Devon

BRADNINCH, Lower Coombe Farmhouse (SS 987 036), Plank and Muntin Screen

Felling dates: Spring 1625

Muntins 1624(10¼C), 1619(9), 1618(7), 1616(13), 1614(7), 1604(h/s), 1599, 1597(5). Site Master 1548-1624 BRDNINCH (t = 6.5 chaf-s11; 5.8 66GLMEAN; 4.5 HANTS02)

The farmhouse at Lower Coombe, Bradninch, is a typical Devon house of cob. Virtually all of the roof and floor timbers are of elm, and unsuitable for tree-ring dating. However, although the planks to the plank-and-muntin screen were also of fast-grown elm, the muntins were of oak. Despite low ring counts, all eight muntins sampled matched together and formed a replicated site master of 77 rings (all probably originating from the same tree). An inconclusive date was found, but Cathy Groves (Sheffield Dendrochronology Laboratory) found a good match with a similarly tentatively-dated sequence from Chaffcombe Manor, Down St Mary, Devon (to be published in VA35). A mean constructed from the two site masters gave greatly improved results. Dating commissioned by James Scott for the Duchy of Cornwall.

(Miles and Worthington 2003, VA 34, list 140)

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BRAUNTON, Church of St Brannock (SS 4891 3708), Spire

Felling dates, date ranges: Winter 1267/8, 1271-92

Clamping beams 1267 (23C), 1266 (32), 1259 (16), 1258 (13); Braces (5/6) 1205, 1235, 1238, 1238 (2), 1249 (11); Rafters 1221, 1231, 1235, 1258 (41+7-10C NM), Plates (1/2) 1270 (19); Cleats (1/2) 1259 (27); Corner posts (1/3) 1253 (H/S); Floor beam (0/1). Site Masters 1051-1259 BRAUNTN1 (t=8.0 SJPRIORY; 7.8 THRONE; 7.7 HERGEST1), 1133-1267 BRAUNTN2 (t=5.9 DOULTING; 5.8 RUDGE; 5.1 BRDGEFM1)

The Church of St Brannock, Braunton, is one of three churches around Barnstaple, North Devon, with mediæval broached spires. Here the spire is of archaic construction consisting of square-canted frames in two stages within an octagonal spire. Each stage consists of substantial corner posts tenoned into a top frame, with the corner posts connected by small-sectioned braces criss-crossing and jointed with notch-lap joints with refined entry. The second stage is smaller than the first, with the base plates set back from the top frame of the bottom stage. This second stage also has a centre post which is supported on pairs of clamps and which extends to the top of the spire. Over the years the basic spire structure has suffered, the lower stage having distorted and the base plates severed. The upper sections of the spire have been repaired and strengthened with numerous ancillary timbers making the whole an extremely complex structure.

The spire was initially visited in November 1997 and seven timbers were sampled during the course of a structural assessment. Although many of the samples had reasonable ring counts, only two timbers dated, both without any signs of sapwood, therefore only a terminus post quem or felled after date of 1244 was given (Miles and Worthington 1998, VA 29, list 90, 111-29), and which this present entry supersedes.

In July 2000, a more thorough recording survey was being undertaken by Wessex Archaeology, and as part of the recording brief, further tree-ring samples were to be taken to try and refine the tree-ring date of the spire. As a consequence of this, a further fifteen timbers were sampled, and a precise felling date of winter 1267/8 was produced, together with another with incomplete sapwood of 1270, suggesting a construction date of shortly after 1271. The dendrochronology produced two independent site chronologies, the first matching well with local established chronologies from the south-west, whilst the second matched with a much narrower selection of chronologies from mid-Devon and Somerset. Acknowledgements are given to Cathy Groves for making available chronologies from her Devon Dendrochronology Project

(Miles and Worthington 2001, VA 32, list 116)

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CHERITON FITZPAINE, South Coombe (SS 890 087)

(a) Internal Jetty Felling dates: Winter 1464/5 and Spring 1465

Stair trimmer 1464 (25C); Trimmer jetty joist 1464; (24¼C); Jetty joists (0/2); Post to jetty screen (0/1). Site Master 1384-1464 STHCOMBE (t=6.4 LITTLETN; 6.2 SOUTH; 6.1 PROWSEBN)

(b) Re-used timbers Felling dates: After 1329 and Spring 1514

Jointed cruck 1320; ?Rafter 1513 (19¼C). Site Master 120-1320 child1 (t=7.0 NEWLAND; 5.8 HANTS97; 5.6 MASTERAL)

South Coombe is a typical three-room and cross-passage Devon farmhouse although much reconstructed in the late nineteenth century when the upper floor was completely rebuilt and it was re-roofed. The oldest sections of the external walls are of cob construction with much subsequent stone patching. Early features on the ground floor include a stud and panel screen with chamfered studs with diagonal stops between the hall and inner room; the floor over the latter is jettied almost two feet internally into the hall. The jetty joists are alternately plain and chamfered with the latter being diagonally stopped on both sides of the screen. The jetty ends are morticed into a chamfered and moulded bressumer. It is impossible archaeologically to determine whether the screen is contemporary with or earlier than the jettied inner room floor. It contains an unusual doorway with a round arch carved in bas-relief on the screen head-beam over small shoulders on the jambs.

The internal jetty was first identified in Devon houses by Alcock and Laithwaite (Med Arch XVII 1973) who postulated that it was a late medieval development in the county. This is borne out by the present 1465 date, the first for an internal jetty in Devon. Two sections of jointed crucks with deep chamfers were found built into a later extension to the house, of which one gave a terminus post quem date of after 1329. A section of what might have been a rafter was found in the same structure and gave a felling date of spring 1514. Dating commissioned by Rebecca and Peter Child who provided notes on the building.

(Miles and Worthington 1998, VA 29, list 90)

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HOCKWORTHY, Hole Farmhouse (ST 043 207)

Felling date / date ranges: Spring 1460; 1462-94; 1476-1508

Purlins 1453(h/s), 1459(35¼C); Principal rafters 1460, 1468(1). Site Master 1306-1468 HOLEFARM (t= 8 WALES97; 7.9 CHILVRTN; 7.1 OLDBRFA1)

The farmhouse is built of rubble stone with a tiled roof, formerly thatched. It had a three-cell plan with a central open hall. The medieval roof survives over the hall (smoke-blackened) and inner room, and has side-pegged jointed crucks, tenoned collars, ridge piece and trenched purlins. The 1460 felling date presumably represents a stockpiled timber. Sub-medieval alterations include the insertion of the hall ceiling and the stack backing onto a cross passage. Later changes included a two-room extension at the lower end. Dating commissioned by the owner.

(Miles, Worthington, and Bridge 2005, VA 35, list 156)

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