A collection of walks, discoveries, insights and pictures of exploring Dartmoor National Park
July 19, 2025
Gobbett Tin Mine
Gobbett Tin Mine, near Hexworthy shows evidence of around 400 years of tinners’ exploitation of this area. The earliest evidence is in the form of a fabulous openwork (or beamwork) that extends west – east up a hill, on the south side of the Hexworthy – Sherbeton road following a tin lode. It is believed that this openwork would date to the late medieval period (around 15th – 16th century). The earliest written reference to this working comes from the early 17th century when it is documented as ‘Gobbett besides Hextworthye’ (Greeves). The mine was worked in conjunction with two others; Deby Hole (located just north of the Hexworthy to Sherberton road and Wheal Cumpston in the Aller Brook Valley overlooking the Double Dart)
Tin mining at Gobbett revived in the late 18th and for the majority of the 19th century (using old Medieval workings was atypical on Dartmoor). The earliest record of mining at the site is from the 1790’s and by 1812 it was ‘expected to be very productive’ (Greeves). Between 1836-1881 there were no less than five successive companies who operated the mine, namely: Dartmoor United Tin Mines, Dartmoor Consoles, Swincombe Vale, Gobbett Tin Mining Company Limited and The Gobbett Tin Mine Ltd. There were initially two 24 feet waterwheels recorded 1836-40, one for pumping and one for ore stamping. However, it is known that there was once a 40ft stamping wheel in operation, which one assumes replaced one of the 24ft wheels. One of these wheels was described as in a “feeble state” in 1874 (citing Hamilton Jenkin, 1974, 97-99).
In the early 1830’s there was a count house, pumping waterwheel and stamping mill (Greeves). During the Dartmoor United Tin Mines period of operation, a shaft was sunk in the to a depth of 40 fathoms (240 ft). The mine seems to have been hindered by disagreement among the adventurers and was offered for sale in 1840 being shortly afterwards known as Dartmoor Consols (Hamilton Jenkin). Dartmoor Consols was operating for at least two years as Hamilton Jenkin mentions that in the course of two years an adit was driven 150 fms (900 ft) on a lode.
In 1864, a new company called Swincombe Vale Mining Company was formed to operate the mine. The share capital for the company was £10,000 made up of £1 shares, but take up was poor and only 3345 shares were sold. This lack of investment may have played a part when only three years later, in 1867 a winding up order was made by the Registrar of the Stannaries Court. Materials of the mine were sold by public auction in May 1968 (Welch), albeit the mine appears to have had a reprieve and was immediately back in operation! The reprieve was short lived as by February 1870, the mine had gone into liquidation once again, with mine items and materials again being put up for sale (an advert for this is shown in this post). All was not lost, however as all the machinery and mine materials are thought to have probably been bought by new adventurers / backers in the mine, as a prospectus for the mine was being advertised in the Leeds Times on the 27th May 1871.
According to the 1871 prospectus, the outlay at the mine amounted to £4000 with the new company named Gobbett Tin Mining Company Limited but it is unknown whether the floatation was successful. By 1873 the mine was back in operation and over the next two years it produced 2.4 tons of black tin (Burt et al). However, shortly afterwards (1874 or 1875) the mine appears to have closed again. In January 1877, an auction was held to sell off the machinery materials. Yet again, the mine appears to have had another reprieve, when in July 1880 a new lease was granted to work the mine. A company was formed under the title of The Gobbett Tin Mine Ltd and the share capital was to be £30,000 in £1 shares (a copy of a share certificate is shown in this post). Burt et al, note that there were 5 miners employed in 1881 and 4 in 1884, which probably suggests that the 1881 optimism of raising £30,000 wasn’t met and the mine didn’t develop any further. One of the owners of the mine at this time was a J.A.S Browning, who had been a previous Mine Captain. The company was finally wound up on the 8th December 1887 and the mine closed permanently. Given that the mine had survived in its various forms in the post Medieval period (1790 – 1887) is quite astounding since it was quite a small and unsuccessful mine.
