Roundhouse / Linhay And Adjoining Fold Yard Walls 110 Metres North North-West Of The Great Sluice

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

SS 43 NE BRAUNTON BRAUNTON MARSH

7/42 Linhay and adjoining fold yard - walls 110 metres north north-west 15.9.76 of The Great Sluice (formerly listed as Roundhouse)

- II

Linhay and adjoining fold yard walls. Circa 1815 to 1820. Shale rubble with thin course of cob below eaves. Now roofless but originally thatched roof. Long open- fronted 7-bay range with circular stone rubble piers to support roof and tallet floor. Only the beams of the tallet floor survive. 2 shallow buttresses on rear wall. Large fold yard in front with semi-circular front wall, partly open on east side with pier to gateway. Also stone rubble and with upright stone capping and buttresses at widely spaced intervals on outside.

Within the fold yard there was originally another open-fronted building, but only 2 short sections of wall and base of circular pier survive.

This linhay is one of many on Braunton Marsh and served as a shelter and folder store for cattle. It is the only true linhay on the Marsh, the others are more strictly cattle shelters.

Braunton Marsh was probably reclaimed in the Middle Ages from tidal waters of the River Taw, but from 1811-15 the marsh was more extensively drained after authorization by Act of Parliament (1811) as a result of the endeavours of the Lords of the Manors of Braunton Gorges, Braunton Abbotts, Braunton Arundel and Saunton and others who had grazing rights on the marshes. They sought to enclose Braunton Marsh which was regularly flooded by tidal water. 949 acres were reclaimed. John Pascoe was the surveyor and James Green (County Surveyor) the engineer. The adjacent Horsey Island to the south east was reclaimed between 1852- 1857.

Historically these late enclosures are particularly interesting in Braunton where the Great Field immediately north of the marsh is one of only 3 open field systems to survive in England. Although today (1984) there are only 5 farmers on the Great Field their holdings are still widely dispersed over the field as they were in the Middle Ages when there were about 100 farmers.

Reference : A H Slee Trans. Devonshire Assoc. (1969) Vol.100, pp.101-110.

W G Hoskins and H P R Finberg, Devonshire Studies pp.265-271 and p.332.

Listing NGR: SS4743735269

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1380 IOE Records taken by Robin Mellor; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Robin Mellor. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project