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Summary

A dry leat channel which supplied water to Eylesbarrow Tin Mine and was in used between 1814-1852. An archaeological field survey in 1994 identified a dry leat channel starting on the right bank of the River Plym, 500 metres northwest of Great Gnats Head, terminating at a reservoir above the flat-rod wheel pit at the mine. The course of this feature is largely intact though it has been disturbed by a metalled track at the site of Wheal Katherine. It survives as a channel 1.3 metres wide with a maximum depth of 0.6 metres and a substantial downslope bank 1.6 metres wide and 0.4 metres high.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021056: Wheal Katherine, 235m west of Plym Ford, forming an outlying part of Eylesbarrow Tin Mine
• SHINE: Earthwork remains of tin streaming and trial pits at Wheal Katherine Mine

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66NW86
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1063606
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66NW/111
• Old SAM Ref: 34468(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (XIX - 1814 AD to 1852 AD (Between))

Full description

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

Leat visible on aerial photograph.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 157311 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 15th may 2002. Leat 330 metres west-south-west of Plym Ford. A 1.1 metre wide channel measuring up to 0.3 metres deep, cuts the dressing floor. Associated bank is 1.3 metres wide up to 0.4 metres high and is eroded in places. Rushes, grass and heather.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(11/11/1994) SX 60866826 to SX 59606805. A dry leat channel starts on the right bank of the River Plym some 500m NW of Great Gnats Head and terminates at a reservoir above the flat-rod wheel pit at the site of Eylesbarrow Mine. The course of this feature is largely intact though it has been disturbed by a metalled track at the site of Wheal Katherine. It survives as a channel 1.3m wide and a maximum of 0.6m deep with a substantial downslope bank 1.6m wide and 0.4m high.

Newman, P., 1999, Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine, Figure 4 (Report - Survey). SDV352201.

Line of leat shown on earthwork plan of Wheal Katherine tin mine

English Heritage, 2005, Leats Survey Information (Report - Survey). SDV347529.

Leat shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2014, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV355681.

Line of leat shown on modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2014, National Heritage List for England, 1021056 (National Heritage List for England). SDV355683.

Part of leat within the scheduled area of Wheal Katherine tin mine.

National Monument Record, 2014, Pastscape, 1063881 + 1963879 (Website). SDV355682.

Wheal Katherine - NMR 1063881
Remains of a tin processing works at Wheal Katherine which formed part of Eylesbarrow tin mine set and was operational until 1856. An archaeological field survey in 1994 located structures including a stamping mill, dressing floors and buddles.
Crane Lake – NMR 1063879
Earthwork remains of a tin mine and associated tinworks including tin processing which was documented in 1792. The mine subsequently changed its name to Wheal Katherine and was part of Eylesbarrow Mine. An archaeological field survey in 1994 recorded a range of features which included openworks, reservoirs, leats, pits and shafts covering an area of 20 hectares. Two openworks were surveyed, these measured up to 25 metres in width and 8 metres in depth. Both were well preserved with sharply cut sides and were supplied by water from the reservoirs by a series of leats and channels. Several hundred pits were also recorded. These ranged in diameter from 3 metres to 15 metres and were up to 1.5 metres deep.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6239 - Eylesbarrow (Ailsborough) Tin Mine
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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