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Summary

The remains of 18th, 19th and early 20th century whetstone mine galleries and spoil are visible as linear and roughly circular earthwork pits with irregular banks along the southeast slopes of a scarp southwest of Hollies Trout Farm on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards and on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST10NW/80

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LINEAR FEATURE (Lower Palaeolithic to XXI - 698000 BC to 2009 AD (Between))
• MINE (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 2000 AD (Between))

Full description

TITHE MAP AND APPORTIONMENT, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV6491.

Located in tm434 called turbury.(tm/ta).

1ST ED., Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV97563.

Linear mound appears on os 6" (1st ed. ) map.(os).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV97566.

Dro=sheldon tm(c1840) and ta434(1839).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV97568.

Des=slide 25/08/92 in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV97569.

Des=b/w print 25/08/92 film no.3018 frame no.25 in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV97570.

Des=os 6"(1st ed. )map sheet 58nw.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4294-4295 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

A series of earthwork cuttings, pits and earthwork mounds are visible.

Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit, 1992 - 1993, Blackdown Hills Survey Archive (Archive - Survey). SDV324187.

Vis=25/08/1992 (reed and stead). Mound projects east from hillside into a wooded marshy valley. Measures 71m long x 30m wide x 4-5m high. Probably man-made ?long barrow or ?spoil from quarrying numerous badger sets. No finds recovered.

Bluesky International, 2016, LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects, LIDAR ST1107 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016 & 27-JUN-2016 (Cartographic). SDV359714.

A series of earthwork cuttings, pits and earthwork mounds are visible.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2016-2018, The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV359463.

A series of linear and roughly circular earthwork pits are visible along the southeast slopes of a scarp, to the southwest of Hollies Trout Farm. They are interpreted as the openings and collapsed remains of post-medieval whetstone mine tunnels, and are visible, although partially obscured by tree cover, on aerial photographs of 1947 onwards and on digital images derived from lidar data captured in 2016. The faintly defined linear earthworks, which measure up to 30m in length, are northwest to southeast aligned and perpendicular to the contours of the scarp. These are interpreted as the remains of collapsed galleries dug into the hillside to follow the veins of silicate rock. Along the scarp are a series of earthwork pits, up to 9m in length but typically between 2 to 4m, and interpreted as collapses of overlying soil into the abandoned galleries that run into the hillside. On the downward side of these earthworks are a number of sub-oval and elongated shaped mounds, up to 42m in length and presumably the extracted waste from the mines. The northern most of these is pock-marked with a series of small ‘pits’, possibly the badger sets alluded to elsewhere in this record. Where the earthworks were clearly defined they have been transcribed, but in some cases the edges of the earthworks could not be clearly distinguished and the extent of the area has been transcribed. The actual extent of the original mines is likely to be more extensive than that recorded from the lidar images.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV324187	Archive - Survey: Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. 1992 - 1993. Blackdown Hills Survey Archive. Blackdown Hills Survey Archive. A4 Unbound.
SDV6491	Migrated Record: TITHE MAP AND APPORTIONMENT.
SDV97568	Migrated Record:
SDV97569	Migrated Record:
SDV97570	Migrated Record:
SDV97566	Migrated Record:
SDV97563	Migrated Record: 1ST ED..
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 RS 4294-4295 11-APR-1947.
SDV359714	Cartographic: Bluesky International. 2016. LiDAR DTM data (0.5m resolution) Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONBs: 3 transects. Not applicable. Digital. LIDAR ST1107 Bluesky International DTM 05-MAY-2016 & 27-JUN-2016. [Mapped feature: #92891 ]
SDV359463	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2016-2018. The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. Historic England Research Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:2

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7508 - The Blackdown Hills AONB and East Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme (NMP) project (Ref: ACD1228)

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