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Summary

An extensive alluvial streamwork is situated within the valley bottom of the Blacka Brook. The waste dumps, water channels, work areas or tyes associated with this extractive operation survive over a large area. The streamwork remains are identifiable on aerial photographs of 1946, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013 and extend over an area of at least circa 6.5ha.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014663: Two pillow mounds and a small area of tin streamwork earthworks 770m north of Blackaton Cross, forming part of Trowlesworthy Warren

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/487/6
• Old SAM Ref: 24248

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• STREAMWORK (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD)

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV146408.

Gerrard, g. A. M. /the early Cornish tin industry: an archaeological & historical survey/(1986)/unpublished PhD thesis SDUC Lampeter.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 431 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5143-5144 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

Irregular and curvilinear linear earthworks banks and ditches are visible.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130927, 30/6/1994 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

An extensive alluvial streamwork is situated within the valley bottom of the Blacka Brook. The waste dumps, water channels, work areas or tyes associated with this extractive operation survive over a large area. Detailed survey of this streamwork would be required to elucidate its true character and developmental sequences. A very small part of this streamwork is included within SAM 24248 because a pair of pillow mounds were constructed on top of the earlier tinwork. This part of the streamwork includes parts of spoil dumps represented by linear banks and hollows which indicate the position of partially backfilled tyes. The alignment and shape of the mounds indicates that exploitation was carried out in a north-easterly direction, using only shovels to dispose of the waste gravel and stones.
A tinwork is documented at Trowlesworthy in 1625 and this may relate to some of the earthworks found within the Blacka Brook.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, Map 51 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5663-SX5664, SX5763 01-JUN-2002 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

Irregular and curvilinear linear earthworks banks and ditches are visible.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5663-SX5664, SX5763 03-05-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

Irregular and curvilinear linear earthworks banks and ditches are visible.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5663-SX5664, SX5763 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

Irregular and curvilinear linear earthworks banks and ditches are visible.

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

Area of the streamworks depicted on the modern mapping.

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

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2021, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Irregularly curvilinear hollows and banks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1946, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013, extending over an area of at least circa 6.5ha of the Blacka Brook combe bottom.
The earthworks are interpreted as the remains of extensive alluvial streamworking of probable medieval to post-medieval date.
It is not practical to transcribe the complex and subtle earthworks, so their probable extent has been defined using an extent of area polygon. However, it might be possible to begin to characterise them.
To the north of the area, on the north-east of the Blacka Brook around circa SX56726417 the earthworks are difficult to define beyond general disturbance, but a trend to north-west to south-east alignment might be discernible.
Further south around circa SX56966394 the earthworks remain irregular in plan but appear to be largely aligned north-east to south-west. This might be complicated by disturbance caused by being overlain by 4 later pillow mounds.
Along the south-eastern leg of the Blacka Brook combe the earthworks appear to be largely aligned parallel to the stream, almost west-east.
Along the south-eastern leg, at circa SX57206387 the most clearly identifiable area of tyes is visible as curvilinear earthwork banks circa 2.5m wide and up to 50m long covering an area of circa 0.2ha, near the south-east limit of the Blacka Brook streambed.
The earthworks are identifiable but not clearly defined on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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