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 twenty-one stone hut circles, a short length of the
Great Western Reave, one medieval or post-medieval shelter and at least twelve
fields situated on a gentle north-west-facing slope overlooking the valley of
the Colly Brook. Together these form a large part of the unenclosed stone hut
circle settlement on the north-western slopes of Roos Tor. Nineteen of the
stone hut circles are attached to boundary walls. Eighteen of the huts are
circular in plan and the internal diameters of these huts vary from 2m to
6.3m, with the average being 2.98m. Three huts are oval in plan and these
measure between 4.9m and 2m long by 4.2 and 1.7m wide. The height of all the
hut walls varies between 0.25m and 0.7m and the average is 0.39m. Seven huts
have visible doorways and two are attached to each other. The field system
associated with the settlement includes around twelve irregular fields. In
most cases the boundaries abut the huts, suggesting that the fields were added
at some date after the settlement was established.
The Great Western Reave has a total length of 10 kilometres and is the longest
known Prehistoric land division boundary on Dartmoor. Within the area of the
scheduling it runs downslope in a north-westerly direction and upslope to the
south-east. It is composed of loose rubble, measures 3.5m wide and stands up
to 0.8m high. The field boundaries associated with the settlement appear to
abut the reave and are therefore more recent. All the stone hut circles lie
to one side of the reave and this indicates that the reave was respected as a
land division boundary during the life of this settlement.
The rectangular medieval or post-medieval shelter is attached to the eastern
face of the Great Western Reave. The interior of the building measures 4m
long by 2.3m wide and is defined by a 1.6m wide boulder wall standing up to
0.4m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20389
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
