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Summary

Blowing/stamping mill at yellowmead. Ample remains of a blowing house, but the structure has been used as a quarry and much disturbed. Original dimensions unknown. One side of the wheel pit is in good order, with a well worked stone having a recess for the plummer block of the wheel axle. The float from the base of the furnace has been built into a hedge not far away, and a mortar stone stands on another hedge. There is a stone with a bearing for a small iron axle and also a small broken mould, very neatly cut in roborough down elvan. The mould would give an ingot of about 1.02kg, the smallest from dartmoor. At yellowmead farm is one of the stones from the crazing mill, diameter 711mm which probably came from the blowing house. At the head of a stroll wholly occupied by tinners' burrows, at the foot of which stands the house, there is a part-made mould stone. A large piece of slag was found near this house and contained prills of tin (worth).

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE21
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438559
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/47
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56NE21

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• BLOWING HOUSE (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• WHEEL PIT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217070.

Des=greeves, t. /list of known devon tin mills c.1450-c.1750/(1981)no.94 (in smr). Not documented as blowing mill or stamping mill, but a document of 1502 mentions the smelting of tin at "oldmede". Field evidence (greeves).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217071.

Worth, r. H. /tda/46(1914)288-289/stray notes on dartmoor tin working.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217072.

Des=ta 385;mill field.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217074.

Des=duco london/ministers accounts/cornwall and devon 18,19,23 henry 7/ vol.6.93.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217075.

Lewis, w. S. /the west of england tin mining/(1923)33.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217076.

Des=dro/dd1090.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217077.

Des=plan(1:100)in parish file.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217078.

Cba res rep/40(1981)92,94.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217079.

Des=greeves, t. /an assessment of dartmoor tin working/(1990)39/in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217080.

Des=bodman, m. /water powered sites in devon/(1998)24,55/in smr.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217081.

Des=gerrard, s. /the early south western tin industry: an archaeological view/in newman, p.(ed)/the archaeology of mining & metallurgy in south west britain/(1996)67-83/(mining history: bulletins pdmhs, vol 13 no 2).

6/8/1985, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV217065.

Site surveyed at 1:100 by t. Greeves + r. Robinson (6/8/1985). Plans in possession of t. Greeves.

WORTH, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV6808.

Blowing/stamping mill at yellowmead. Ample remains of a blowing house, but the structure has been used as a quarry and much disturbed. Original dimensions unknown. One side of the wheel pit is in good order, with a well worked stone having a recess for the plummer block of the wheel axle. The float from the base of the furnace has been built into a hedge not far away, and a mortar stone stands on another hedge. There is a stone with a bearing for a small iron axle and also a small broken mould, very neatly cut in roborough down elvan. The mould would give an ingot of about 1.02kg, the smallest from dartmoor. At yellowmead farm is one of the stones from the crazing mill, diameter 711mm which probably came from the blowing house. At the head of a stroll wholly occupied by tinners' burrows, at the foot of which stands the house, there is a part-made mould stone. A large piece of slag was found near this house and contained prills of tin (worth).

Worth, R. H., 1933, Blowing Houses in the Valleys of the Sheepstor Brook, the Meavy, the Erme and the Avon, 307-308, figs.1-5 pls.23-25 (Article in Serial). SDV235818.

Worth, R. H., 1940, The Dartmoor Blowing House, 226, 242 (Article in Serial). SDV154693.

Remains of a blowing house which has been robbed of much stone in parts. One side of the wheel-pit is in good order.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX56NE21 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV217069.

(12/06/1950) As described by Worth. Very ruinous. No trace of mortarstone or float.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE21 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV261400.

(24/05/1977) This blowing-house is in a very ruinous state. Its approximate dimensions are 9.5m x 5.0m, and the height of the walls 0.4m to 0.7m. No mortar stones could be found, nor the float from the furnace. The course of the leat could not be determined. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1981, Medieval Industry, 92, 94 (Article in Serial). SDV275197.

This is listed as a pre-1700 tin mill.

Cranstone, D. + Hedley, I., 1995, Monuments Protection Programme: The Tin Industry Step 3 Site Assessments, Devon 4 (Report - non-specific). SDV357946.

Earthwork remains of a post-Medieval blowing-house and wheelpit. The blowing house is in a very ruinous stateand has a wheelpit is on the east side. Associated with the blowing house is a small group of buildings and enclosures.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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