See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Caroline Wheal Prosper was a small unsuccessful tin mine sited in Larkham Woods to the west of Buckfastleigh which operated between 1854 and 1857. The remains are spread along the north side of a small tributary of the Dean Burn. The main area contains the house and office, the dressing floors and wheel pit with a shaft and spoil heaps 700 metres to the west. Earlier activity is evidenced by a small openwork near the lower adit and a reservoir. Shallow trial pits near the 19th century shaft may also be from earlier prospecting. A gold coin of Henry VI (1422-1471) was discovered in 1855 in association with the wheelpit.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX76NW50
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1404523
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX76NW/38

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TIN MINE (Constructed, Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD? (Between) to 1857 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Several buildings shown on 19th century map at the junction of the Dean Burn and a small tributary joining from the west.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 189 (Monograph). SDV149229.

Caroline Wheal Prosper, just below Wallaford Down, in the woods beside a tributary of the Dean Burn, is a large wheel pit and an adit, and the remains of some buildings. A depression could be the remains of Williams Shaft, originally 15 fathoms deep. Opened for tin in about 1854, it evidently did not achieve great importance, and there are no records of yields. Billings' directory of 1857 states that this mine, the property of the Earl of Macclesfield, had been opened from ancient workings made in the reign of Henry VI - a piece of gold coin was found in removing rubbish to make the wheel pit.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1990, An Assessment of Dartmoor Tinworking, 30 (Report - Assessment). SDV343684.

Site visited on 24th October 1980. The remains of a fine wheelpit lie to the east of an impressive rock cut adit. Nearby is a large area terraced into the hillside - probably a dressing floor. East of the wheelpit is a pit and a stone faced boat shaped settling pit. Other dressing floors and blocked adits lie on the opposite side of Dean Burn, and a leat leads to the wheelpit.

Newman, P., 2004, Caroline Wheal Prosper: a Tin Mine at Buckfastleigh in Devon (Report - Survey). SDV359664.

(05/11/2004) Caroline Wheal Prosper was a small unsuccessful tin mine sited in Larkham Woods to the west of Buckfastleigh which operated between 1854 and 1857. The remains are spread along the north side of a small tributary of the Dean Burn. The main area contains the house and office, the dressing floors and wheel pit with a shaft and spoil heaps 700 metres to the west. Earlier activity is evidenced by a small openwork near the lower adit and a reservoir. Shallow trial pits near the 19th century shaft may also be from earlier prospecting. A gold coin of Henry VI (1422-1471) was discovered in 1855 in association with the wheelpit.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7005 - Caroline Wheal Prosper: a Tin Mine at Buckfastleigh in Devon (Ref: A1/29/2004)

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