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Summary

Two leats, now dry and silted, running northward along the steep eastern slope of the Taw Valley. The lower leat, which was first noted by Greeves (1985) can be traced from its source on the west bank of the River Taw at SX 61988746 to the eastern edge of a tin streamwork in the East Okement valley at SX 60759040. Approximately 15m uphill and west of the lower leat, running on a parallel course within the Taw valley, there is a second more fragmentary leat which may be traced between SX 61218815 and SX 61388860.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68NW81
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 966674
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68NW/128

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LEAT (Constructed, Unknown date)

Full description

Greeves, T. A. P., 1985, Steeperton Tor Tin Mine, Dartmoor, 123 (Article in Serial). SDV310154.

Leat taken off the left bank of the taw at SX 60998750. It passes through the workings of steeperton tor tin mine, though it is not associated with them. Rapidly gains height above the river, passing well above the mine building (sx68nw/17/11). It can be traced with difficulty to a point on the ridge mid-way between the mine and Oke Tor, after which its course is unclear.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, P. Newman (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(20/09/1993) Centred SX 61258830 and SX 6140886. Two leats, now dry and silted, running northward along the steep eastern slope of the Taw Valley.
The lower leat, which was first noted by Greeves (a) can be traced from its source on the west bank of the River Taw at SX 61988746 to the eastern edge of a tin streamwork in the East Okement valley at SX 60759040. From the source to the point where it crosses a large openwork at SX 61088893 a channel survives of up to 0.5m deep by 1m wide but between SX 61208810 and SX 61408880 the leat consists only of a narrow step in the hillside of between 0.5m and 3m with no visible channel. The leat is clearly later than the openwork, the channel having a sharp kink to accommodate the depth of the gulley. After passing through the Steeperton Tor Mine workings (SX 68 NW 78) to which it is apparently unconnected, the leat continues across to Oke Tor Ridge. Its course is interrupted by the mine track at SX 61438885 which has destroyed a section 50m long. North of the track the leat develops into a shallow channel approximately 0.8m wide by 0.3m deep which can be traced for a further 280mm before fading out on the crest of the ridge at SX 61428915. It is highly likely that this leat connects to another section of leat which runs north-west along the western lower slopes of Oke Tor Ridge between SX 61128960 and SX 60759040 and supplied water to the East Okement Streamworks (SX 69 SW 59). However, the central section which would confirm this association has now been effaced. The Oke Tor section consist of a channel of approximately 0.8m wide by between 0.3m to 0.8m deep. It descends the western slope of Oke Tor fairly steeply, to level out along the contours near the streamwork, where its entry point into the working area is visible at SX 60759040.
Approximately 15m uphill and west of the lower leat, running on a parallel course within the Taw valley, there is a second more fragmentary leat which may be traced between SX 61218815 and SX 61388860. It survives only as a narrow step in the hillside of up to 1.5m wide. Its source was probably the River Taw though the evidence to confirm this does not survive. Its destination and purpose are not evident from the remains.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(21/10/2003) These features remain as described in 1993.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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