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Summary

Remains of a building in a field called House Plot. The remains comprise a rectangular earthwork with drystone walling along the north side and a well-preserved fire place at the upper end. Thought to represent the original Assycombe which is first documented in 1488 although doubts have been expressed over its interpretation as a longhouse.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017981: Stone alignment, hut circle settlement, medieval long house and post-medieval farmstead at Assycombe

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/18
• Old SAM Ref: 28665

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LONGHOUSE (Built, Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Rectangular building shown on 19th century map with two sides of yard shown to the south.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 198 (Monograph). SDV1312.

'Assecomb' is first documented in 1488.

Linehan, C. D., 1965, Deserted Sites on Dartmoor, Devon, 173 (Article in Serial). SDV217992.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 125 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor, 1 (Un-published). SDV150434.

Site visit 14th June 1966. Remains of a small house. Possibly a room with another at rightangles with visible fireplace.

Cocks, J. V. S., 1974-1977, Fernworthy, Dartmoor, 205-6 (Article in Serial). SDV258202.

Ruins of what appears to be a longhouse in a field called House Close. Perhaps the original Assycombe.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation. Assacombe 6C. Assacombe Longhouse.
February 1976 Longhouse clear of trees and other debris. Eight posts ringing clearance zone. Trees outside zone are within falling distance of building.
Not included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

Clear of trees and other debris.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., 144157 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 29th April 1997. Longhouse at SX65918263.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 157, Map 35, Site 5 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Small rectangular building shown at 'Assycombe Brook settlement'.

Smith, N., 1992, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology with Woodland Areas 1992 (Un-published). SDV351819.

Fernworthy. Assycombe 6C. Site visit 27th May 1992. Long house. Vegetation grass. Suggested that current management regime be maintained. Photos.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy. Assycombe Group 6C. Site visit 27th September 1996. Site marked by 9 posts.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

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

Longhouse at Assycombe.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 49 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Earthwork remains of a probably earlier building some 170 metres south of the main Assycombe farmstead. It is presumed that it was abandoned by 1796 although the field in which it stood is named as 'House Plot' in a survey of 1825. The house is built into an artificial terrace and the interior dimensions, although difficult to establish, would seem to be about 9.4 metres by 4.5 metres. The main surviving diagnostic feature is the fireplace at the eastern end, the remains of which comprise two upright granite posts that formed the front of the chimney breast and a large stone which makes up the rear of the hearth. Only the tops of the posts are currently visible. The building was probably robbed of stone, perhaps in the 18th century. Probably not a longhouse.

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England, 1017981 (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

[Part of] stone alignment, hut circle settlement, medieval long house and post-medieval farmstead at Assycombe. The medieval long house survives as a 7.5 metre long and 4.0 metres wide rectangular earthwork complete with drystone walling along the northern side and a well-preserved fire place at the upper end.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 443868 (Website). SDV355682.

Deserted medieval and post-medieval farmstead. There are two ruinous rectangular buildings with a field system. Three prehistoric hut circles have been reused as agricultural buildings. Scheduled. NMR No. SX68SE67. Record last updated: N/A.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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