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Summary

This deserted Medieval site consists of four buildings, two terraces and associated enclosures.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019591: Medieval farmstead and field system, post-medieval tinworks, prehistoric settlements and cairns north and west of Gibby Coombe

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66NE45
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 441485
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NE/65
• Old SAM Ref: 34427

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• FARMSTEAD (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

'Mitchelcobe Arrishes' shown on 19th century Tithe Map but no buildings or field boundaries shown. The Apportionment for 'Holne' lists Field Number 59 as 'Michelcombe'.

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

Only the 'Wheal Emma Leat' forming the southern boundary visible on 19th century map.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 302 (Monograph). SDV1312.

'Holne Moor' is mentioned as 'Sowtholnemore' in the 13th Buckfast.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 58/1110.0023 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Photograph taken on 5th May 1953.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 10,T able 2 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

Holne Ridge. Three buildings with enclosures.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor, 51, Plan (Un-published). SDV150434.

Site visited on 12th March 1968. A group of two cross-passage longhouses in extensive and very old enclosures at the south east end of Holne Moor. Both longhouses appear to have had internal room-divisions. A small building probably rectangular with one door, is dilapidated and indistinct.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66NE45 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV279292.

(07/07/1977) SX 68096884. This deserted Medieval site consists of four buildings, two terraces and associated enclosures, situated upon a small natural terrace on a steep, well drained, south east facing slope at 310 m above OD.
The buildings comprise two long houses. One 14.4m by 3.7m internally, has rubble walls 1m wide, rounded corners and a cross passage towards the lower, south east end.
The other, 13m by 4.2 internally, has walling 0.8m wide, rounded corners, a cross passage towards the lower east end and evidence of internal divisions.
There are two further rectangular buildings: The first 7.5m by 4.4m internally, has walls 0.8m wide, and the second 9m by 6m internally, has tumbled walls about 1.5m wide. The two terraces measure 14m by 5m ands 0.6m high with a large boulder revetment 1.3m wide and 13m by 5m and 0.4 high. These may be the sites of previous longhouses.
Enclosures are delineated by walls, 1m to 2m wide, which abut 2 of the buildings, and extend over several hectares of the hillside.
Divorced survey at 1:10 000 scale on PFD. Enlargement survey at 1:1000 scale on 495.

Hills, D., 1983, Holne Moor Settlement (Worksheet). SDV147704.

Site visited on 15th June 1983. Michelcombe Arrishes settlement. The settlement consists of two substantial houses, one refurbished hut circle, and two ancillary buildings, one of which could be a corn dryer. An area of ridge and furrow lies to the east and there are two or three systems of terracing and/or lynchetting. Complex field system of small enclosures. Measured drawings of buildings and sketch plan supplied. The leat that cuts this settlement is the Wheal Emma Leat, constructed in 1859.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Buildings not visible on aerial photograph.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152621 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 169, Map 58, Figure 58.6 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Medieval farmstead within 'Holy Brook field system' with an associated field system.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 1997, Holne Moor, Dartmoor, Devonshire. A Landscape Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV173671.

(06/01/1997) Centred SX 68106885. A cluster of three medieval or later buildings and one building platform lie in a sheltered SE facing combe on the SE flank of Two Barrows Hill. Only one of these structures, at SX 68076883, can be identified as a true longhouse. The long tapering building has been terraced into the slope with a cross-passage slightly off centre making the dwelling larger than the shippon. The dwelling end measures 7.5m by 3.9m with traces of a lateral sub-division or fireplace at the upper, W end. There are no traces of dividing walls flanking the cross-passage and the shippon measures 6.0m by 2.8m wide at the lower, E, end. The now bracken covered walls remain around 1.2m wide and a maximum of 0.6m high.
A second large rectangular building lies to the N at SX 68086887. Situated on relatively level ground it too possesses traces of a cross-passage but the interior is divided into three rooms, the largest being in the middle of the building with access from it to the others. In plan this building resembles a small hall with overall internal measurements of 12.5m by 3.4m.
A third very poorly constructed building is situated at SX 68106884. Cut into the gently sloping ground this round-ended structure measures 6.8m by 2.7m internally with coursed boulder walls 1.0m wide and 0.5m high. Traces of an entrance lie slightly E of centre in the N side. A possible fireplace is visible in the lower, eastern, end.
the fourth building recorded by Authority 3 is very poorly preserved and is probably the result of disturbance to a contemporary field wall by the constructors of the Wheal Emma leat.
The larger of the two platforms centred roughly at SX 68136888 is a lynchet type field boundary beyond the N wall of the site but the smaller, centred at SX 68096885, and approximately 13m by 5m appears to be genuine and lies in the centre of the settlement.
The field system associated with these buildings is briefly described in record SX 66 NE 120.

White, P., 2013, Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads, Holne Moor (Un-published). SDV352501.

Holne Moor deserted farmstead.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

'Farmstead' shown on modern mapping as five small buildings with several complete and partial field boundaries.

English Heritage, 2015, National Heritage List for England, 1019591 (National Heritage List for England). SDV357602.

Medieval farmstead and field system, Post-Medieval tinworks, Prehistoric settlements and cairns north and west of Gibby Coombe.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7062 - Survey of the Wheal Emma Leat, Dartmoor
• EDV7100 - Holne Moor Survey

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