Details

The monument is situated towards the northernmost limit of the Stiperstones
ridge and includes the ruins and earthwork remains of a 19th century mining
and crofting settlement and its enclosed fields.
Map evidence indicates that the settlement had been established by the early
19th century and is believed to have had close associations with Snailbeach
lead mine to the north. Mining was always piecemeal, and even at its height,
many of the miners supplemented their income by farming. Blakemoorgate lies
within an area of cleared moorland and is enclosed by a series of boundary
walls and earth banks. Map and documentary evidence indicate that there were
three cottages at the site by around 1845 and at least two further houses were
erected before 1881. During the early 20th century, in response to the
economic decline of the lead mining industry, the cottages at Blakemoorgate
were gradually deserted, and the settlement was finally abandoned in the
1960s.
Each stone-built cottage and its associated root store outbuilding are
situated within a small enclosed yard, beyond which are a number of enclosed
fields. Two of the cottages in the northern part of the site, of which one and
its outbuilding are Listed Grade II and excluded from the scheduling, although
the ground beneath is included, remain roofed and provide evidence for the
plan of these buildings; a single room on each of the two floors. The water
supply for the settlement was provided from a well to the south of the site
and water was channelled northwards through the settlement to form a small
pond beyond the site's northern boundary. The enclosed fields have been
cleared of stone and several clearance cairns are visible beyond the
boundaries to the settlement and within the corners of the fields. These
fields are thought to have been used for cultivating crops whilst the open
moorland beyond was used for grazing livestock. Blakemoorgate is approached by
a number of trackways which cross the Stiperstones, and most of the blocks of
enclosed fields are separated from the core of the site by trackways which
also serve as approach routes or droveways to each croft.
Approximately 150m to the south west of Blakemoorgate is a second crofting
settlement which is the subject of a separate scheduling.
The Grade II Listed cottage and its outbuilding and all fence posts are
excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

The Stiperstones offers a considerable diversity of archaeological remains
which provide direct evidence for the exploitation of this area of upland and
the well preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
land boundaries and trackways as well as industrial remains, allows
significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use
through time. Distinctive farming patterns, with cottages and smallholdings,
are especially associated with the Stiperstones, where settlement often
developed as a result of mining employment during the late 18th and early 19th
centuries. This period represents a time in which arable farming increased in
popularity on the moor, resulting in a number of new settlements being
established on previously unenclosed moorland. These settlements survive as
groups of cottages and outbuildings which sit within their own plots and are
generally associated with contemporary field systems, many of which still
remain in use for grazing. Many were abandoned after a relatively short time,
usually in response to changing economic conditions, and thus provide
information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practice
amongst the communities occupying this area of upland. The better surviving
examples are therefore considered worthy of protection.
Blakemoorgate survives well as both ruins and earthworks and represents a good
example of a deserted mining and crofting settlement. It retains both
structural and artefactual evidence for the cottages and outbuildings which
originally existed here, allowing an insight into the farming and domestic
activities which took place on the Stiperstones during the 19th century. The
site is enhanced by the survival of historical maps and documentation which
provide information for the development of the site, particularly in the
mid-19th century.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Pannett, D J, Ward, R G, Thomas, D, 'Field Studies' in Farm Patterns in the Stiperstones Mining District, , Vol. 3, (1973), 763-782

Source: Historic England