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Summary

The southern lode-back tinwork is the largest of the Black Tor tinworks, and includes at least 121 pits ranging from small prospecting pits to the lode-back workings themselves. Three major lines of pits are visible within this tinwork, and each is different in character. The northernmost line of pits is oriented north-west by south-east, is 360m long and includes at least 56 pits with an average size of 13.21 cubic metres, varying in depth between 0.1m and 1.9m. The largest pits are found towards the north-western and south-eastern ends of the line and it is in these areas that mining would appear to have been most successful. Most of the spoil dumps lie downslope (south-east) of their pits, although there are notable exceptions. The central length of the lode is pitted only by small prospecting pits and because these did survive and were not developed it must be assumed that the lode within this area was considered unviable.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020129: Tinworks and other archaeological remains in the Meavy valley at Stanlake, Black Tor, Hart Tor and Cramber Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE247
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1461907
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/125/7
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/238
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/238/1
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/395
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/440
• Old SAM Ref: 24106
• Old SAM Ref: 24106(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• EXTRACTIVE PIT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• PROSPECTING PIT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• STREAMWORKS (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 4439 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

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

Streamwork visible on the aerial photography. Linear row of trial pits (approximately east-west alignment) visible at SX 5707 7163 on the 1947 aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152478-79, 152481 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(01/03/1996) MPP 152478 SX 5713 7162. A group of prospecting pits 260m south-west of Black Tor.
(01/03/1996) MPP 152479 SX57027158 A group of prospecting pits 380m south-west of Black Tor.
(01/03/1996) MPP 152481 SX 5713 7165 lode back tinwork 240m south-west of Black Tor.

Gerrard, S., 1997, Black Tor, 9, 18; figs. 2, 7 (Article in Serial). SDV360978.

Gerrard, S., 1997, Meavy Valley Archaeology Interim Report for 1996, 19; figs 7-9 (Report - Survey). SDV360393.

SX 573 716 The southern lode-back tinwork is the largest of the Black Tor tinworks, and includes at least 121 pits ranging from small prospecting pits to the lode-back workings themselves. Three major lines of pits are visible within this tinwork, and each is different in character. The northernmost line of pits is oriented north-west by south-east, is 360m long and includes at least 56 pits with an average size of 13.21 cubic metres, varying in depth between 0.1m and 1.9m. The largest pits are found towards the north-western and south-eastern ends of the line and it is in these areas that mining would appear to have been most successful. Most of the spoil dumps lie downslope (south-east) of their pits, although there are notable exceptions. The central length of the lode is pitted only by small prospecting pits and because these did survive and were not developed it must be assumed that the lode within this area was considered unviable.
The lode appears to have also been exploited by the cutting of two adits at the south-eastern end of the lode adjacent to the valley bottom. The presence of these adits suggests that the lode-back tinwork developed into a small-scale shaft and adit mine with the ore being brought to surface through the adits. It is not known how far either of these adits extended, but they probably were cut at least as far as the two substantial pits 30m upslope. It is very unlikely that both adits are contemporary and it seems most likely that the north-western one is earliest and was replaced by the south-eastern one which is slightly lower down the slope. The lower adit is partly cut by the leat leading from the Meavy at SX57437162 to the Devonport Leat at SX57107109. This leat was probably cut to serve the farmstead at Stanlake and certainly predates the Devonport Leat by which it is truncated. The tinwork was clearly abandoned before the leat was built, meaning that the final phase of activity at this tinwork must predate 1794. The small spoil dump associated with the lower adit overlies the tin streamwork earthworks in the valley bottom, indicating that the adit is more recent than streamworking in this area. In two places the field boundary leading downslope within the vicinity is built upon lode-back pit spoil dumps and the ditch associated with the field boundary also cuts through the same dumps. This indicates that the tinwork predates the field boundary, which may be of late 17th or 18th century date.
The second line of pits lies roughly parallel to the first, is 180m long and includes at least 19 pits. The average size of the pits is 5.7 cubic metres, and they may represent prospecting pits dug onto the back of a lode to examine its extent and quality. The failure of these pits to develop suggests that the lode encountered was not of sufficient quality to justify full-scale exploitation.
The third line of pits is oriented at right angles to the first two and was clearly excavated during the prospecting process. The average size of these pits is only 3.09 cubic metres, confirming the prospecting theory. A small number of additional pits survive within the vicinity of the tinwork. Beyond the north-western end of the first line of pits there is an apparently haphazard scatter of at least 14 pits. These are all small with an average size of 1.88 cubic metres and represent prospecting pits excavated by tinners hoping that the lode extended further.

Gerrard, S., 1998, Stanlake Alluvial Streamwork and Openwork, 6 (Article in Serial). SDV360980.

An 870m long section (SX57147090 to SX57517165) of Stanlake alluvial streamwork. See report for full details.

Bluesky, 2006 - 2007, Bluesky aerial photographs 2006 - 2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV341189.

Fletcher, M. J., 2007-2008, Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project (Report - Survey). SDV359195.

(05/11/2007) The two adits located at the edge of the tinners cliff are at SX57357153 and SX57377152. Surveyed at 1:2500 scale.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7517 - Survey of Hart Tor tin works
• EDV7522 - Survey of Black Tor
• EDV8351 - Walkhampton Premier Archaeological Landscape; Field Investigation Project

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