Bibliography
B. Bruce, (1999), Field excursion to Gobbett Tin Mine and Deep Swincombe
Dr. T. Greeves, (1981), The Devon Tin Industry 1450-1750, thesis
Dr T. Greeves – (2016) – Celebrating the Tinworking Landscape of Dartmoor in its European Context: Prehistory to 20th Century Conference Booklet & Field Guide
A.K Hamilton Jenkin (2005) – Mines of Devon
Tanya and Barry Welch – The Adventurers of Gobbett Tin Mine – DTRG Newsletter 51 (2016)
Burt et. al. – The Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom 1845-1913 (Devon and Somerset Mines)
Eric Hemery (1983) – High Dartmoor (page 367)
Sketch map of the features at the main part of Gobbett Tin Mine, covered in this post. The features cover a period from late Medieval to late 19th centuryTop (east end) of the openworks (beamworks) at Gobbett Mine. These beamworks are described by OS in 1988 as : “A huge ragged linear trench extends for 330 metres along the south side of the Hexworthy – Sherberton road between SX6469 7282 and SX6500 7277. It is aligned east-west following the general orientation of Dartmoor tin lodes. The excavation is between 15 metres and 23 metres across and up to 7 metres deep to its blunted V-shaped base”.Gobbett (openworks) Beamworks run west-east parallel with the road to Sherberton. The openwork is suggested as being 15th or 16th century. It has been recorded (Greeves) that “there may be considerable infill from eroded material concealing a much deeper feature”.There are at least 4 shafts within the Beamworks / Openworks (labelled 1-3 and Engine on the sketch map). These shafts would have been sunk from around the early to mid 19th century, initially when the mine was working as ‘Dartmoor United Tin Mines’. Shaft 1 is located at SX64835 72815The second shaft downhill from shaft 1 is located at SX64808 72816. Some Dartmoor observers have found five separate shafts being historically mentioned. The fifth shaft, on higher ground, marked as old shaft on the 1st edition OS map, may have been developed around early 1870’s and is located near the Hexworthy to Sherberton road near an old cottage recorded at Gobbett PlainShaft 3 is further west (downhill) from shaft 2. It is located at SX64794 72818Shaft 3 has a flattened area alongside, which might have been a whim plat, albeit this does not appear to be recorded by any other observer (on the Dartmoor Historic Environment Record)Collage of the Gobbett Beamworks – shaft 3 and adjacent whim plat. The beamwork is illustrated on the Lydford Tithe Map of 1840 showing one of the shafts towards the west end, which may be this one. Interestingly on the Tithe Map there is roughly one third of the its present extent at the east end which is not depicted – Is this perhaps indicating that portions of the beamwork is 19th centuryTo the south of Gobbett Mine Beamworks is Gobbett Tunnel, which was constructed in 1929 by Paignton Urban District Council to carry water from the small Swincombe reservoir about 2km upstream through to Venford Reservoir beyond Hexworthy.Eric Hemery in High Dartmoor (page 367) states that this tunnel “…..was the result of extending an adit of Gobbett Mine”. The only evidence (record) of a direct link between this tunnel and ‘tin’ can be found in the Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group (DTRG), Newletter 16 (January 1999) where it was recorded that : “Mr Gilbert Warne of Princetown, DTRG’s honorary member, gave up his job at Golden Dagger Tin Mine for better pay driving the tunnel at Gobbett”. Looking at late 19th century and early 20th century maps, they do not show any adit at this location, therefore this evidence and that from DTRG (Dr Tom Greeves) suggests that Eric Hemery may have been incorrect on this occasion. The sign above the Gobbett Tunnel suggesting operational control is through South West Water General views of Gobbett Tunnel. It is known that there was possibly a shaft sunk on higher ground nearby possibly from early 1870’s, but there is no record that it had an associated adit. If it did, Hemery, possibly was right, although neither the east nor the west end of the tunnel ‘lines-up’ with this or any recorded shaft on any OS map. Also, there the line of the tunnel when viewed on LiDAR doesn’t line up with any workings, so the author is doubtful it was a former adit. Another theory relating to the tunnel is mentioned in Dartmoor 365 (John Hayward) where under section N11 it is stated :”One of the gerts has been adapted to carry a water pipe from the Swincombe to Venford Reservoir”. It is unclear where this theory originated.The plaque above the tunnel inscribed PUDC (Paignton Urban District Council) and the year 1929To the west of the tunnel, approaching the mineCommunication to the directors of Gobbett Tin Mine regarding their annual return for capital and members from a later period of operation of the mineGobbett Mine Engine Shaft is at the west (bottom) end of the Beamworks. The