw of the furnace, further sockets for posts and timbers were revealed, all probably part of the supporting framework for the bellows. A considerable depth of material here has been redeposited, creating an artificial platform. Three internal channels have now been recognised within the mill, each of them apparently discrete and at different height. They may well be contemporary, carrying different grades of crushed material from a stamping pit as yet unexcavated in the upper part of the mill. The lowest channel runs through the centre of the mill, with its top end partly under the furnace structure. It was recorded in 1991. In 1992 it was established that the s wall of the mill is built over 2 phases of the channel. Deposits survived here and have been sampled. The middle channel runs round the w side of the furnace before apparently joining the lower channel more or less opposite the mouldstone. The upper channel is thought to hug the inside of the w wall of the mill before being interrupted(?) by the stone-lined pit which in 1991 was provisionally interpreted as a buddle. On the s side of the pit this channel continues as a neat stone-capped and stone-lined trench which was filled with sands and silts, which have been sampled. The channel leads into the lowest channel a short distance from the 3 wall of the mill.
More slag has been recovered from this area, over 30 metres from Mill 'a', than from the whole of the rest of the site. Comparative analyses are being made of this slag and of slag from the mills. The second season of work has produced evidence for a probable 17th century stamping mill, with at least one in situ mortarstone. It is now thought that the final major phase of operation of the site saw the use of both structures together.

Gerrard, S. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1993, Summary Report on the Second Season of Excavation at Upper Merrivale Tin Blowing and Stamping Mill 1992 (SX55197664), 4-8 (Article in Serial). SDV364369.

Gerrard, S. + Greeves, T. A. P., 1993, Summary Report on the Second Season of Excavation at Upper Merrivale Tin Blowing and Stamping Mill 1992 (SX55197664), 4-8 (Article in Serial). SDV364369.

Mill 'b'. A fragmentary mortarstone of greenstone was found built into the north wall. This joined another fragment recovered from the interior in a previous year. The space between the leat embankment and the head of the wheelpit was investigated. The earth mound on which the stones of the embankment were placed was found to contain substantial quantities of tin slag. Among the stones incorporated into the embankment, was a fragmentary mortarstone. The leat was found to turn into the head of the wheelpit, at a surprisingly low level. It appeared to be contemporary with at least one phase of the leat embankment so may have been a supplementary supply to the wheel. A fragmentary mortarstone close to the south wall of the mill underlay sands (containing slag and charcoal) which appeared to run under the wall of the mill. This supports other evidence that there were exposed 'tinworking' surfaces in this area before the south wall of Mill 'b' was constructed.

Waterhouse, R., 1994, A reconstruction of Upper Merrivale Tin Mill in its final phase of working, circa 1700, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV255173.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1994, In Search of the Tinners at Upper Merrivale Mill, 6-9 (Article in Serial). SDV255164.

Greeves, T., 1994, Stamping and smelting at Upper Merrivale tin mill: preliminary results 1991-3., 76-80 (Article in Monograph). SDV255165.

Greeves, T., 1994, Summary report on the third season at Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill. (Article in Serial). SDV255172.

Excavation of Mill 'a' concentrated on the furnace area. Below stone slabs between the in situ mouldstone and the furnace structure was a stone-lined and capped channel provisionally interpreted as belonging to a stamping phase, predating the furnace. Not yet fully excavated. The leat on west side of Mill 'a' was further investigated. Work at Mill 'b' concentrated on the stamps area at north end. The in situ mortarstone was removed and found to have 2 mortars on its underside. Evidence found of successive cuts for pits around the mortarstone which may, in one phase, have had its long axis at right-angles to the one recovered. No clear evidence for a channel leading from the stamps pit, contra previous interpretation. The final phase of stamping must therefore have been 'dry'. Beneath the sequence of stamps pits, and below alluvial pebbles, were grey sands apparently derived from dressing. If confirmed, this must be a very early phase, predating the layout of Mill 'b'. A trench across the lower end of Mill 'b' revealed a probable construction trench for a likely original east-west wall of the mill, now severely eroded. Mill 'b' may, therefore, once have had a more regular shape than its present survival indicates. Investigation to continue in 1995. The discovery of mortarstones and bearing stones confirm the status of this mill as a stamping mill, operated by a waterwheel housed in the wheelpit immediately to the north. Until the discovery of the mortarstones it had been assumed that the stamps themselves lay parallel to the extended axle of the waterwheel, as they do in all known illustrations of stamps from the 18th century onwards. But at Upper Merrivale it appears that the stamps must have had a separate axle of their own, operating at right-angles to the main waterwheel axle. Above the wheelpit to the west is a substantial leat embankment revetted with stone. Preliminary excavation indicates that a timber launder may have rested on its upper levels. Mill 'a'. Relatively little excavation was done here. However, work was done on the clay lining to the back of the furnace, and samples taken for analysis. The top half of the lining contained fragments of slate and appeared to have slumped from above, while the lower portion was consistently of clay. This material is thought to represent the outer lining of the furnace, which was laid against a massive, and presumably earthfast, natural boulder, which must also have dictated the position of earlier stamping machinery at the head of the mill. North-west of the furnace, further sockets for posts and timbers were revealed, all probably part of the supporting framework for the bellows. A considerable depth of material here has been redeposited, creating an artificial platform. Three internal channels have now been recognised within the mill, each of them apparently discrete and at different height. They may well be contemporary, carrying different grades of crushed material from a stamping pit as yet unexcavated in the upper part of the mill. The lowest channel runs through the centre of the mill, with its top end partly under the furnace structure. It was recorded in 1991. In 1992 it was established that the south wall of the mill is built over two phases of the channel. Deposits survived here and have been sampled. The middle channel runs round the west side of the furnace before apparently joining the lower channel more or less opposite the mouldstone. The upper channel is thought to hug the inside of the west wall of the mill before being interrupted(?) by the stone-lined pit which in 1991 was provisionally interpreted as a buddle. On the south side of the pit this channel continues as a neat stone-capped and stone-lined trench which was filled with sands and silts, which have been sampled. The channel leads into the lowest channel a short distance from the third wall of the mill.

