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Summary

Late 15th - early 16th century farmhouse with major later 16th and 17th century improvements, (a major early 17th century refurbishing may be associated with a datestone of 1624 although the 18th century dates do not seem to relate to major building works), modernised in late 19th century. A large farmhouse with a long and complex structural history; future discoveries here may amend the following account. The house is built facing south-east down the hillslope. Although the evidence has been lost it seems likely that the original late medieval house was a 3-room-and-through-passage Dartmoor longhouse with the inner room terraced into the uphill slope to left (south-west) and the shippon at the downhill right end.
Clannaborough farmhouse is a very important and attractive multiphase Dartmoor farmhouse which has been little modernised since the late 19th century. Before the mid 20th century conversion of the dairy to a kitchen this room contained water-fed granite troughs which cooled the pans of clotted cream. Great care should be taken during any alterations or modernisations lest 16th, 17th or 18th century features be disturbed. Clannaborough is documented as Clanaburgh in 1498 and Clannaber in 1573.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1106134: CLANNABOROUGH FARMHOUSE INCLUDING GARDEN WALLS

Other References/Statuses

• National Buildings Record: 31513
• National Monuments Record: SX69SE64
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 511493
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX69SE/1
• Old Listed Building Ref (II*): 94735

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FARMHOUSE (Built, XV to Mid 20th Century - 1450 AD (Between) to 1966 AD (Between))
• LONGHOUSE (Constructed, XV to XVI - 1475 AD (Between) to 1532 AD (Between))
• CIDER HOUSE (Constructed, XVI to XVII - 1600 AD (Between) to 1699 AD (Between))
• DAIRY (Constructed, XVI to XVII - 1600 AD (Between) to 1699 AD (Between))
• DATE STONE (Constructed, XVII - 1624 AD (Between) to 1624 AD (Between))

Full description

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1931, The Place-Names of Devon: Part One, 453 (Monograph). SDV1312.

Clanaburgh is documented in 1498, and Clannabor and Clannabour in 1573.

Department of Environment, 1960, Okehampton RD, 30 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV275388.

Farmstead of local type. Plastered rubble with thatched roof and granite stacks. Stone mullioned windows and wood casements with leaded lights. 16th century and later.

Alcock, N. W., 1969, Devonshire Farmhouses. Part 2, 93 (Article in Serial). SDV269384.

The troughs in the dairy were used until recently for cooling the cream in summer before churning.

Hulland, C., 1982, List of Historic Houses (Un-published). SDV75440.

Visited but not recorded.

Department of Environment, 1987, Throwleigh, 150-151 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV274669.

Howis Croxford, C. A., 1988, A Walkabout Guide to Throwleigh, 14 (Pamphlet). SDV361768.

Clannaborough farmstead is one of the few very old Dartmoor longhouses in these parts, still a comfortable dwelling with its slab paved kitchen and passages and open fireplaces. The central part is dated 1450 but as it stands today thatched with its mullioned windows and walled flower garden, it has bourne many alterations since the time when stock animals were housed here.

Letts, J., 20/10/2001, Recording and Conservation of Historic Thatch at Clannaborough Farm, Throwleigh, Devon (Report - Assessment). SDV351569.

