MMO1232 - 19th Century prospecting pits south of Larkbarrow Farmhouse (Monument)

Two prospecting pits, centred SS 8224 4221, lie adjacent to each other on steeply rising ground above Long Combe Head, on the eastern slopes of Swap Hill. The two pits have a combined length of 16.7 metres, are 19.2 metres in width and are both 0.4 metres in depth. There are spoil heaps on the down slope, or eastern side, of the pits which rise to a height of 1 metre. A further small prospect pit was located 19 metres to the west of the site. These features are possibly related to Frederic Knight's attempts at mineral extraction on Exmoor in the mid 19th Century. [1] The feature was recorded at 1:2500 scale using differential GPS equipment as part of an archaeological survey of the Larkbarrow area. The survey was carried out by the Exeter office of English Heritage at the request of the Exmoor National Park Authority. A client report was produced as part of the survey work and is available from the NMRC, Swindon. [2,3] Two pits visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of the 1940s onwards, centred on circa SS 8224 4221 and SS 8222 4221, have been transcribed as part of the Exmoor National Mapping Programme survey. Both pits appear to be roughly square in shape and measure approximately 5 to 7 metres to a side. It is probable that the pit at SS 8224 4221 corresponds to that described by the above authority, but it is likely that some subtleties of form or extent are not visible on the available aerial photographs. [4,5] 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]