MSO7585 - West Myne, Minehead (Monument)

(SS 92604877) West Myne (NAT) [1] SS 926 487. Deserted farmstead of West Myne. It was shown as a farmstead on the 1843 Tithe Map [2], but was deserted in World War Two when a tank range was created in the area. There are ruined buildings on the site. This is one of three candidates for the deserted site of Myne, mentioned in Domesday [3] (see also MSO8022 and MSO7586). [2-4] A further candidate for Mene or Myne is recorded by the Sites and Monuments Record at SS 9305 4860. [5] West Myne was a single farm abandoned when it was requisitioned by the army during World War Two. On the site are substantial ruins which correlate very well with the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 25 inch mapping of 1889. The ruins are in a very poor state of preservation. Some deliberate destruction of the buildings seems to have taken place: this may have occured during or immediately after World War Two. More recently animal damage and other farming activites have caused the remains to deteriorate - they are now in a very poor state. The ruins are grouped around a yard in three ranges. The buildings comprise of: the farmhouse, shippons, threshing barn with horse engine house and a number of other small buildings. To the northwest at SS 9256 4882 is a second group of buildings now roofless, fragmentary and very damaged. They comprise a former barn and linhay, now used as a sheep dip and pens. To their north are at least two amorphous platforms and a narrow terraced way leading northeastwards. It is possible that this represents a second farmstead, although the remains are now too confused to make a confident assessment possible. [6] The deserted medieval and post-medieval farmstead is visible as a group of ruinous buildings and earthworks on aerial photographs. The site is centred at SS 9259 4879 and covers an area that measures 178 metres long by 115 metres wide at its widest points. The ruinous buildings are as described above [6]. To the north of the site is a linear terraced track, orienated roughly northeast, which opens into an earthwork enclosure. The possible track extends from SS 9263 4884 to SS 9259 4882 and is defined by parallel banks on either side of the track. It then opens into a roughly square enclosure that measures about 25 metres by 21 metres. Within the enclosure is a possible rectangular building platform centred at SS 9258 4882 and measuring 6 metres long by 2 metres wide and orientated north to south. The trackway and enclosure may represent the earliest phase of the farmstead or second farmstead as referred to above [6]. The trackway appears to lead to the edge of the cliff and possibly gave access to the nearby deserted farmsteads via a coastal path around the adjacent field system. The drainage ditches to the north of the site at SS 9258 4885 and SS 9262 4881 are thought to be later in date as they cut across the linear trackway and enclosure. [7-9] Shown as in use on the 1904 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey map. [10] First mentioned in about 1279 as being held, along with East Lynch, by Ralph le Tort. In 1407 there were six landholders. In 1505 one tenement here and another at North Rygge were farmed by Richard Baker. By 1708 the farm seems to have been held jointly with North Rygge comprising 141 acres (130 acres in 1753) but by 1822 it was down to 64 acres and North Rygge had disappeared. Other references dated 1506 and 1782. [11] Several walls still stand to first floor height at the south end although no building appears to be complete. The whole area is becoming overgrown. At the north there is less vegetation and concrete pens together with grass covered banks are clear. There is also an area to the northeast where there appears to be several platforms with no structures evident. A small stream flows down through the site. [18] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [19]