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Summary

Ruined hut which appears to have been utilised for peat cutting or by tinners. The walling is of coursed rubble, 1 metre thick and up to 1.3 metres high with a central south-east entrance. Its relatively good condition may suggest a late 19th century date, although Greeves has noted that the construction may indicate a pre-1600 date.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NW104
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442796
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/103

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• TINNERS HUT (Built, Post Medieval to XIX - 1540 AD? to 1899 AD?)
• HUT (Constructed, XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1899 AD (Between))

Full description

National Monument Record, 1969, SX6179, 2/69-79 (Aerial Photograph). SDV267882.

Le Messurier, B., 1975, Ruined hut at SX61557975, 2/7/1975 (Worksheet). SDV267880.

Rectangular hut of solid construction in good repair. Excellent example of walling; naked back. Lies 137 metres south (downhill) of Brown's House (MDV7740), but does not appear to be associated with it. South and west walls are in good shape; east and north walls not so good. Fireplace at north end (0.91 metres wide, 1.52 metres deep), though no trace of over mantel. Floor has some stone, but is mostly of grass. Door at the eastern side (0.47 metres) wide. Two internal corners rounded.

Le Messurier, B., 1979, Post-Prehistoric Structures of Central North Dartmoor. A Field Survey, 69, plate IVB, site 31 (Article in Serial). SDV269283.

Site 31 - SX61557975. Repeats detail from earlier worksheet, but includes a photograph of the structure. Le Messurier states the building is shown on the Ordnance Survey first edition 2.5 inch map.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX67NE104 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV263187.

(26/02/1979?) At SX 61537971 in a valley which appears to have been utilized for peat cutting rather than tin streaming is the remains of a building as described by Le Messurier, probably a peat cutter's hut. The walling is of coursed rubble, 1.0m thick and up to 1.3m high with a central south east entrance. Its relatively good condition suggests a late19th century date.
Surveyed at 1:10000 on MSD.

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

A possible building is visible on the 1969 aerial photograph at SX61627974, which may be the same building.

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

(07/09/1994) SX61537971 As described by Le Messurier and Butler. Its use as a peat cutter's hut seems likely but it lies in a small pocket of streamworking remains and may therefore be a tinner's hut.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, Map 29 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Depicted on map by Butler.

Horsham, R., 1998, Early industry below Brown's House?, 7-12 (Article in Serial). SDV267888.

Horsham, R., 1998, The beguiling Brown's House Landscape, 5-8 (Article in Serial). SDV267887.

150m south of Brown's House at SX61547971 are the remains of a rectangular building roughly 4.5 metres by 2.2 metres with drystone walls up to 1.2 metres high. It is surrounded by tinworking features including spoil heaps, banks and leats.

Passmore, M., 1999, Enigmatic Tinworking below Brown's House?, 6 (Article in Serial). SDV361828.

Greeves is noted as suggesting a pre-1600 date for this building, due to the construction of the hut with two diagonal corners.

GetMapping, 2010, GetMapping 2010 aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV351585.

Ruined building very clearly visible on the aerial photograph.

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

At SX61537971 in a valley which appears to have been utilised for peat cutting rather than tin streaming is the remains of a building as described by Le Messurier, probably a peat cutter's hut. The walling is of coursed rubble, 1 metre thick and up to 1.3 metres high with a central south-east entrance. Its relatively good condition suggests a late 19th century date. Surveyed at 1:10000 on MSD.
(citing Le Messurier, but source author referred to elsewhere as Butler. May be Ordnance Survey/Royal Commission survey data, as the format matches. (Richards, A. F., 16/10/2018)).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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