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Summary

Dressing Floor at Stamping Mill number 5 forming part of the 19th century Eylesbarrow Tin Mine

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021055: Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and associated remains

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/17/4/1
• Old SAM Ref: 34467(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DRESSING FLOOR (XVIII to XIX - 1750 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157212 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 9th May 2002. Dressing floor 1250 metres south-west of Eylesbarrow, forming part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. A terraced area to the west of stamping mill 5 denoted on the north and west by a substantial scarp standing up to about 4 metres high. Earthworks within this area are very slight and others to the south of the smelting house may relate in some way to dressing activities at this mill.

Newman , P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, 25-31, Figures 2, 16-17 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Each Stamping Mill has an associated dressing floor. The stamping area at each mill is immediately adjacent to the wheel. The crushed particles would have passed into a stone lined settling pit sited on the dressing floor. These are 2.8 – 3.3 metres long by approximately 1 metre wide and are lined with flat granite slabs. On some dressing floors additional pits or ‘buddles’ sit alongside the settling pit which may have been lined with timber instead of granite. Below the main dressing floors are a range of secondary buddles and tailings pits for further refining. The plan of the Smelting House shows the the wheelpit to the south-west with the dressing floor on the other side of the wheelpit. Other features including a 'reck' house are shown further south.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, Figure 16 (Article in Serial). SDV231130.

Newman, p. /eylesbarrow tin mine, devon/(1999)fig 16.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Some features visible on aerial photograph.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 1300551 (Website). SDV355682.

A tin smelting house and water powered stamping mill to Eylesbarrow Tin Mine. The mill was one of six mills to serve the mine and was operational between 1822 and 1831. The structures were included in an English Heritage archaeological field survey of the tin mine in 1999. The wheelpit is an integral part of the smelting house structure which strongly suggests that the stamping mill was constructed as part of the same building phase. The entire complex is sited at the foot of a scarp which originally formed the outer edge off the Drizzlecombe streamwork. A partially stone-clad leat embankment is sited 9.7 metres to the rear of the wheelpit, which delivered water onto the overshot wheel. Attached to the exterior of the wheelpit is a small stamping mill and dressing floor.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4966 - Survey of Drizzlecombe, Eylesbarrow, Ditsworthy and Hartor
• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area

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