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Summary

Building 'E' at Challacombe Medieval Settlement shown on mid 19th century Tithe Map but not present on later maps

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021395: Deserted medieval settlement at Challacombe

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NE/67/8

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BUILDING (Early Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1750 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Building shown as a dwelling on 19th century Tithe Map at 'Challacombe'. The Apportionment for 'South Middle Challacombe' lists Field Number 44 as 'House' and Field Number 43 as 'Garden'. Map object partly based on this source.

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

Building not shown on 19th century map but field boundary suggests its location.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1932, The Place-Names of Devon: Part Two, 481 (Monograph). SDV337894.

Challacombe was mentioned as 'Chaluecombe' in 1481 and in the 16th century.

Griffiths, D. M. + Robinson, R., 1987, Challacombe: Manuscript Survey (Report - Survey). SDV290318.

Building 'e': a rectangular building circa 9 metres by 4.5 metres internally terraced into the slope, with the north side and the east end walls surviving up to 2 metres high and averaging 0.8 metres wide. The east end wall probably represents a shortening of a longer building visible beyond as a stony platform. Remains of a large fireplace in the present north-east corner possibly indicates that this is the cross wall of a longhouse. The north wall has an infilled window and a small square aperture tapering to a small hole on the outside face, possibly a urinal! the building was the farmhouse of South Middle Challacombe and is shown in use on 1787 plan, as a dwelling on the Tithe Map and is reputed to have been a cider or ale house in the 19th century. In the east face of the wall bordering the present track to the east of this building are 3 rectangular stones averaging 0.35 metres by 0.15 metres with central, rectangular holes 0.07 metres long, 0.05 metres wide and 0.03 metres deep. These are the foundation stones taking posts for stalling in a longhouse.

Agricultural Development Advisory Service, 1991, Challacombe Farm Postbridge, Devon (Duchy Farms Project), 25, Map D1 (Report - Assessment). SDV356546.

Building 'e' at Challacombe measuring circa 9 metres by 4.5 metres terraced into the slope. The north and east walls survive up to 2 metres high and a stony platform to the east suggests the building has been shortened. Three rectangular stones are visible in the east face of the wall bordering the track to the east of the building. These are the foundation blocks for stalls in a longhouse.

Pattison, P., 1999, Challacombe Revisited, 64 (Monograph). SDV359495.

Shown as 'Building 5' on plan of the shrunken hamlet at Challacombe.

English Heritage, 2005, Survey Information (miscellaneous date) (Report - Survey). SDV345855.

Building depicted on the survey layer.

Ordnance Survey, 2016, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV359352.

Building not shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2016, National Heritage List for England, 1021395 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359353.

The monument, which falls into two areas, includes a deserted Medieval settlement situated immediately north of the present day farmhouse at Challacombe. The settlement includes at least seven separate buildings set alongside a north-south aligned track. All of the buildings survive at least in part, as standing granite walling, although many are also composed of earthworks where the walling has collapsed. The settlement continued in use into the Post-Medieval period and some of the earlier longhouses were altered during this time. The earliest documentary reference to this site is in 1481 when it is referred to as 'Chalvecombe' and by 1613 there were five separate tenements which continued in use until at least 1880.

National Monument Record, 2016, Pastscape, 442451, SX67NE4 (Website). SDV359354.

Building 'E' at Challacombe shrunken Medieval settlement. There are the ruined remains of at least eight buildings surviving of the main nucleated settlement. This building was the farmhouse of South Middle Challacombe and shown as a dwelling on 1787.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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