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Summary

Remains of a farmstead dating to at least the later 17th century, based on documentary evidence. Remains include a longhouse to which other structures were added.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020225: Crazy Well Farmstead, 420m south of Crazy Well Pool

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE67
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440219
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/132
• Old SAM Ref: 24068
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX57SE67

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMSTEAD (Built, Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 10/04/1953, 540/1040, 0129 (Aerial Photograph). SDV351329.

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

Crazy Well marked, comprising a longhouse with yards to north and south.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 3439-40 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Linehan, C. D., 1965, Deserted Sites on Dartmoor, Devon, 175 (Article in Serial). SDV217992.

Crazywell. Longhouse much altered in later period and another small building. All in yards and enclosures. 17 metres long by 3.66 metres wide.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, Table 19 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor, 18, Plan (Un-published). SDV150434.

Site visit 11th April 1966. Longhouse built across the slope and added to. The window at the west end has a decorative cill and lintel. Dressed and tapered gatepost, possibly a cross shaft.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX57SE67 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV250071.

(22/08/1977) This probable deserted Medieval site, now known as "Grazy Well", but "Claisiwell" on the OS 6", 1883 comprises two or three adjoining ruined buildings situated within two small enclosures.
The westerly building measures internally 3.7 x 2.4m with a drystone wall 0.8m thick; the middle building measured 3.8 x 2.8m, with wall 1.4m high and 0.6m thick, its door joint and lintel in situ; the easterly building 2.3m wide; length not known because the south wall is destroyed, and wall 1.4m high and 0.6m thick.
The walls of the enclosures are 1.5m thick; one enclosure measures 12.5 x 10.0m and the other 18.0 x 12.0m, the latter having two small sub-enclosures attached internally on the south side.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 141 (Monograph). SDV249702.

"Of the house little remains: a fine doorway with lintel in situ, a cupboard recess high in the north wall (a position suggesting its use as a cooler) and an intriguing, skilfully constructed low-level chamber in a wall south-east of the house. It has back-and-end stones, a frontal-stone leaving an access-gap and a capstone; its dimensions are fifty inches long, twenty -seven deep and fourteen high. A lintel of the shippen was standing until recently and on a wall of the farm court is a chambered stone thirteen inches square, having in the centre of its upper surface a cavity four inches in diameter and 4 3/4 inches deep: a shallower boring has been started on the upper surface brought the work to an end."

The Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England Aerial Photograph Unit, 1985, The Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England Aerial Photograph Project (Interpretation). SDV340940.

Visible on 1947 RAF aerial photo.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152450 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(25/02/2000) Farmstead including a probable longhouse built across the slope to which other structures have been added. The longhouse structure measures 8.7 metres long by 3.8 metres wide and is denoted by low rubble walling and earthworks. The interior is filled with rubble some of which has been moved recently to built the various walls on the monument. A small outshut built against the west wall measures 1.8 metres long by 1.6 metres wide and is denoted by drystone walling. East of the longhouse is a room 3.8 metres long by 2.2 metres wide and east of this is a substantial room entered through a doorway whose lintel remains 1.6 metres high above ground surface. The final building lies south of the main building. See report for further details.

Wessex Archaeology, 2002, Cramber Tor Training Area Rapid Condition Survey, WA118, WA120, WA121, WA122 (Report - Survey). SDV354588.

Cramber Tor Survey 2002, Sites WA118, WA120, WA121, WA122 .

Newman, P., 2007, Cramber Tor Training Area Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV348210.

(01/08/2006) Situated on a south facing slope overlooking Newleycombe Lake is Crazy Well, or Classiwell Farm, an enclosed medieval farmstead consisting of a large, mainly ruined building with four compartments, an adjacent temporary structure and various other structures including an outhouse and a possible dog pit. Sited between Newleycombe Farm to the east and Kingsett Farm to the west, it is the smallest holding in the area. It appears in the documentary record in 1585 and was still in use in 1839. However, by 1900 it had been abandoned and absorbed into Kingsett Farm. Unlike its neighbours, Classiwell does not appear to have been rebuilt in the nineteenth century. Yet despite its poor condition some interesting architectural features have survived including a possible cross shaft reused as a gate post, a lintel and a decorated window mullion.
The focal building (SX 5808 7005) occupies the north section of the enclosure wall and comprises of four linear compartments, the largest of which is 10 m long by 3.4 m wide. Situated just off centre towards the west, this compartment is mostly ruinous. Its south wall survives only as an edge of terrace, possibly due to stone robbing, with a small stretch (1.7 m long and 1.1 m thick) of remaining walling located at the eastern end. Fortunately, the north and east wall have both survived collapse as has the west wall due to its incorporation into a later structure. The next compartment situated to the east of the large room is a chamber 2.5 m wide. It features an entrance located on the south wall approximately 1 m wide and 1.4 m high. Flanking this chamber is a slightly larger example, 3 m wide with walls 0.6 m thick. Again it contains an entrance positioned on its southern wall, 1 m wide and 1.55 m high, although this example has a slab lintel presumably still in situ. This is approximately 1.9 m long, 1.5 m wide and 0.2 m thick. A bay 2.5 m wide, terminates the structure on the eastern end.
Located in the north west corner of the enclosure is a later temporary structured constructed out of the enclosure wall and the western wall of the large building. Roughly built from moor stone it is approximately 1.5 m wide with a small window opening on its western wall, 0.4 m x 0.4 m. A detached window mullion, 1m long and 0.2 m square compliments the feature with its bevelled decoration.
Incorporated into the eastern wall of the farmstead is a possible dog kennel or dog pit (SX 5807 7004). It is composed of a stone slab, 0.8 m x 1 m, balanced upon stone supports with a chamber below. The dimension of the entrance is 0.4 m x 0.4 m.
Nestled into the south west corner of the enclosure is an outbuilding (SX 5808 7004), 2.1 m wide by 3.5 m long. Built against the enclosure wall it appears to have been an open ended structure with an additional wall built in the interior at a later date. This has created a compartment 1.1 m wide.
Positioned along the western wall in between the dog pit and the outhouse is a gateway with its northern gate post still in situ (SX 5808 7004). The post appears to be a possible Cross shaft, 1 m x 0.3 m and 0.25 m thick.
Sited to the east of the farmstead are two outbuildings connected to the outside face of the neighbouring enclosure wall. The first (SX 5810 7005) is situated at the junction between the boundary wall and an adjoining wall extended out from the farmstead. It is 1.5 m by 1.8m wide with walls 0.5 m high. Located to the north of this outbuilding is another structure (SX 5810 7007) similar in size (1.5 m x 1.3 m) and, like the first, is roughly built from moor stone. However, it differs in that it may have been an open ended structure.

Probert, S., 2008, Follow-Up Works to Cramber Tor Archaeological Baseline Condition Survey, Dartmoor Training Area, 6, Fig. 4 (Report - Survey). SDV351304.

Situated in a rather exposed location close to Raddick Lane and has suffered stone removal and displacement in the past. Now in a stable condition with no evidence to suggest recent disturbance.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

The monument includes an historic farmstead situated on a moderately steep south facing slope overlooking Newleycombe Lake. The largest and earliest component of the site is a longhouse structure built along the prevailing slope. The longhouse measures 8.7m long by 3.8m wide and is denoted by low rubble walling and earthworks. A small outshut built against the western wall of the longhouse measures 1.8m long by 1.6m wide and is denoted by drystone walling. Attached to the eastern side of the longhouse is another room and this measures 3.8m long by 2.2m wide. East of this room is a substantial rectangular room which is entered through a doorway whose lintel remains 1.6m high above the ground surface. The walls of this room stand up to 1.7m high and this structure probably represents the site of the final farmhouse. The farmstead is associated with two small enclosures. The northern one is triangular in shape whilst the southern one, representing the farmyard, is irregular in shape. A small open ended building at the southern end of the farmyard measures 3.4m long by 2.2m wide and may represent the site of a shed. Crazy Well Farm is first documented in 1585, but probably existed for some time before this date. The farmstead was probably abandoned in the later part of the 19th century when its lands were absorbed into neighbouring Kingsett Farm. Built into the northern side of the gateway leading into the farmyard from the west is a dressed granite pillar with a small hole in its top. This pillar is almost certainly the shaft of a displaced wayside cross. The pillar tapers slightly upward and measures 1.03m high by up to 0.33m wide by 0.25m thick. The hole in the top may have been used to attach the cross head to the shaft.

White, P., 2013, Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads, Lost farmsteads list (Un-published). SDV352501.

Included on list. No further information provided.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, WLK-119 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 03/01/2020. Overall condition very good. Photo x4 taken.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, WLK-119 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo 1: View of looking 350° of outshut at W end of farmhouse showing cropped turf and reeds. Photo 2: View looking 150° of room with intact doorway lintel showing turf and reeds. Photo 3: View looking 020° from S corner of site showing reeds among stonework and close cropped turf in the ‘farmyard’ area. Photo 4: View looking 290° from wall at E side of the site showing cropped turf covered wall and reeds within E-most room.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 08/10/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

The site was first documented in 1585 but probably existed for some time before this. It is likely to have been abandoned in the later part of the 19th Century. The shaft of a probable displaced wayside cross has been built into the gateway (scheduled monument notification, 10/04/2001).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6152 - Follow-up Works to Threatened Sites in the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV7382 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project
• EDV8711 - Condition Survey of the Cramber Tor Training Area

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