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Summary

A curvilinear ditch, embanked along much of its length, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014, crossing Crownhill Down and Ridding Down. The earthworks are the remains of a drain or leat of probably later 19th century date associated with Wheal Florence Mine on Crownhill Down.
The southernmost earthworks have been destroyed by the expansion of open cast mining on Crownhill Down.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1003201: Barrow cemetery on western slope of Crownhill Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 1343800
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/423

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (XIX to Edwardian - 1880 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

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

The visible earthworks do not correspond with any leat depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1880s 25inch First Edition map.

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

The visible earthworks correspond with a channel depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1904-1906 25inch Second Edition map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, RAF/CPE/UK/1890 FP 1126-1127 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

A linear earthwork ditch or channel is visible.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Map object based on this Source.

Ordnance Survey, 1969, OS/69296, OS/69296 V 018-019 29-JUN-1969 (Aerial Photograph). SDV361475.

A linear earthwork ditch or channel is visible.

Gilbertson, D. + Collis, J., 1982, Mapping Three Millennia of Settlement and Land Use on Crownhill Down, South West Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV362901.

Wheal Florence Drain.

Gilbertson, D. + Collis, J., 1985, Linear Banks on Crownhill Down, Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV337244.

Wheal Florence Drain.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, SX55NE (Cartographic). SDV337243.

Leat shown on aerial photograph interpretation.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5660 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A linear earthwork ditch or channel is visible.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5660-SX5760 31-MAY-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A linear earthwork ditch or channel is visible although it has been destroyed by quarrying to the south.

National Monuments Record, 2002, 1343800 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV343685.

Other details: NMR Number SX56SE207.

Fletcher, M., 2002, The Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Ridding Down: Survey Report (Report - Survey). SDV343412.

Leat shown on Crownhill Down Survey. Other details: Figure 3 and Crownhill Down Survey. Map object based on this Source.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2021, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A curvilinear ditch up to 2m wide is visible is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards and digital images derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2014, crossing Crownhill Down and Ridding Down.
The ditch does not correspond with any feature depicted on the Ordnance Survey 1880s 25inch First Edition map but does match a channel shown on the early 20th century Second Edition map. This might support the interpretation that the ditch is of later 19th century date.
The channel diverts from a drain or leat depicted on the Ordnance Survey Second Edition 25inch map, at circa SX57496106, north-west of Old Bottle Hill Leat, and continues to the south-west onto Crownhill Down for circa 1.7km to Wheal Florence mine (MDV1798).
Although described as a drain, the channel falls in elevation from Ridding Down towards Wheal Florence mine, and is therefore more properly described as a leat.
Circa 600m of the southernmost leat earthworks have been destroyed by the expansion of open cast mining on Crownhill Down, but the remainder probably survive as earthworks.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4559 - Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Riddding Down
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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