See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Known as 'The Blacksmith's Shop', the ruins of which are on the left bank of the North Teign may represent the earliest documented tin smelting site (1457 source) located in the field on Dartmoor. May have been a place where tinners' tools were made or sharpened.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019217: Blowing mill 260m south east of Teignhead Farm

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68SW141
• National Monuments Record: SX68SW63
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1469124
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 444012
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/46
• Old SAM Ref: 28757

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• OVERSHOT WHEEL (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (Constructed, Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD (Between) to 1901 AD (Between))
• BLOWING HOUSE (Constructed, XV - 1450 AD? (Between) to 1499 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV244219.

Le messurier, b. /dcnq/30(1965-1967)12-13/blacksmith's shop as a dartmoor placename. Author notes the presence of a ruined building and some mouldstones. Possibly the ruins of a tinner's blowing house (le messurier).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV244225.

Devon archaeology/3(1985)33-40.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 202 (Monograph). SDV149229.

SX 638843 Blacksmith's shop, the ruins of which are on the left bank of the North Teign, may have been a place where tinners' tools were made or sharpened.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750, No.79 (Report - non-specific). SDV319826.

Blowing mill (undocumented). Field evidence.

Hemery, E., 1983, High Dartmoor, 812-3 (Monograph). SDV249702.

Opposite the foot of Grey Wethers Stream are the ruins known as "The Blacksmith's Shop". The building has a width of 10 feet 8 inches, but its length cannot accurately be ascertained. The best walling is at the SE angle of the house. The large upright stone in the interior is likely to have been the furnace back; the NE angle of the house wall is still traceable, while the best feature of all is the splendid double mould stone. The larger cavity with a bevelled edge, is seventeen inches long, thirteen inches wide and five inches deep; the other is 13 1/2 inches long, 11 1/2 inches wide and 5 inches deep. The overall size of the boulder is 4 feet 8 inches long, 3 feet wide and 18 inches deep. Lying beside its near left corner is a broken mould about 13 inches wide and 5 inches deep. The wheel-pit, much ruined, is an exterior one at the SW corner.

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

Not visible on 1947 RAF aerial photograph.

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

(09/02/1990) SX 63788427. A Blowing House situated on the W edge of extensive streamworking remains on the right bank of the North Teign River near its confluence with Manga Brook.
The rectangular ruin aligned approximately NE-SW is of indeterminate length but about 3.6m wide. The SE wall, constructed of coursed boulders and slabs survive to a height of 0.8m. The SW and NW sides are formed by near vertical stony scarps up to 2.2m high. The latter mark the absolute edge of the streamworking area and posses traces of riveting within the building. The NE wall is no longer apparent; a small (3.4m) raised stance in this area either lay within or immediately outside the building. A possible entrance lies just off-centre in the SE wall; the interior was probably sub-divided by a short cross-wall now visible as a linear pile of rubble lying near the SW end of the structure. Also within the building is a large earthfast boulder, 1.2m high (Hemery's furnace back). Adjacent is a smaller boulder containing two rectangular moulds of tapering section. The S mould measures 0.4m by 0.3m and 0.12m deep while the other is slightly smaller bring 0.3m by 0.25m and 0.12m deep. Lying on the rubble strewn interior is part of a broken mouldstone which contains a single mould with dimensions roughly equivalent to the largest intact mould. The other part of this mould lies in the drystone wall E of the ruin.
Power for the furnace (and possibly a set of tin stamps) was provided by a waterwheel, the pit for which adjoins the SE wall of the blowing house. Measuring 5.5m long and 1.6m wide it now has a depth of 0.6m. The wheel was apparently overshot with the water leat from the North Teign River. The course of this leat has been obliterated by a later leat and an earthen boundary bank.
It seems likely that stamps would have complemented the smelting facilities though no evidence exists for their presence.
Woods (1988) provides a general view of the interior from the NE (p252) and a detailed photograph of the double mouldstone (p258).
The 'small yard' marked on the OS mapping at SX 63658445 (1963) does not relate at all to this site.
NB: The HER records the followind date for this information: (25/02/1992).

Woods, S. H., 1988, Dartmoor Stone, 252, 258 (illustration) (Monograph). SDV346790.

Woods, /dartmoor stone/(nd)252.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1990, An Assessment of Dartmoor Tinworking, 38 (Report - Assessment). SDV343684.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152201 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(10/11/1999) Blowing mill 260m SE of Teignhead Farm.
Wall of building is of drystone construction, the building is orientated at 65 degrees and contains grass, rushes and heather. A 5.5m long by 2.3m wide rectangular structure is attached to the SE end of the mill and is defined by a rubble wall of varying height and width standing up to 1.2m high. The ne wall of the mill has been rebuilt during the construction of a field wall. A hollow beyond this wall probably represents the location of the wheelpit. The building is 13.6m long by 3.6m wide and the walls are up to 0.8m high and 0.95m thick. The scarp at the back of the mill is up to 3m high.

Cranstone, D. + Hedley, I., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme: The Tin Industry Step 3 Site Assessments, Devon 30 (NRHE 1469124) (Report - non-specific). SDV357946.

A Medieval or later blowing mill situated within streamworks along the North Teign River, east of Teignhead Farm. The blowing mill is well preserved and has an associated dressing floor with leat. A double mouldstone and a small number of broken mouldstone fragments are also present.

Bodman, M., 2015, Mills on the Teign. A gazetteer of water-powered sites on the Teign and Bovey and their tributaries, 71 (Monograph). SDV360401.

Blacksmith's Shop / Fayrecombe tin blowing mill, Dartmoor Forest SX 6377 8426. Located near the ruins of Teignhead Farm, on the left bank of the North Teign. Greeves' documentary research quoted - source dating to 1457 (record of a court held at Lydford in Latin) describes site as 'Tynsmyth' at 'Fayrecombe' which is very likely to refer to this site. Likely to be the earliest documentary evidence of a tin smelting site located in the field on Dartmoor. Image of double mouldstone included.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV7894 - MOULDSTONE (Early Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1066 AD to 1901 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV8651 - Teignhead Newtake, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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