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Enclosed stone hut circle settlement 540m east of Doe Tor

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1007663
Date first listed:: 25-Apr-1994

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1007663
Date first listed:: 25-Apr-1994

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: West Devon (District Authority)
Parish:: Lydford
National Park:: DARTMOOR
National Grid Reference:: SX 54727 84846

Reasons for Designation

Dartmoor is the largest expanse of open moorland in southern Britain and, because of exceptional conditions of preservation, it is also one of the most complete examples of an upland relict landscape in the whole country. The great wealth and diversity of archaeological remains provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, major land boundaries, trackways, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. Stone hut circles and hut settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers on Dartmoor. They mostly date from the Bronze Age, with the earliest examples on the Moor in this building tradition dating to about 1700 BC. The stone-based round houses consist of low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; remains of the turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts may occur singly or in small or large groups and may lie in the open or be enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their longevity and their relationship with other monument types provide important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practices amongst prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

The enclosed stone hut circle settlement 540m east of Doe Tor survives well within an area containing a number of broadly contemporary settlements, field systems, cairnfields and funerary monuments. The settlement contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument, the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation on the west side of the Moor.

Details

This monument includes 12 stone hut circles sitting within an enclosure situated on the lower west-facing slope of Sharp Tor overlooking Doe Tor. The interior of the enclosure measures 105m east to west by 75m north to south and is defined by a 1m wide and 0.6m high orthostatic wall faced by slabs on both sides and infilled with rubble. The stone hut circles are composed of stone and earth banks each surrounding an internal area. Of the huts, 11 are circular in plan and one is D-shaped. The internal diameter of the circular huts varies between 3.5m and 5.3m with the average being 4.8m. The D-shaped hut measures 4m long by 3.6m wide and is attached to the enclosure wall. The height of all the surrounding walls varies between 0.4m and 0.9m with the average being 0.72m. One hut is attached to the enclosure boundary and one has a visible doorway.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 22352
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 131
Butler, J, 'Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities' in Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - The North, , Vol. 2, (1991), 131
Other
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.