Clannaborough is a large, late medieval Dartmoor longhouse originally built circa 1460. An original smoke-blackened base coat of the thatched roof still survives above what was once an open hall. The hall was floored over circa 1624 and a chimney stack inserted to vent smoke from the now enclosed fireplace. The lower, shippon, end also appears to have been rebuilt for human occupation at this time.
The base coat is composed of a base layer of rye straw, threshed only at its apex applied over a thing layer of butts up rye applied against the battens. The base coat is tied to the rafters and battens using twisted bonds of hazel and blackberry. The battens are of split oak. The rafters over the hall are sawn and supporta heavy squared right piece set on edge. The apex of the trusses between the hall and lower rom is enclosed by a wattle partition. The ridge pole and many of the battens in the upper rooms are blackened but the rafters in this section have been replaced. The base coat appears to have slipped eavewards at some point and care should be taken at the next rethatching to ensure that this exceptionally rare base coat is stabilised.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Clannaborough Farmhouse including garden walls.
Farmhouse. Late C15 - early C16 with major later C16 and C17 improvements, (a major early C17 refurbishing may be associated with a datestone of 1624 although the C18 dates do not seem to relate to major building works), modernised in late C19. The oldest walls are plastered and this may include granite ashlar work, the rest are granite stone rubble with large roughly-shaped quoins; granite stacks, the hall one still with its original granite ashlar chimney shaft; thatch roof.
Plan and development: This is a large farmhouse with a long and complex structural history. Future discoveries here may amend the following account. The house is built facing south-east down the hillslope. Although the evidence has been lost it seems likely that the original late medieval house was a 3-room-and-through-passage Dartmoor longhouse with the inner room terraced into the uphill slope to left (south-west) and the shippon at the downhill right end. At this time the house was open to the roof and the hall served by an open hearth fire. Through the later C16 and C17 the house was enlarged as it was progressively floored and the chimneystacks inserted. There was a major early C17 refurbishment, possibly associated with a datestone of 1624. This involved the flooring of the hall and rebuilding of the putative shippon end. The shippon was rebuilt slightly narrower than the rest of the house. It comprised a kitchen with an axial stack backing onto a dairy at the right end. Probably at the same time the inner room was converted to the parlour, but later this end was extended to provide a narrow lobby (used as a cider store) between the hall and parlour. In the late C19 the rear outshots were brought into domestic use. There is some evidence of the former newel stair turret which projected to rear at the lower end of the hall. The present stairs are a late C19 straight flight rising from the cider store/parlour end up across the site of the former newel stair. Rear passage doorway is now blocked. Other rear service outshots include a pump house behind the former dairy (converted to the kitchen in the mid C20). Main house is 2 storeys.
Exterior: Irregular 5-window front of mostly C19 and C20 replacement casements, mostly with glazing bars but the most recent without, and the oldest 2, to the hall and first floor left end, with rectangular panes of leaded glass. The front passage doorway is a little right of centre, just before the lower end narrows. It contains a solid oak frame, the lintel with a narrow bead moulding and an old studded plank door with oak lock housing and the top ledge is inscribed 1A 1777, maybe the date it was put there. The hall window immediately left of the doorway, is contained in an early C17 granite moulded embrasure with hoodmould in which the initials RD are carved on the labels. Alongside to left is a complete early C17 4-light granite window with chamfered mullions and king mullion and hood mould in which the initials 1A are carved on the labels. The date 1767 inscribed over the window (and maybe the label initials) is secondary. The similar early C17 3-light window directly above this one has an inscription on the head which is thought to be original; it is inscribed 1624 flanked by the initials IC and NC (the 'N' the wrong way round). The roof is gable-ended and the rear roof is carried down over the rear outshots. A couple of the rear windows are flat-faced mullion casements containing rectangular panes of old glass, maybe dating as early as the C19. The pump house behind the former dairy contains a large granite trough and the rear doorway is now to the former kitchen (now the dining room).
Interior is largely the result of the late C19 modernisation and most of joinery dates from that time although some is C18. The later modernisations have covered much of the ground floor structural carpentry with plaster. However in the hall there are the early C17 cross and half beams, they are ovolo-moulded with runout stops. The fireplace here may be a little earlier; it is large, built of granite ashlar with a hollow-chamfered surround. The cider store has a plain soffit- chamfered crossbeam and the partition between it and the present parlour interrupts the early C17 front window. The parlour fireplace has a C20 grate. The C17 kitchen (now the dining room) has a granite fireplace partly relined with C19 brick and includes a side oven.
The roof contains the oldest apparent fabric; the section over the hall and inner room. The trusses are some form of cruck (the lower sections are plastered over) and have cambered collars. The whole roof including the butt purlins, common rafters and underside of thatch is heavily smoke-blackened from the original open hearth fire. The lower end early C17 roof is clean and carried on face-pegged jointed cruck trusses augmented by slip tenons with halved dove-tail shaped lap- jointed collars. A strip of front garden which is also terraced into the hillslope to left is enclosed by low granite rubble coping with low segmental ashlar coping.
Clannaborough farmhouse is a very important and attractive multiphase Dartmoor farmhouse which has been little modernised since the late C19. Before the mid C20 conversion of the dairy to a kitchen this room contained water-fed granite troughs which cooled the pans of clotted cream. Great care should be taken during any alterations or modernisations lest C16, C17 or C18 features be disturbed. Clannaborough is documented as Clanaburgh in 1498 and Clannaber in 1573. Source: Devon SMR.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6184 - Recording of Historic Thatch at Clannaborough Farm, Throwleigh (Ref: AT130-Devon)

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