See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Wheal Emma; dry channel of the mid-19th century leat which took in water from the Swincombe at a weir just east of Whiteworks Mine, crossing the moor to empty into the River Mardle near Chalk Ford. A weir at Higher Combe deflected water into the second part of the leat channel and ran to the Wheal Emma Mine in Brookwood, powering the large wheels for pumps and ore crushing machinery at the sett.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Walling remains of a Bronze Age settlements north-west of Fox Tor Farm, as well as medieval or later streamworking, open cuts and tinners' buildings
• SHINE: Section of the mid-19th century Wheal Emma Leat north-west of Scorriton Down
• SHINE: Earthworks, structures and below ground remains of the South Devon United Mines, a mid-19th century copper mining enterprise in Brook Wood, as well as part of the Wheal Emma Leat

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67SW188
• National Monuments Record: SX76NW61
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1431196
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 908802
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/34

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Constructed, XIX - 1859 AD (Between) to 1859 AD (Between))

Full description

National Monuments Record, NMR SX6768, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV172757.

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

Course of the second section of the leat (from the Mardle to Brookwood) shown on the late 19th century historic map. Map object based on this source.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 3427-3430 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 61, 206 (Monograph). SDV149229.

The Wheal Emma leat was cut in 1859, taking water off the River Swincombe at SX623710 and running a sinuous course to join the River Mardle at SX679683, thus augmenting the supply of water serving Wheal Emma copper mine, West Buckfastleigh. The mine worked along with Brookwood as South Devon United Mines throughout the later 19th century.

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

Wheal Emma; dry channel of the leat which took in water from the Swincombe at a weir just east of Whiteworks, contours the hillside eastwards above the valley. Visible and recorded.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(21/07/1988) Industrial leat. Part examined on Sherberton Farm between SX 6358 7204 and SX 6487 7243 and between SX 6510 7249 and SX 6586 7201.
The section examined follows the 340 metre contour, negotiating Deep Swincombe in a tight, southern loop also along the northern slope of Down Ridge. The leat channel is square-cut, its sides occasionally lined with coursed walling or large, drill spilt blocks. Over difficult ground the lining is not always apparent. The channel is now up to 2.5 metres wide and 0.8 - 1.6 metres deep, predominantly dry but with groundworks accumulated in places. There is a substantial retaining bank of upcast soil and stone on the downslope side, generally 2.5 - 3.5 metres wide and 0.8 - 1.5 metres high, but on the west side of Deep Swincombe the height attains 3.5 metres to accommodate the steep slope. In places it is bridged by drill split blocks of granite.
The course of the leat is shown on the Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 historic maps.

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

Greeves, T. A. P., 1991, An Assessment of Copper Mining in Devon (Copper, Brass, Tin), 16+2 /in Tavistock Hamlets parish file. (Report - Assessment). SDV60709.

Well preserved Wheal Emma leat is 16.1 kilometres long.

Hedley, L. and Cranstone, D., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme, Zink, Copper, Minor Metals, Step Three: The Copper Industry, Introduction to Step 3 Assessments, 18 (Report - non-specific). SDV357718.

9. Wheal Emma leat SX 664 716.
Lesser national importance.

Exeter Archaeology, 2005, An Archaeological Survey of Weirs in the River Dart Catchment. Draft Report, Appendix 2: Ex. Arch. No. 39 (Report - Survey). SDV356906.

Newman, P., 2005, Brookwood and Wheal Emma Copper Mines, Buckfastleigh, Devon: An Archaeological Survey (Report - Survey). SDV359199.

(30/04/2005) Wheal Emma Leat, southern section. A leat which provided water to Wheal Emma (SX 76 NW 52), a copper mine operating between 1845 -1885, latterly under the name of South Devon United mines between 1878-1885. The Wheal Emma leat was constructed in 1859 to draw water from the River Swincombe near its source at SX 6227 7097 on the upland of Dartmoor, and divert it over a distance of 15.25km into the River Mardle. (See SX 67 SW 188 for northern section). Having augmented the Mardle a further substantial leat of 3.57km was dug 2.1km downstream providing a leat of sufficient height to power large waterwheels at Wheal Emma.
The leat enters the west end of the Wheal Emma sett (SX 76 NW 52) approximately 38m south of Emma Shaft, and extends around the curving slope of the coombe following the contour. For much of this section the leat has been cut from solid rock, evidence of which survives as a vertical rock scarp on the back, uphill side. The substantial channel is 3.6m and up to 1.6m deep in some places. The spread of the retaining bank on the downslope side is up to 6.3m. Between SX 7144 6743 and SX 7158 6735 the leat was widened after it fell into disuse, to form a vehicle track. Where the leat reaches the quarry at the head of the coombe ( the first waterwheel in the sequence was located in the wheelpit at SX 76 NW 56). A wooden launder would have been required to carry water onto the top of the overshot or pitchback wheel. After passing over the wheel and through the tailrace, the water continued along another section of leat, doubling back on itself and running back along the contour approximately 11m below the upper section. A stone-lined sluice is visible which diverted water on to the second wheel which was the 50ft pumping wheel at SX 76 NW 56). After passing the sluice the leat continues for another 103m before halting abruptly by the track.
Mine surveyed at 1:1000 scale and described in detail.

Levy, S., 2005, Wheal Emma Leat. Archaeological Field Survey Report, 1 (Report - Survey). SDV359768.

Wheal Emma leat is a 14.9 kilometre (9.25 mile) long artificial water channel constructed to extract water from the River Swincombe at its confluence with the Strane River, to the south-east of Whiteworks Tin Mine. The course of the leat passes through the important landscape palimpsest of prehistoric reaves and settlements and later medieval field systems and settlements on Holne Moor. It crosses the Holne-Hexworthy road four times, looping to the south of Venford Reservoir and around the south-east side of Holne Lee before its channel meets the River Mardle below Scorriton Point. At Higher Combe, a weir on the Mardle deflected water into the second part of the leat channel, which carried it to Wheal Emma Mine in Brookwood. The water provided by the leat powered the large wheels for the pumps and the ore crushing machinery at the mine sett.
Survey of the entire length of the leat recorded condition and areas of damage etc.

Crabb, A., 2006, Bowden Farm Wood Archaeological Survey, 17 (Report - Survey). SDV364945.

(07/08/2006) The Wheal Emma Leat runs though the eastern part of Bowden Farm Wood. The leat is now dry but the channel can still be followed. This important leat supplied water to the large water wheel at Wheal Emma located in Brook Wood to the east.
The channel and bed generally survive in a moderate condition but in local areas the leat is in a poor state. Fallen trees have damaged the banks and block the channel. Saplings and scrub have chocked the leat in places.
At points A and B on the map the leat runs through a tunnel. The entrances to the tunnel survive as dry stone walls with fine arches.

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

The course of the leat is depicted on the modern mapping (as a dry leat channel). Map object based on this source.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6538 - Archaeological Survey of Weirs in the River Dart Catchment
• EDV7062 - Survey of the Wheal Emma Leat, Dartmoor
• EDV7100 - Holne Moor Survey
• EDV8146 - Royal Commission Survey at Down Ridge and Swincombe
• EDV8290 - Survey of tinworks along the River Mardle
• EDV8630 - Fox Tor Newtake Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8632 - Sherberton Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8819 - Survey of Bowden Farm Wood

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.