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Summary

Site of a stream or mill leat running east from a pond at Alston to Blanks Mill then northeast to Blanksmill Creek. A curvilinear terrace or scarp is identifiable as an earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX74SW/208

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MILL RACE (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1840 AD (Between))
• POND? (Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD (Between) to 1840 AD (Between))

Full description

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

The visible earthworks correspond in part with narrow rectilinear pond depicted on the Tithe Map (Plot 613).

Ordnance Survey, 1880s, Ordnance Survey (Cartographic). SDV848.

Site of a stream or mill leat running east from the northwest of Alston (see PRN 7268) to Blanks Mill (see PRN 18426) then northeast to Blanksmill Creek. Other details: Also on OS 25" (1906) map.

Turton, S. D., 1991, Archaeological Assessment of SWW Salcombe to Oldaway Tongue Water Pipeline, 2 (Report - Assessment). SDV169067.

Pipeline route clips 2 field shown on the 1841 Tithe Map Apportionment as 'Mill Lands' and 'Mill Lands Meadow'. Names suggest either a connection with Blanks Mill (see PRN 18426) or a possible link with the medieval settlement at Alston (see PRN 44386).

Reed, S. J. + Turton, S. D., 1991, Archaeological Recording on the SWW Salcombe to Oldaway Tongue Water Pipeline, 2 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV166340.

No features located associating these fields with either of the above sites. However, construction work allowed examination of a small adjacent stream which appeared to be contained within a manmade channel construced on the lower slopes of the valley. This may represent a mill leat.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX7240 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A curvilinear terrace or scarp is identifiable as an earthwork.

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 terrace or scarp is identifiable on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 as an earthwork 14m to 19m wide following the contours of the north-facing combe slope to the south-west of Blankmill Creek for up to circa 410m.
The visible earthwork is probably the remains of landscaping that carried the mil race to Blanks Mill but might also be associated with, or possibly the same as, ponds depicted on the Tithe Map for Malborough.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV3749 - Archaeological assessment of SWW Salcombe to Oldaway Tongue water pipeline
• EDV3750 - Archaeological recording on the SWW Salcombe to Oldaway Tongue water pipeline
• 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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