Hut circles SE of Brisworthy

Summary

Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 260m south east of Brisworthy.

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.

Despite being located within historic fields and having been partially cut by a farm leat and track, the partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 260m south east of Brisworthy survives comparatively well and will contain important archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, development, use and landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 3 November 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes an enclosed stone hut circle, boundary bank and further hut circle situated to the south east of Brisworthy overlooking the Plym Valley. The settlement survives as a roughly oval enclosure measuring up to 40m long by 25m wide defined by a double orthostatic wall containing one stone hut circle, with an outlying hut circle linked to the enclosure by a short connecting wall. The stone hut circles are defined by double orthostatic walls measuring up to 1.5m wide and 0.7m high which surround their interiors and measure up to 8m in diameter internally. The enclosure is cut by a farm leat and track.

A further stone hut circle survives to the south but this is not included in the scheduling because it has not been formally assessed.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

DV 432

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 438653

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry