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Summary

One of three Medieval or later rectangular buildings associated with later reuse of Erme Pound. All have coursed walls from 0.7m to 1.0m thick and from 1.0m to 1.3m high and one end wall abuts the prehistoric enclosure. This building lies outside the enclosure and measures internally 6.3m by 3.0m with a protected entrance at the south-east.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66NW25
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441629
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/29/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SHELTER (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD?)

Full description

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

Small rectangular building set against the outside of the southern boundary of 'Erme Pound'.

Rowe, S., 1896, A Perambulation of the Forest of Dartmoor, 306 (Monograph). SDV249697.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 399 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Worth, R. H., 1967, Worth's Dartmoor, 476 (Monograph). SDV337618.

Hankin, C. F., 1977-1980, Harford Parish Checklist (Worksheet). SDV149931.

Site visited on 18th October 1978. A small rectangular structure 6.7 metres by 3.6 metres with walls circa 1 metre high and the east side is open forming an entrance. A stone seat or bench 0.6 metres by 0.4 metres is carried round all three walled sides. Another building nearby of which there is now only a wall , had a 'gable' standing in Crossings time. Now 1.35m high, width (the interior width of the building) 3.1m. The length of the building is c.6m, meeting the west wall of erme pound. A passage like wall, 1.3m high, extends outwards from the south side entrance.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX66NW25 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV145339.

(01/07/1979) Erme Pound (SX 66 NW 23), originally a prehistoric enclosed settlement, shows evidence of Medieval or post Medieval repair or rebuilding. It is not 'modern' work as stated by Spence Bate and it is doubtful whether stray cattle would require a pound of 0.6 ha. But, whatever the date, coursed walling 0.7m thick and 1.0m high has been constructed upon the earlier rubble. The south east entrance, 2.5m wide, is also faced with coursed blocks.
There are three rectangular buildings which may be associated with the pound (lettered 'A' to 'C' on plan with SX 66 NW 23). All have coursed walls from 0.7m to 1.0m thick and from 1.0m to 1.3m high and one end wall abuts the prehistoric enclosure.
'A' at SX 63726561, measures internally 6.3m by 3.0m with a protected entrance at the south-east.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 73, Map 55. Figure 55.6 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Rectangular building shown as 'tinners hut?'.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360209.

Feature visible on Lidar data.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Feature visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1, Figures 12 & 32 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

A ruined, roofless, rectangular stone building attached the southern exterior of Erme Pound. The well-built structure has drystone granite walls of up to 0.1 metre thick in places by 1 metre high. The interior dimensions are 6 metres by 2.7m. The 0.8 metre wide entrance opening is on the east side. A short external wall protected the entrance from the weather. The construction and occupation dates are not known but it is likely to have been associated with the use of Erme Pound for impounding stray cattle, which is known to have been occurring at least by 1586 and continued into the 18th century.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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