An enclosure containing two stone hut circles forming an outlying part of a large stone hut circle settlement in Raddick Plantation

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 enclosure containing two stone hut circles in Raddick Plantation survives comparatively well and, despite reuse of the area during the post-medieval period, contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to 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 on the west side of the Moor.

Details

This monument includes an enclosure containing two stone hut circles situated on a gentle south west facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Meavy, and forms an outlying part of a larger settlement. The enclosure survives as a 55m long and 43m wide oval area defined by a 1.5m wide and 0.5m high double faced rubble wall, which is lynchetted along its southern circuit, where it stands up to 1.2m high. A short length of its eastern side has seen limited damage as a result of the making of Raddick Lane and now survives as a buried feature. The stone hut circles are composed of stone and earth banks each surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the northern hut measures 8m in diameter and the surrounding wall is 1.7m wide and stands up to 0.7m high. The doorway survives as a 1.5m wide gap in the surrounding wall and faces WSW. The interior of the southern hut measures 5.6m in diameter and is defined by a 1.4m wide and 0.4m high rubble bank. A post-medieval drystone wall measuring 0.7m high and 1m wide which cuts across the enclosure is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath this feature is included.

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:

22385

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE114, (1983)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1988)

End of official list entry

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