Enclosed settlement 420m south of Doetor Farm

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. Within the landscape of Dartmoor there are many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or banks of stone and earth, most of which date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC), though earlier and later examples also exist. They were constructed as stock pens or as protected areas for crop growing and were sometimes subdivided to accommodate stock and hut circle dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. The size and form of enclosures may therefore vary considerably depending on their particular function. Their variation in form, longevity and relationship to other monument classes 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 close association of this enclosed settlement with the nearby tin streamworks makes it a likely source of information relating to Prehistoric tinworking. Important and informative archaeological structures, features and deposits will survive within a waterlogged environment such as this, the conditions being conducive to the preservation of environmental information. Such evidence will provide a valuable insight into the economy of the site's inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived.

Details

This monument includes a sub-circular enclosed settlement situated on a gentle west-facing slope on the edge of the Walla Brook disused tin streamworks. The enclosure measures 68m long by 65m wide, with an entrance on its east side providing access to the interior. The enclosure wall is of rubble construction, measures 1.8m wide and stands up to 0.8m high. The eastern and western lengths of the enclosure wall are lyncheted and the northern side has been removed by a later tinworks. Four stone hut circles are attached to the internal face of the enclosure boundary, two are attached to the external face and three lie within the interior. Two short lengths of boundary wall survive within the enclosure.

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:

20353

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX58SW75, 1981,
Gibson, A., MPP Dartmoor - Evaluation of Enclosures, (1988)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1981)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)

End of official list entry

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