Enclosure and stone hut circle 450m north of Shillapark 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 enclosure and stone hut circle 450m north of Shillapark Farm survive comparatively well and form part of a scattered group of at least six stone hut circles situated on the periphery of a fragmentary field system in close proximity to the Bronze Age field boundary known as The Great Western Reave. No other monument with this configuration is known on Dartmoor and this makes it a site of considerable importance. Both the hut and enclosure contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed and, as such, provide a valuable source of information concerning the nature of Bronze Age occupation and land use on the west side of the moor.

Details

This monument includes a stone hut circle situated within a small enclosure lying on the lower east-facing slope of Roos Tor. The enclosure is terraced into the hillslope, is oval in plan and measures 17m from north to south by 10m east to west and has 2m wide rubble walls standing up 0.3m high. The entrance is in the centre of the eastern wall and measures 2m wide. The stone hut circle is situated in the centre of the enclosure. The wall is composed of a rubble bank and the interior measures 3.1m in diameter and has a 1m wide wall standing up to 0.2m high. The monument lies in close proximity to a substantial Bronze Age field boundary known as The Great Western Reave and on the periphery of a contemporary fragmentary field system.

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:

20379

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Gerrard, S, Greeves, T, Dartmoor Tinworking Research Group Interim Report in Excavation Of Upper Merrivale Tin Blowing And Stamping Mill, Vol. 1, (1991), 7

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE66,
Greeves, T A P, (1991)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)

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.