Enclosed stone hut circle settlement 600m WSW of White Tor

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.

Despite partial excavation the enclosed stone hut circle settlement 600m WSW of White Tor survives well, is visually impressive and represents a particularly fine example of its class. The settlement contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the development of the monument, the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation and land use on the west side of the Moor.

Details

The monument includes an enclosed stone hut circle settlement and a later shelter situated on a gentle south-west facing slope overlooking the valley of the Colly Brook. The interior of the enclosure measures 106m north to south by 72m east to west and is defined by a wall of double orthostats with a rubble infill. This wall measures 3m wide and stands up to 1m high with an entrance on its west side. The eastern and western lengths of this boundary wall are lynchetted. Six of the seven stone hut circles forming the settlement lie within the enclosure and the other is attached to, and partly overlain by, the boundary wall. The interiors of the hut circles measure between 3.6m and 5.4m in diameter and are defined by walls with an average width of 1.5m standing 0.6m high. The shelter survives as a small rectangular platform measuring 4m long by 3.5m wide and standing up to 0.3m high and is attached to the outer face of the enclosure wall. This structure clearly abuts the Prehistoric enclosure wall and therefore this building is of more recent date than the settlement. At least three of the stone hut circles were excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1899. Evidence of human occupation in the form of fire and flint chips was recovered from the huts and one contained a sherd of contemporary pottery.

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:

22210

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991)
Baring-Gould, S, Devonshire Association Transactions in Sixth Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, Vol. 31, (1899)

Other
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
National Archaeological Record, SX57NW11,

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.

Print the official list entry