See important guidance on the use of this record.

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

Summary

Norsworthy Stamping Mill on the east bank of the River Meavy with at least 11 mortar stones and a dressing floor to the south

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019583: Two stamping mills 200m and 175m north of Norsworthy Bridge

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE7
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438513
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/128
• Old SAM County Ref: 838
• Old SAM Ref: 22400

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BUDDLE (Early Medieval to XVI - 1066 AD to 1540 AD (Between))
• STAMPING MILL (Early Medieval to XIX - 1066 AD to 1900 AD (Between))
• TIN WORKS (Early Medieval to XVI - 1066 AD to 1540 AD (Between))

Full description

Worth, R. H., 1929, Stray Notes on Dartmoor Tin-Working. Part 2, 402-3 (Article in Serial). SDV357076.

Worth, R. H., 1933, Thirty-ninth report on Scientific Memoranda, 311-4, Figure 13, Plates 27-30 (Article in Serial). SDV338049.

Blowing houses in the valleys of the Sheepstor Brook, the Meavy, the Erme and the Avon.

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Blowing House, 224 (Article in Serial). SDV154693.

Norsworthy stamping mill. A Blowing House on the left bank of the River Meavy. The leat can still be traced. The remains of the building measure about 15 feet by 13 feet. No mould stones have been found, but there are at least 11 mortar stones, one of which has 4 mortars, two on each of two adjacent faces. Some of the mortarstones have been diverted for use as bearings for small iron axles, probably in connection with the bellows. There are two slotted stones; neither stone is a finished product, nor are they likely to have been connected with the tin trade. Similar to stones that took the ends of beams bearing the footstep of the upper mill stones in old flour and grist mills, and were probably intended for such use when it was decided to convert this building into a grist mill.

Worth, R. H., 1946, Fifty-first Report of Scientific Memoranda: Archaeology, 282, 284 (Article in Serial). SDV350164.

A lease of 1511, almost certainly referring to this building, names it as a "knocking mill" for pounding tin ore. Mortar stones have been found but none of the mould stones which are associated with "Blowing houses". A lease of 1511, almost certainly referring to this building, names it as a "knocking mill" for pounding tin ore. Mortar stones have been found but none of the mould stones which are associated with "Blowing houses".

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE7 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV250461.

(07/09/1950) the eastern wall is built into a natural combe. The structure is too ruinous to survey and much has slipped down the bank into the River Meavy. Mouldstone found - has two moulds.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56NE7 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV255840.

(29/08/1980) At SX 56766959 are the remains of a knocking mill. The interior measures 5.2m. by 3.6m., within undressed drystone walling 0.8m. wide and 1.1m. high on the west, and up to 1.8m. high against the river cliff on the east; little other walling remains. Inside there are six mortar stones and two pieces of mould stones with a further mortar stone visible in the river. There is now no evidence of the leat. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, List of Known Devon Tin Mills c1450 - c1750, No 60 (Report - non-specific). SDV319826.

Robinson, R., 1984, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1984 (Un-published). SDV343082.

Department of Environment Field Monument Warden site visit 6th April 1984.

Greeves, T. + Robinson, R., 1984, Norsworthy Left Bank Stamping Mill (Report - Survey). SDV250470.

Site surveyed at 1:100 on 7th December 1984. Plans in possession of T. Greeves.

Newman, P., 1987, The Moorland Meavy - a Tinner's Landscape, 228, Figure 2 (Article in Serial). SDV231207.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152443. (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 25th February 2000. Stamping mill 240 metres north of Norsworthy Bridge. Walls of the mill are of drystone construction and up to 1.7 metres high. All mortar stones created by the use of double stamps. In one face the stone has been shifted resulting in the production of 4 hollows. One mortar stone has 2 hollows, as well as as 3 axle bearings along the south-west edge, with another on the north-east side. Also on the north-east side of this stone are 2 more mortar hollows and a rectangular cut socket which is probably later. In the north corner of the building is a further stone with a rectangular slot cut out on one edge. The 3rd socket stone is 0.92 metres long, at least 0.4 metres wide and at least 0.34 metres thick. The slot is cut into the upper face and is 0.55 metres long, up to 0.1 metres wide and 0.09 metres deep. A rectangular stone south-east of the mill bears wedge and groove working marks. Within the mill there is no vegetation, just leaves and exposed ground. Large deciduous trees around.

Cranstone, D. + Hedley, I., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme: The Tin Industry Step 3 Site Assessments, Devon 9 (Report - non-specific). SDV357946.

Documented.

Gerrard, S., 1996, The Early South-Western Tin Industry: An Archaeological View, 67-83 (Article in Serial). SDV337901.

Bodman, M., 1998, Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 23, 41 (Report - non-specific). SDV305931.

Whitbourn, A., 2001, An Archaeological Investigation into features comprising, and associated with, Ditsworthy Warren, 82, Appendix 4 (Report - Assessment). SDV360381.

Norsworthy Blowing House.

Ordnance Survey, 2018, MasterMap 2018 (Cartographic). SDV360652.

'Blowing House (remains of)' shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2018, National Heritage List for England, 1019583 (National Heritage List for England). SDV360653.

The monument, which falls into two areas of protection, includes two stamping mills together with their leats, a dressing floor and part of a tinwork situated on either side of the River Meavy. The northern stamping mill includes a sub-rectangular building measuring 7.3 metres long by 3.7 metres wide denoted by a substantial drystone wall standing up to 1.7 metres high. Within the mill are at least six mortar stones, one of which has been reused at least four times as an axle bearing stone. Some of the mortar stones have more than two hollows indicating that they have been reused. The pattern of hollows on the stones indicates that double stamps were used within this mill. Two stones within the building have rectangular sockets cut into one side, whilst a third stone has a complete rectangular slot cut into its upper face. These types of stone are known from grist and crazing mills, where they are considered to have formed part of the support for the machinery. It is therefore possible that this building was also at one time used for crushing tin using horizontally rotating stones. The water supply to power the machinery within the mill was provided by a leat carrying water from the nearby River Meavy and this can be traced leading 90 metres northward from the building. The floor where the crushed tin was dressed lies south of the mill, and within this area four rectangular hollows probably represent the remains of buddles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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