Gerrard, S., 1994, Upper Merrivale tin mill (Correspondence). SDV255160.

Letter in Chagford Parish File.

Greeves, T., 1995, Excavation of Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill (Report - Excavation). SDV255163.

Ore dump to west of recess was sectioned, exposing several courses of west wall of recess, and showing a considerable build-up of material against the wall. Large granite blocks on north side of dump, seemingly natural and in situ, were shown to be resting on slumped soil, and must relate to a late phase of activity. Several late dumps of tin slag excavated outside south wall of mill.

Greeves, T., 1995, Interin Report no 4, 1994 (Report - Interim). SDV255177.

The 1993 season of work on Mill 'a' included a plan of the interior. Section begun of bellows area above furnace against inside wall of wheelpit. This confirmed the deposit as redeposited, by finding slagged and vitrified granite furnace lining among it - thus confirming an earlier phase of smelting with furnace in a different position. Internal features of Mill 'b' were planned, as were elevations of internal faces of surviving walls. The 1992 excavation recovered mortar stones in upper end of Mill 'b'. One appeared in situ, with a filled channel leading from it. This obvious stamping area appeared to be defined on s edge by 2 large stones running east to west. The 1993 excavation demonstrated that these post-dated the stamping phase. They may represent a final subdivision of the mill once stamping had finished, when the mill appears to have been refurbished. Some post-medieval pot (?17th century) was found among stone used to create a crude 'cobbled' floor of the recess. All internal faces of the recess have been affected by heat, but whether due to domestic or industrial activity is unknown. No specific evidence of smelting has come from this area.

Greeves, T., 1995, Summary report on the fourth season of excavation at Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill, 6 (Article in Serial). SDV255174.

Devon County Council, 1996, DAP/ABE, 5-11 (Aerial Photograph). SDV225181.

Griffith, F. M., 1996, DAP/ABF, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV273204.

Griffith, F. M., 1996, DAP/ABG, 1-10 (Aerial Photograph). SDV262102.

Excavation of site recorded from the air in September 1996.

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Upper Merrivale Tin Mill (Schedule Document). SDV255139.

Letter dated 15th February 1996. scheduled Monument Consent granted concerning the continued excavation of mill structures, dressing floors, water courses and related feature.

Greeves, T., 1997, Summary report of the fifth season of excavation at Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill. (Article in Serial). SDV255175.

At the upper dressing floor two long rectangular pits with rounded heads and leading into a common channel are interpreted as the settings for buddies, either of wood or slate. No evidence was recovered for wooden structures or postholes, but several pieces of slate were found. The third pit, lying parallel with the riverside trench edge is likely to be another buddle setting. Previous work had interpreted a hollow by the trench edge nearest mill a as another buddle pit, but further excavation made this less convincing. The dressing floor seems to have been created on a more or less clean terrace, probably created by tinners working alluvial deposits on the river bed. Except for recent floor deposits, all material seemed to have been dumped or purposely placed. The relative lack of tin slimes suggested that the buddle structures themselves were temporary and removed when the site was abandoned. At the lower -dressing floor a small trench investigate deposits on the terraced area below the weir. Furnace lining and tin slag were found lying on pale sands which are almost certainly the product of tin dressing, and unlike those found elsewhere on the site. The evidence suggests that this area may have been used for settling out the least valuable grades of tin processing waste.

