Enclosure and stone hut circle 80m north of White Tor fort

Overview

Location

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 80m north of White Tor hillfort survive comparatively well and form part of a scattered group of at least seven enclosed settlements situated on the slopes of White Tor. It lies on the edge of a well preserved coaxial field system and close to the important hillfort on the summit of White Tor. Both the hut circle 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 at the base of a cliff on a north-facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Tavy. The enclosure is irregular in plan and measures a maximum of 26m from north to south and 18m from east to west and is defined by a rubble bank with an average width of 1m standing up to 0.5m high. The entrance is placed centrally in the northern wall and measures 2m high. The stone hut circle is placed against the southern end of the western wall of the enclosure. The hut's wall is composed of a rubble bank measuring 1.5m wide and standing up to 0.3m high and the interior of the structure measures 2m long by 1.5m wide. The doorway faces east and is defined by a gap in the rubble bank. The monument lies in close proximity to a number of contemporary settlements, a hillfort and a coaxial 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:

22202

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991)
Other
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
National Archaeological Record, SX57NW3,

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.