Tinners' building lying adjacent to the Black Ridge Brook and situated 1540m NNE of Fur Tor

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. Shelters are small rectangular or oval buildings which provided temporary accommodation for a variety of moorland workers. Some were occupied seasonally and formed habitation for months at a time, whilst others were only used during work hours as shelters from inclement weather. Some probably had more than a single function, with parts of the structure being utilised for storage. The shelters vary considerably in size, but on average have internal dimensions of 4.8m long by 2.7m wide, and whilst most were built of drystone walling, some were also constructed from turf. Most shelters have a visible doorway, whilst some have fireplaces, cupboards and benches. A single building tradition appears to have been used by the different groups of workers who constructed shelters. Many shelters were constructed on virgin sites, but a significant number were built within earlier ruined structures such as prehistoric stone hut circles and medieval long houses. The function of each shelter can generally be ascertained by its proximity to other archaeological features. Shelters found within or close to tin works are generally considered to have been built and occupied by tinners, whilst those close to peat cutting earthworks were probably used by peat cutters. Shelters are also found close to stone cutting pits, quarries, and leats. In some circumstances a single building may have been used at different times by more than one group of workers. Shelters found on the open moorland, with no other obvious clues as to their function, are probably huts built for herdsmen tending animals grazing summer pasture on the uplands. These particular huts reflect a system called transhumance, whereby stock was moved in spring from lowland pastures to communal upland grazing during the warmer winter months. Settlement patterns reflecting transhumance are known from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC) onwards. At least 400 shelters of various dates survive on the Moor, although it is expected that this number will increase with future recognition. Shelters are relatively common on the Moor and together as a group they are considered to form a major source of archaeological information concerning historic activity on the open moorland and, as such, a substantial proportion are considered worthy of protection.

The tinners' building lying adjacent to the Black Ridge Brook and situated 1540m NNE of Fur Tor survives well as a good example of its type. Of particular interest is the unusual situation of a building with a rectangular shaped interior being denoted by a wall with a circular outer face.

Details

The monument includes a tinners' building situated adjacent to a tin streamwork next to the Black Ridge Brook. The building survives as a substantial drystone wall standing up to 1.1m high surrounding a rectangular area measuring 4.9m long by 3.4m wide. A gap midway along the southern wall represents an entrance. The outer wall of the building is broadly circular in plan and this has resulted in considerable thickening in places. An extension of the wall to the west of the entrance was presumably to provide additional protection against inclement weather. This building was probably constructed and used as a shelter by tinners working at the nearby streamwork.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

28736

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP Fieldwork by S. Gerrard, Gerrard, S., (1999)

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