Passmore, A., 1998, Finds at Upper Merrivale: the larger stone artefacts. (Article in Serial). SDV255176.

Greeves, T. + Passmore, A., 1999, Report on the Recent Work in the Walkham Valley, 3-5 (Article in Serial). SDV347156.

Greeves, T. + Passmore, A., 2000, Fieldwork and post-excavation update, 5 (Article in Serial). SDV247530.

Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group 1996 season of excavations concentrated on the furnace area and north-west corner of mill 'A'. Work on the interior of mill 'A' was completed and a chronological summary put forward, adding new phases to the earlier sequence. See report for details. Within mill 'B' the northern wall was investigated, prior to consolidation.

Greeves, T. A. P. + Passmore, A., 2000, Upper Merrivale Tin Blowing and Stamping Mill, Dartmoor. Excavation - Interim Report 5 (Report - Excavation). SDV262301.

Hedges, M., 2003, Upper Walkham Valley, 2 (Article in Serial). SDV239759.

Upper Merrivale Tin Mill was worked from 1500-1700.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Merrivale Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation, 10/01/2018 (Report - Survey). SDV361635.

Remains of a tin blowing mill, 2 stamping mills and a dressing floor and a number of mouldstones and mortarstones on the east bank of the River Walkham.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 20/08/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

Summary description ?
Remains of a Medieval or later tin blowing mill, two stamping mills and dressing floors situated adjacent to the River Walkham. An archaeological survey and excavation of the site during the early 1990s recorded the drystone walls of the blowing mill surviving to a height of 1.2 metres. A rectangular structure thought to represent a pit in which tin was washed prior to smelting is situated next to the west wall. In the northern part of the building is a recess which would have housed the bellows that provided the air blast for the furnace. The bellows were powered by a waterwheel, set in the wheelpit attached to the eastern side of the building. The southeastern stamping mill is an irregularly-shaped building with a recess in the southwest corner and a wheelpit adjacent to the north wall. Excavations located the stamps pit and a mortar stone within the building. The northwest stamping mill is situated below the later blowing mill. Excavations revealed features associated with the blowing mill, including the furnace, mortar stones and large quantities of slag and ceramic material. Four gullies to the north of the blowing mill represent the site of buddles where the crushed tin was dressed. A small openwork lies to the north. A terrace south of the mills contains a further dressing floor. The works were operational from circa 1500-1700.

Full description(s) ?
(SX 55197664) Blowing House (NR) (Remains of) (NAT). (1)

The "Upper" blowing house lies on the west bank of the Walkham,
457 yds north of the "Middle" house (SX 57 NE 21) and about
233 yds south of the point at which the newtake wall crosses the
river. It has traces of a leat and the wheel pit is clearly marked. The house is not rectangular; one long side measures
38ft 9in (11.9m) and the other 33ft (10.2m); one end is 14ft
(4.3m) and the other 12ft 6in (3.8m); all measurements being
internal. No complete mould stone has been found, but there is
a broken mould 8in wide at the top, length unknown, depth not
less than 3in. It appears to be of an older type than those
found in the houses on the left bank (SX 57 NE 21 & 25). No
mortar stone has been found in the house, but in the river bed,
where the newtake wall meets the river, there is a stone with
a hollow that may be a mortar. (2)

On the west bank of the Walkham River at SX 55197664 is a
sub-rectangular blowing house as measured by Worth, and in fair
condition. A slate mortar stone is inside the entrance; this
may have come from the river. Next to it is a complete mould
stone 0.9m by 0.8m by 0.5m.

Not recorded by Worth is a second blowing house immediately
to the southeast. Unlike the first it is very ruinous and 4.0m
wide internally; its length is uncertain since it has been
eroded by the river. The furnace and the remains of the leat
are still traceable. It probably preceeded the more complete
building to the northwest and may have been partly stripped
to provide stone for it. Indeed the old mould stone seen by
Worth may well have come from this building.

Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD. (3)

Blowing houses and dressing floors at Upper Merrivale, surveyed by Sandy Gerrard and Tom Greeves, 1990. (See illustration card for plan). (4)

SX 55207662. Remains of a tin blowing mill, two stamping mills and dressing floors, adjacent to the River Walkham. The drystone walls of the blowing mill stand up to 1.2 metres high. A rectangular structure next to the west wall is thought to represent a pit in which tin was washed prior to smelting. A recess in the north part of the building would have housed the bellows that provided the air blast for the furnace. The bellows were themselves powered by a waterwheel, set in the wheelpit attached to the eastern side of the building. The southeastern stamping mill survives as an irregularly shaped building with a recess in the south west corner and a wheelpit adjacent to the north wall. The stamps pit and a mortar stone were uncovered during investigations within the building. The northwest stamping mill lies below the later blowing mill. Excavations carried out in 1991 revealed remains associated with the blowing mill, including the furnace, mortar stones and large quantities of slag and ceramic material. Four gullies to the north of the blowing mill represent the site of buddles where the crushed tin was dressed. A small openwork lies to the north. A terrace south of the mills contains a further dressing floor. Scheduled. (5)

Remains as described by Authority 5. Building has been partially consolidated since the 1991-1996 excavations but walls are still unstable and interior is filling with reed growth (6)

Documented. (7)

Sources ?
Ref Title (& comments) Year SoR Pages Volume Notes
1 Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. OS 6" 1954
2 Devonshire Association reports and transactions 365-7 63, 1931 (R H Worth)
3 Field Investigators Comments F1 NJA 14-SEP-1978
4 Externally held archive reference
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. Survey by S.Gerrard and T.Greeves, 1990
5 Scheduled Monument Notification
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. EH Scheduling amendment, 09-FEB-2001
6 Field Investigators Comments Newman P 10-Aug-2004 Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey
7 English Heritage Monuments Protection Programme Industrial Monuments Assessment, Step 3 Reports
As received from English Heritage. Several reports on Industrial Archaeology by industry produced between 1995 and 2000.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

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

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1020039 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

The monument includes a tin blowing mill, two stamping mills and dressing floors lying adjacent to the River Walkham. The blowing mill is of drystone construction with the wall standing up to 1.2 metres high. The interior of the mill measures 11.1 metres by up to 4.5 metres and access to it was through a clearly defined doorway in the eastern wall. A mould stone sits next to and north of the doorway. West of the mould stone and adjacent to the western wall of the mill is a stone edged rectangular structure which represents a pit in which tin was probably washed prior to smelting. In the northern part of the building is a recess which would have held the bellows that provided the air blast for the furnace. The bellows were powered by a water wheel sitting in the wheelpit attached to the eastern wall of the mill. The water for the wheel was carried to the site in a leat leading from the River Walkham and stored in a small reservoir immediately above the mill building. The southern eastern stamping mill survives as an irregular shaped building denoted by large orthostats. The interior of this building measures up to 7.3 metres long by 3.5 metres wide with a substantial recess in the south western corner. A wheelpit adjacent to the northern wall of this mill was served by water carried on a well-preserved embankment. The north western stamping mill lies on the site of the later blowing mill and was identified during excavations carried out by the Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group over five seasons from 1991. During this excavation, evidence for a channel leading from a stamps pit below the later furnace was recovered. It was not possible to establish the precise character of the building associated with this mill because the structures in this area had clearly been remodelled when the later blowing mill was constructed. Excavations within the blowing mill revealed a well-preserved furnace, which has since been removed, post holes that had supported the bellows, large numbers of mortar stones, and considerable quantities of slag and ceramic material. Work within the south-eastern stamping mill revealed the stamps pit together with a mortar stone still in its original position. To the north of the blowing mill, four elongated gulleys represent the site of buddles where the crushed tin was dressed. North of these is a hollow which represents the site of a small openwork. South of the mills a terrace with some slight earthworks contains a further dressing floor. West of this and above the scarp is a granite block into the top of which has been cut a trough. This stone would have been intended for use as a mould stone but was never completed. Above the scarp in the area north of the blowing mill considerable quantities of slag together with prehistoric artefacts and a rubble spread suggests earlier activity on the site. Many of the mould, mortar and other worked stones found during the excavation now lie south of the south eastern mill.

Gerrard, S. + Greeves, T. A. P., unknown, Excavation of Upper Merrivale tin blowing and stamping mill (Report - Excavation). SDV255157.

The furnace appears to have had an internal lining which could be cleanly removed after each smelting, and may have been associated with a slate roofed superstructure. Briquettes of peat charcoal were scattered over much of the site - the first recorded incidence on Dartmoor. Excavation of the northern wheelpit revealed a complex sequence of events comparable to though not yet correlated with, those within the mill building.

Greeves, T., Unknown, Tinworking on south-west England in the 16th century, 341-350 (Article in Monograph). SDV255166.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV5088 - MOULDSTONE (XI to Unknown - 1066 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8407 - Excavation at blowing mill, Upper Merrivale, Walkham Valley
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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