Seven stone hut circles, a length of field boundary and a clearance cairn forming part of the settlement on Langstone Moor

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 enclosures and stone hut circle settlement on Langstone Moor, to which this monument belongs, survive well, are visually impressive and represent particularly fine examples of their class. They contain archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed and, as such, provide a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation and land use on the west side of the moor.

Details

This monument includes seven stone hut circles, a length of field boundary and a clearance cairn forming part of the large Bronze Age settlement on Langstone Moor. All seven huts are circular in plan and the internal diameters of these structures vary from 2.6m to 6m. The average height of the walls is 0.29m. One of the huts has a porch and another is attached to a short length of boundary wall. A clearance cairn, measuring 3m in diameter and standing up to 0.3m high, indicates that there was some limited removal of field stone from the area, perhaps to provide garden plots or grazing. The area between the huts thus probably contains important archaeological traces of contemporary occupation and agricultural activity. Eleven of the huts on Langstone Moor were excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee during 1894. A raised dais, a hearth and cooking hole were found in several of them. The artefacts recovered included a flint core, five flakes and a scraper.

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:

20372

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE17,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
Raymond, F, Single Monument Class Description - Cairnfields, (1987)

End of official list entry

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