Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on her Jubilee Year - Hartland celebration details: LINK |
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Your guide to the parish of Hartland in North Devon. From here you can find out more about the history of Hartland, tourism, businesses, activities and what's happening in Hartland. The website acts as an entry point for local information. |
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An Archaeological Investigation of the Warren at Hartland, N. Devon - University of Exeter
It could be considered that every parish or town has, often visible on the skyline for great distances, one or more iconic landmarks . At Hartland there is the tower of St Nectan's Church, 128 feet tall and visible for over seven miles, it has been known locally for generations as 'Peeping Tom'.
A second landmark building is the ruin on the cliff top above Hartland Quay. Obviously when one sights a church tower an immediate recognition of the building and its use are generated in one's mind. With this ruin it would not generally be the case and many derivations of usage have been suggested over the years.
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As a direct result of the connections between the Archive work at Hartland and The University of Exeter, Archaeology Dept a number of investigations have been undertaken. The first was a survey of wetlands and lost habitations, followed by geophysical work on a number of sites of potential interest. As a result of one such survey further investigation was agreed on the area known as The Warren, above Hartland Quay. The results of this survey can be downloaded or read from our 'offers' page - LINK.
The ruin on the Warren is the most visible item in the landscape there , but there are a substantial earth mound and a bowl barrow also present. The survey of the field surrounding the ruin disclosed a wide range of archaeology was present below the surface. This ranged from lost hedges, roads and mounds to other features that were not easily explained. The more startling were two sausage shaped enclosures on the far east edge of the field, which were identified as classic shapes of artificial rabbit warrens. Associated with this were a number of features that could have been seen as burial mounds (ploughed out) or again a variation on the artificial warren. Historically the documentation clearly identifies a number of areas of the parish as being used as free warren. This particular area being the only one to keep its name. A later archaeological dig over one of the features gave an indication that confirmed the warren association.
If we therefore return to look at the ruin, we can now place some of its history in sequence. Taking this area as a warren established in the 13thC as a grant to the Dynham family then it would be reasonable to suggest that the ruin started life as a Warrener's House. Dr Jonathan Wooding suggested in a personal comment that the lower sections of the ruin seemed to be from this period. A Warrener's House on this foundation would have likely consisted of a ground floor workshop, a first floor living area and possibly a roof outlook (guarding the Warren). Indeed there is evidence of a staircase and fireplace set in the walls, although it cannot be confirmed they are from the early period.
As the Warren declined, due to farming practices, the records show that the building was in use as a small farming unit, this may correspond with the lost hedges shown on the geophysics. The transfer into secular hands of the Abbey at Hartland at the Dissolution would have brought major changes to life on the estate. As the fortunes of the secular family rose so they 'enjoyed' their lands. The building on the Warren became a Summer House or as the documents name it a 'Pleasure House'. It is not possible to identify the changes made, if any, in this gentrification, but the Abbey family are recorded as enjoying afternoons in the building and of displaying it's charms to friends. The next change was along the same lines except it was more destructive. The east wall was reduced and the prominent arch was installed, this it is said was to allow a carriage to be backed into the building so the occupant could enjoy the views. It is not disclosed if this was seated in the carriage or if the upper floor was still available for use. Further decay has left us with what is a romantic ruin on the skyline but central to the vista from the Abbey in the valley below.
If you care to walk around the ruin today it is possible to see a variety of interesting stonework and decorative items embedded in the structure. It would be reasonable to suggest these have come from the rebuilding of Hartland Abbey over the years. Similar stones are present in the field walls and stiles that surround the area.
For the full story please read the report - LINK
For the survey of the Swannery follow this LINK
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