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Summary

The remains of whetstone mine galleries and spoil heaps of probable 18th, 19th and early 20th century were visible as earthwork hollows and mounds on the west-facing slopes of the scarp circa 1km north of Witness Moor, Broadhembury parish, on aerial photographs of the 1940s and 1950s and digital images derived from lidar data captured from 1998 to 2014.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST10SW/97/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MINE (Early Medieval to XX - 1066 AD to 1947 AD (Between))

Full description

APH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV102956.

Belt of whetstone mining visible on raf aps. Runs c st114043 - st 112029. Collapsed mine tunnels with downslope spoilheaps (aph).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV102958.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/1974/4450-51/(11/4/1947).

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV102959.

Aph=raf/cpe/uk/1974/2452-3/(11/4/1947).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV102960.

Des=horner, w. /(5/9/1997)/as above.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV102961.

Stanes, r. /tda/125(1993)86/devonshire batts.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV2244.

Vis=4/9/1997 (horner + middleton) site visit to area at c. St11320416. Heavy bracken growth but a number of collapsed adits running up the scarp are visible. More prominent are the spoil heaps at the base of the adits projecting over the spring line. Quite a lot fo badger activity in the spoil (horner).

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2452-2453 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

Linear gullies and earthwork mounds were visible.

Royal Air Force, 1950, RAF/541/453, RAF/541/453 RS 4106-4107 04-MAR-1950 (Aerial Photograph). SDV357845.

Linear gullies and earthwork mounds were visible.

Environment Agency, 1998-2014, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution), LIDAR ST1104 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014 (Cartographic). SDV359177.

Linear earthwork hollows and mounds were visible.

Next Perspectives, 2010, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1104 22-MAY-2010 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356259.

The earthworks were obscured by dense tree cover.

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

The remains of linear gullies running perpendicular to the contours of the scarp and an extensive irregularly shaped earthwork mound or terrace were visible as earthworks on the west-facing slopes of the scarp circa 1km north of Witness Moor, Broadhembury parish, on aerial photographs of 1947 and 1950 onwards and digital images derived from lidar data capured from 1998 to 2014. The earthworks are most clearly visible on images derived from lidar, specifically DTM visualisations.
The linear hollows were on average circa 4 metres wide and between 5 to 25 metres long, running perpendicular to the contours of the scarp. They are interpreted as forming over the collapsed remains of post-medieval whetstone mine galleries. An irregular earthwork terrace up to 22 metres wide and almost 200 metres long was visible immediately downslope of the collapsed tunnels. This terrace was probably formed of the spoil excavated from the mine galleries.
The earthworks are obscured by dense woodland on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2010 but probably survive as earthworks.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV102956	Migrated Record: APH.
SDV102958	Aerial Photograph:
SDV102959	Aerial Photograph:
SDV102960	Migrated Record:
SDV102961	Migrated Record:
SDV2244	Migrated Record:
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FS 2452-2453 11-APR-1947.
SDV356259	Aerial Photograph: Next Perspectives. 2010. Aerial Photography for Great Britain. Aerial Photography for Great Britain Aerial Photographs. Digital. Next Perspectives APGB Imagery ST1104 22-MAY-2010.
SDV357845	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1950. RAF/541/453. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/541/453 RS 4106-4107 04-MAR-1950.
SDV359177	Cartographic: Environment Agency. 1998-2014. LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution). Environment Agency LiDAR data. Digital. LIDAR ST1104 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 30-SEP-2014. [Mapped feature: #93692 ]
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

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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