MMO502 - Post-medieval adits north of Five Cross Ways (Monument)

Evidence for prospecting for or the extraction of iron or manganese can be seen as the earthwork remains of adits or trial trenches. The remains are partly visible on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards.

SS 879 289. Traces of two adits and a costean trench 500 yards north of Five Crosses. Date not known but probably trials for iron or manganese. The remains of trial mining centred about SS 879 289 and consisting of the following: A. SS 8783 2882. The remains of a probable adit cut into a northeast facing slope in a pasture field about 295 metres above Ordnance Datum. It is evident as a linear pear shaped hollow about 25 metres long east to west and 10 metres wide at best. Spoil from the adit has been dumped down the slope to the east and spoil from a nearby stone quarry has encroached on the adit from the southwest. B. SS 8792 2896. The remains of a probable adit cut into a steep northeast facing slope in recently felled woodland about 255 metres above Ordnance Datum. It is evident as a pear shaped hollow about 30 metres long north to south by about 10 metres maximum. The spoil has been dumped down the slope into a stream gulley to the north. C. SS 8791 2888. A linear trial trench, or costean, similar to the above two adits and visible as a linear hollow in pastureland about 270 metres above Ordnance Datum. It is about 50 metres long northeast to southwest and 10 metres wide at best. On the slope between this and B is a linear heap of carefully stacked small stones, not a spoil heap, probably from the trench. Delineated on 1:10,000 only - no survey action. [1,2] Two small adits or trenches are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs, of the 1940s onwards, circa 340 metres to the north of Five Ways Cross. The location of the visible features corresponds with those detailed by the above authority for features A and C. However the visible earthworks are notably smaller than the dimensions listed above. Feature A, centred at circa SS 8782 2882 is ovoid in shape but measures approximately 11 by 7 metres. Feature C, centred on SS 8792 2886 is irregular in shape and measures 22 long metres by 5 up to wide. [3-5] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [6]