shaft had levels extending on the course of the lodes, yielding black tin to the value of £1000 in the late 1830’sThe Engine Shaft is a rather unassuming ‘bowl’ next to the modern trackway which leads off the Hexworthy – Sherbeton road en-route to the Swincombe Valley. The shaft is located at SX64739 72814. There is evidence which shows this shaft was pumped using flat rods, which were driven by a water wheel to the south westA short distance to the south west from the Engine Shaft is a rather damp sunken area which has a revetment wall built on one side and has a causeway aboveThe revetment and causeway. The causeway is up to 2.5 metres wide and the revetment is up to 1.5 metres high. The causeway runs for 21 metres from the present (Swincombe Valley) track / road and once came from mine shafts 1-3. It is probable that ore was brought along the causeway for treatment at the dressing floor belowNext to the sunken area and the bottom of the causeway and adjacent to the Swincombe Valley road is the site of where one of the two water wheels would have been. The (possible) wheelpit aligns perfectly to the Engine Shaft to the north east. It was reported that in 1836-40 (Hamilton Jenkin) there were two 24ft water wheels, that said when materials and effects were sold in 1870, the waterwheel recorded was 40ft. The author suspects this wheel was 24ft and the stamping wheel was 40ft (possibly replacing an original 24ft one)The probable wheelpit is located at SX64701 72786Gobbett Tin Mine from late 19th century map. Note the alignment of the Engine Shaft and 24ft wheelpit, which in turn is aligned to a leat embankmentThe 24ft wheel (which has flat rods connecting to Engine Shaft) had its main source of water fed over a Leat Embankment from the upper of two leats. It is also possible that the miners used water from the nearby spring runoff and also from the lower leat – this is a little speculative but there is evidence to support thisThe water source to the 24ft wheel, which may have been supplemented by water from the Spring runoffA Gobbett Tin Mine shares certificate (blank) from 1880A Gobbett Tin Mine shares certificate (made out to William John Shilwell for fifty shares – £50) from 1881. The company were attempting to raise £30,000 and was effectively the last ‘throw of the dice’ as the mine closed for good just 7 years laterView from atop the Leat Embankment, over which water would have gone onto a wooden launder to drive the 24ft wheel which in turn powered the flat rods for the Engine Shaft. The shaft was also drained by an adit below Gobbett CottageCollage of picture of the 24ft wheel Leat EmbankmentAnother view of the water source for the 24ft wheel from the Leat EmbankmentPoint where the upper leat divides to feed the leat embankment and where there is a channel leading to the lower leat (probably an overflow)Course of water from the upper leat, which flowed over an embankment and launder to feed a waterwheel which drove a set of stampsThe leat embankment for the stamps water wheel.The leat embankment for the stamps water wheel alongside the (overflow) channel from the upper leatView of the upper and lower leats as they contour around the hillside above the Swincombe Reservoir roadCourses of the two leatsIt is possible that the lower leat also fed the flat rods waterwheel as there appears to be a channel leading to to itThe course of the lower leat leading to the flat rods wheel. Note that it crosses a stream coming down the hillside, which possibly also provided water to the same wheelEnd of the lower leatJust before the bend in the road leading to Swincombe Reservoir is where the flat rods waterwheel was once locatedAnnotations added to the previous picture showing the water courses and the location of a flat rods wheelBridge over the streamStream below the bridge leading to the River SwincombeStamps wheelpit and stamps locationThe stamps wheelpit is now largely rubble-filed, but clearly still very distinguishable. The wheepit is around 14 metres long by 1.8 metres wide. The wheelpit is lined with a combination of medium-sized, dressed, random-coursed granite blocks and is located at SX6465 7277End on view of the stamps wheelpit. The wheelpit is terraced into the hillside and would have housed an overshot wheel fed by a wooden launder from the upper leat embankment aboveBlocks in the stamps wheelpitClose up of the stamps wheelpitLocation of where the stamps would have sitedThe Gobbet Mine stampsOne of two settling pits at Gobbett. Side on view of the settling pit looking towards Gobbett Tin Mill (just below where the road crests the small rise)The second settling pitOne of two circular buddles at the mine. The east buddle is 7 metres in diameter with a rim 0.5 metres high. It is located at SX64638 72785 The west buddle has an internal diameter of 7.5 metres with a rim 0.8 metres high. It is located at SX64629 72781 The Gobbett buddles View from the tarmac road looking towards the former buildings at Gobbett Mine, where there were once at least fourSite of Gobbett Cottage, which was most probably the counting houseGobbett Cottage is located at SX64704 72821Gobbett Cottage was rectangular building 15 metres by 5 metres which also had an enclosed garden. The cottage is known to have still been occupied in 1905, when it comprised two homes End wall of Gobbett CottageEnd view of Gobbett CottageAdit at Gobbett Mine. Hamilton Jenkin mentions that in the course of two years an adit was driven 150 fms (900 ft) on a lode which is said to have produced some 20 tons of concentrate. The length of the openwork is roughly 900 ft, so one can presume an adit was driven under the openworking from the valley bottom. The collapsed adit portal is probably the cutting shown in the picture north of Gobbett Cottage remains.The adit at Gobbett Mine is just below the Swincombe road near the junction where it leads off the Sherberton road. It would have been a very shallow adit and as the Engine Shaft was dug deeper, it would not have been sufficient to drain the mine, hence the need for a 24ft wheel and flat rods for pumpingFoundations of building A, just below (west) Gobbett Cottage, located at SX64689 72827The structure of building A was at least 23 metres long by 6 metres wide. Only the northeast end was shown as a roofed structure in 1886.End on view of building ABuilding B lies to the north west of Gobbett CottageBuilding B was a rectangular building measuring 9 metres by 7 metres on a turf-covered platform 0.7 metres high. It is located against the west side of a granite field wall. It is located at SX64686 72848On the other side of an L-shaped wall at building B are the remains of a further small room or building. The whole structure of building B was roofed and occupied in 1886 according to the OS MapA fourth building (Building C) lies between Gobbett Cottage and the River Swincombe. It is located at SX64666 72845Building C survives as a foundation course only and is 9 metres by 5.8 metres. It was divided internally into three cells. The mortared walls comprise of dressed, coursed stones which are 0.55 metres wide and up to 0.4 metres high. The building is shown unroofed in 1886 according to the OS mapWater runoff from Gobbett settling pitsJust to the south of the western buddle is a well defined flat area (marked on 19th century maps), which might well have been a fifth building (Building D on sketch map)Gobbett Mine advert from January 1870 showing all the materials and effects being sold off. Proceeds from the sale included £20 paid for the 40 ft diameter waterwheel, with wood rings to 25 fms and launders. The balance bob behind the waterwheel sold for £1 10s and five stamp heads for 10s (ref: Welch). The machinery and mine materials were probably bought by new adventurers or a combination of some of the old adventurers and new backers in the mine, as a prospectus for the mine was being advertised in the Leeds Times on the 27th May 1871. The water sources for the two water wheels (Stamps and Flat Rods). The Lower leat was originally used to feed the Tinners’ Mill and was probably extended to the main Gobbett Mine. However, it is unlikely that the Lower leat had enough ‘head’ for powering two wheels so the Upper leat was constructed, whose weir can be traced back to the River Swincombe upstream from Fairy Bridge. There is also field evidence that there might have been two small reservoirs associated with the Wheal Emma Leat high on the hillside to the south. There appears to be water runoff channels which lead to a natural spring, which in turn takes water downhill to near the 24ft (flat rods) wheelThe upper leat from near the Swincombe Road, close to Gobbett Tinners’ MillThe upper leat near the mine supplying water to the 40ft stamps wheelThe lower leat where it splits between the Medieval Tinners’ Mill (crazing, knocking and blowing house all in one) and the mineLooking east from the lower leat ‘split’ between the mill and the mine. The author is unaware of any date for the lower leat extension but assumes that it may have occurred before or around 1865 when ‘machinery’ was installed (reference: Helen Harris Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor – 1968)Lower leat diversion (‘Split’) pointDetail of the lower leat ‘split’Following the lower leat its take-off point from the River SwincombeContinuing to follow the lower leat. Lower leat take-off point on the Swincombe which can easily be traced back to SX64302 72702The course of the Upper Leat heading towards Fairy Bridge, which leads to John Bishop’s House and Upper Swincombe FarmThe course of the leat close to Fairy BridgeThese rather unassuming granite slabs near to the ford and Fairy Bridge on the Swincombe are (or at least appear to be) a five impost clapper bridge on the Tavistock / Ashburton Packhorse Track. They are located