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.
Details
This monument includes fifteen stone hut circles, four lengths of boundary
wall and two post-medieval shelters situated amongst clitter on a steep
west-facing slope overlooking Tavy Cleave. The huts are composed of stone and
earth banks each surrounding an internal area. Eleven of the huts are circular
in plan, and their internal diameters vary between 3.4m and 8.5m. The
remaining four huts are oval in shape and their interiors vary between 3m and
4.5m long by 2m to 3m wide. The height of all the surrounding walls varies
between 0.4m and 0.9m, with the average being 0.64m. Eight of the huts possess
visible doorways, one hut is a three roomed structure, another has a straight
porch and three are attached or linked to enclosure boundaries. Four lengths
of enclosure boundary are visible within the settlement. The full extent and
character of three of these boundaries remains unclear, because they survive
partly as buried features. The western length of boundary bank is aligned from
north to south, measures 210m long, 2m wide, stands up to 0.5m high and is
lyncheted on its western side. The southern boundary forms three sides of an
enclosure with minimum dimensions of 110m north west to south east by 115m
north east to south west. This boundary includes a lyncheted bank measuring
1.2m wide and 0.6m high. A short length of boundary leads south eastward from
this enclosure. The interior of the third enclosure measures 30m in diameter
and is defined by a 1.4m wide and 0.5m high rubble bank. The fourth length of
boundary wall is sinuous in character and links two stone hut circles.
Two post-medieval shelters lie within the earlier settlement. The largest one
has a drystone wall measuring 1m wide and up to 1m high surrounding a 6.2m
diameter internal area. This shelter was constructed using the rubble walls of
an earlier stone hut circle as foundations. The interior of the second shelter
measures 2.5m in diameter and is defined by a 1.2m wide drystone wall standing
up to 0.4m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
22355
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
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.
End of official list entry
