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Summary

More than 50 scrapers of discoidal and thumb type, 4 leaf shaped arrowheads, 8 barbed and tanged ones.8 spindle whorls, several sling stones, a large collection of microliths. All recovered from the fields to the north and northwest of Welstor House. Silvester cites the discovery of six decorated spindle whorls in fields around welstor as convincing evidence that open settlements existed on the moorland fringe in the later Iron Age.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77SW6
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445256
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77SW/37
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX77SW6

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FLINT SCATTER (Mesolithic to Late Iron Age - 8000 BC (Between) to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Amery Adams, E. + Dewey, H., 1950, Spindle Whorls Found in Devonshire, 321-4 (Article in Serial). SDV147932.

Some prehistoric objects from Welstor. Flint flakes and artefacts collected from fields on Welstor estate. These include flakes, scrapers, leaf shaped and barbed and tanged arrowheads, seven spindle whorls, five sling stones. Apart from Neolithic and early Iron Age material, the site was mainly occupied during the Bronze Age. A reference to 'remains of earthworks in the south-east of the fields' is not enlarged upon.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960, SX77SW6, N. V. Quinnell (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV282798.

(25/05/1960) The collection referred to above was seen during investigation. There are more than 50 scrapers, of discoidal and thumb type, 4 leaf shaped arrowheads and 8 barbed and tanged ones. There are 8 spindle whorls, several sling stones, and a large collection of microliths.
Mrs. Whitley informed me that all have been recovered from the fields to the north and northwest of Welstor house, in one area centred at SX 7435 7330.
The earthworks mentioned by Adams and Dewey probably refer to a field system at SX 7455 7315 for which see Devon 108 NE 14.

Jacobi, R. M., 1979, Early Flandrian Hunters in the South-West, fig. 18 (Article in Serial). SDV117514.

Silvester, R. J., 1979, The Relationship of First Millennium Settlement to the Upland Areas of the South West, 182-183, fig. 2, map (Article in Serial). SDV177352.

Silvester cites the discovery of six decorated spindle whorls in fields around Welstor as convincing evidence that open settlements existed on the moorland fringe in the later Iron Age. He includes illustrations of the whorls.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds

• FDV5989 - SLING SHOT (Prehistoric - 698000 BC to 42 AD)
• FDV5990 - MICROLITH (Mesolithic - 8000 BC to 4001 BC)
• FDV5987 - BARBED AND TANGED ARROWHEAD (Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC to 701 BC)
• FDV5986 - LEAF ARROWHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2201 BC)
• FDV5985 - SCRAPER (TOOL) (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2201 BC?)
• FDV5988 - SPINDLE WHORL (Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2200 BC to 42 AD?)

Associated Events: none recorded

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