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Summary

Yestor farmstead shown on 19th and early 20th century maps and shown as 'Easter Green' on the 19th century Tithe Map. The buildings are arranged in a line rather than around a yard which is rather unusual for a Dartmoor farm.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Earthwork and structural remains on Walkhampton Common including 19th century Swelltor and Foggintor Quarries, a section of the early 19th century Plymouth and Dartmoor Tramway, later converted to railway, also streamworks along the Yes Tor Brook

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE70
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440228
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/130

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• BEE BOLE? (Built, XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD to 1900 AD)
• FARMSTEAD (Built, XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))
• TRACKWAY (Built, XVIII to XIX - 1800 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

'Easter Green' shown on 19th century Tithe Map (plot 459).

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Yestor' shown on 19th century map as a group of buildings along the north side of an irregular shaped yard.

Royal Air Force, 1961, 58/4424, 58/4424.F44.167 (Aerial Photograph). SDV280247.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF/F62/58/6399, 42-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV272301.

Ruins at SX 56307279, annotated Yestor.

Linehan, C. D., 1965, Deserted Sites on Dartmoor, Devon, 175 (Article in Serial). SDV217992.

Four buildings with yards and enclosures by the old Princetown railway.

Linehan, C. D., 1966, Deserted Sites and Rabbit-Warrens on Dartmoor, Devon, 124-5 (Article in Serial). SDV307246.

SX 563727 A deserted Medieval site, known as Yes Tor Farm, consisting of four buildings and enclosures.

Haynes, R. G., 1966-1969, Ruined Sites on Dartmoor, 159 (Un-published). SDV150434.

Site visit 24th March 1966. Located at the head of the valley between Swelltor and Ingra; the Princetown Railway passes through its fields. Orientated east-west. The house and outbuildings are well built of mortared stone, rather modern in appearance. They are in remarkably good repair, the house walls standing 10 foot high or more in parts. The group differs in layout from most old farms on the moor, being in a long line rather than around a yard. A curious features is the filling in of a number of doors and windows in the outbuildings, even the garden gate.

National Monument Record, 1976, SX5672, SX5672/3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV267145.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE70 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV250043.

(25/06/1980) At SX 56287278, at the head of a valley, are the remains of 'Yestor' farmhouse and outbuildings. (The single word name, as published, is in local use).
Internally the house measures 15.0m. by 5.0m. subdivided by a passage way into two rooms the eastern one retaining a fireplace. There is an outshut on the west end of the house.
The walling of house and outbuildings is of roughly dressed, rubble, partly mortared, 0.6m. wide and up to 1.8m. high. The outbuildings incorporate drill split stones indicating a date not earlier than the 19th century. This seems likely to apply to the whole farmstead, though it is clearly earlier than the Princetown railway which cuts through the fields of the farm. There is no evidence of rig and furrow.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD and at 1:2500 (see plan).

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

Visible and recorded.

Woods, S. H., 1988, Dartmoor Stone, 163, 165 (Monograph). SDV346790.

SX563 727. Possible bee boles at Yes Tor Farm; two recesses in the ruins of the farm are possibly connected with bee keeping. The recesses are at ground level. These look out onto a small, private courtyard. Image included.

White, P., 2013, Previously Unsurveyed Dartmoor Historic Farmsteads, Yestor (Un-published). SDV352501.

Yestor ruined farmstead.

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

Outline of farmstead shown on modern mapping.

Wakeham, C., 2016, Report on an Audit of Archaeological Features and Structures Relating to Railways and Tramways on Dartmoor Phase 1, DR+T_PDR_050 (Report - Assessment). SDV360397.

SX 56335 7278. Access lane leading to the ruined farmyard from the old Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway as it passes through Yestor Farm. The lane is aligned east-west, c.12m in length and c.3.5m width. It intersects with the old railway course in the east at about SX 56345 72783, giving the farmstead inhabitants virtually direct access to it. At the west end the lane opens up into an irregularly shaped enclosure with the ruined barn on its northern edge and the house and garden straight ahead. The lane is flanked by dry stone walls. During the early 19th century the farm was let to John Johnson, lessee of the Walkhampton Quarries and seemingly the greatest user of the railway. The 1840 Walkhampton tithe map depicts a smithy on the opposite side of the railway line to the lane.
The lane is largely inundated with bracken.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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