at SX64181 72491. They cross over the Gobbett Mine upper leatThis picture shows the clapper, ford, packhorse track, Fairy Bridge and John Bishop’s House in one compositionThe upper leat will have been supplemented by the run off from Deep Swincombe, which probably influenced the tinner’s choice of leat course and length (a distance of over 600 metres). This is why the leat runs parallel to the Swincombe for some distance including running past the ford and Fairy Bridge. The tinners only obstacle at the time the leat was constructed would have been the Tavistock / Ashburton Packhorse Track leading to John Bishops House and Upper Swincombe Farm. The photograph above shows the relative course of the leat and the track. This does strongly suggest these imposts are an old clapperThe course of the upper leat upstream from Fairy BridgeThe upper leat near its take-off point Deep Swincombe runoff which would have fed the upper leatPoint where Deep Swincombe runoff joins the upper leatThe upper leat take-off point from the River SwincombeThe upper leat ‘weir’ is located at SX64031 72460Uphill (south) from Fairy Bridge, the course of the Wheal Emma Leat can be picked up. It was cut in 1859 and appears might have been used by the Tinner’s at Gobbett.Wheal Emma Leat ClapperHut Circle just below Wheal Emma Leat looking northAnother Hut CircleAn 1870’s OS map, appears to show water flowing from Wheal Emma Leat down to the natural spring. On a field trip the author has found that the leat has been breached in two places adjacent to what looks like two reservoirs. The first is at SX64700 72456The breach of Wheal Emma Leat near the westerly reservoirClose up of the westerly breachEasterly reservoir and breachEasterly breach is located at SX64735 72446. Wheal Emma Leat easterly reservoir and breachWheal Emma Leat run-off channel from the two reservoirs / breachesThe channel running downhill towards the natural spring above Gobbett MineThe run-off channelThe run-off channelThe run-off channel appear to be crossed by a bridge which carries the ancient Tavistock – Ashburton pack horse track. If, as stated by Helen Harris, machinery (flat rods) were added to Gobbett mine in 1865, then the Wheal Emma Leat would have been around 6 years at that point. The timeline fits. That said, would one mine (Wheal Emma) have allowed their precious water to have been used by another mine (Gobbett)? This is an unusual situation, where although the timeline fits and the field evidence fits the practicalities of two mines sharing water is a little doubtful.Looking north down the run-off channel with the Tavistock – Ashburton pack horse track running east – west (right to left in the picture)Close up of the bridge over the Tavistock – Ashburton track. This bridge seems to the author to indicate that water most definitely flowed downhill at this point from the Wheal Emma LeatThe natural spring, which was ‘topped-up’ by the Wheal Emma LeatLocation where the natural spring and Wheal Emma runoff combineThe wide channel below the natural spring leading to Gobbett Mine. The channel carries a small stream to this daySmall stream leading downhill from the natural spring – was this truly another source of water for Gobbett Mine? The author has concluded that the Stamps Wheel (40ft) was driven by water fed from the Upper Leat (via the embankment and launder) and the flat rods wheel (24ft) had four sources of water, namely; a) Lower Leat extension, b) Upper Leat feed to Lower Leat extension, c) Upper Leat (via embankment and launder), d) Natural spring supplemented by Wheal Emma Leat. The conundrum is why were there so many sources of water to drive the flat rods wheel? Does anyone reading this post have any ideas or thoughts please?This picture would have been taken well before the 1930’s as much of the stone from these buildings was used in the construction of the Swincombe reservoir (which has a date plaque of 1933 on the building there). The cottages were occupied by the Chudley family from 1890 to 1913, therefore as the cottages still look lived in the photograph is possibly from the turn of the 20th century around 1905-10.At this time of occupation Gobbett Cottages comprised two homes (one has three chimneys and the second one just can be seen below) and were originally part of the mine Gobbett mine itself which operated from 1836-74. A third ruined building can be seen further to the west. Also in the picture is the east-west aligned Beamwork which follows the general orientation of Dartmoor tin lodes. Gobbett Cottages in ruins from March 2024 from more or less the same spot as the early 20th century photograph. Apart from the ruined buildings, the obvious changes in this scene over the previous 100 years or more is the increased vegetation and the tarmac road which leads to Swincombe reservoirCombined views from early 20th century to 2024Gobbett Cottages, Sherberton Farm and Bellever Tor
