ON THE TRACK OF THE " OLD MEN." 
90 
sand to Totenes Bridge, and chokith the Depth of the Kiver 
downward, and doth much hurt to Dertmouth Haven." It is a 
pity Leland did not visit Dartmoor. He dismisses this region 
with the remark that " it is of a very great Compace, and is 
suche a wild Morisch and Forest Ground as Exmoor is." 
This activity must have continued, but probably to a diminishing 
extent, through the seventeenth down to the early part of the 
eighteenth century, when Devonshire mining appears to have 
sunk into insignificance ; and at the time Chappie wrote his 
Review of Risdon, in 1770, it hardly had an existence. 
The visible tin -streaming remains on Dartmoor are mainly 
covered therefore by a period extending back from the beginning 
of this century to the year 1197, when Philip de Haukechirche 
and Harveius de Helion rendered account of rentals of the farms 
of the Stannaries of Devon and Cornwall. 
Beyond this period, although there is no doubt of much more 
remote antiquity, the remains are uncertain. No discoveries in 
them of coins indicating much greater antiquity have been 
reported; 2 the whole subject appears to have been neglected; 
and the Dartmoor of to-day, although one of the most interesting 
spots in the British Isles, is also one of the least known and 
appreciated. 
Dr. Evans approximates the commencement of the bronze age 
in Britain at from 3000 to 4000 years since. However this may 
be, tin was necessary to alloy the copper and harden it ; and its 
production is as old on Dartmoor as the above estimate, and 
perhaps much older still. 3 
2 A coin of Tiberius Constaninus (581) was, however, found at Prince 
Town in 1885. 
3 An important discovery was made at Gittisham Hill, near Exeter, in 
1869, which throws considerable light on the question of early bronze- 
founding in Britain. A barrow was opened before the members of the 
Devonshire Association, and in it were found four shapeless fragments of 
bronze, which appeared to have originally formed a portion of a cake of 
metal that had been melted in the saucer-shaped cavity of a stone, and 
which were obviously intended for casting purposes. They weighed 
respectively 10 ozs., 8g ozs., 5 J ozs., and 1J ozs. Near Chudleigh two mould 
stones of green micaceous schist for a rapier-like dagger were unearthed ; and 
in various parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland many mould stones 
for bronze castings have been discovered, and are now in various museums. 
At Lenant heavy lumps of fine copper were found with broken socketed 
celts ; at Kenidjack Cliff, with palstaves and socketed celts ; and at 
St. Hilary (all in Cornwall) lumps, weighing 14 or 15 lbs. each, were said 
H 2 
