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,
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. Elaborate complexes of fields and field
boundaries are a major feature of the Dartmoor landscape. Irregular aggregate
field systems are one of several methods of field layout known to have been
employed in south-west England from the Bronze Age to the Roman period (c.2000
BC-AD 400). They comprise a collection of field plots, generally lacking
conformity of orientation and arrangement, containing fields with sinuous
outlines and varying shapes and sizes, bounded by stone or rubble walls or
banks, ditches or fences. They are often located around or near ceremonial and
funerary monuments. They are an important element of the existing landscape
and are representative of farming practice over a long period. A substantial
proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.
Details
This monument includes a stone hut circle lying within an irregular aggregate
field system situated on a gentle north west facing slope of Corn Ridge. The
field system includes at least three fields and is defined by a series of 1.5m
wide and 0.4m high rubble banks, which are lynchetted where they lie along the
contour. Four cairns lie within the field system, two are oblong in shape and
are attached to boundary banks, whilst the others are circular and lie within
the fields. The largest mound measures 6m long, 4m wide and 0.7m high and may
represent a partly damaged funerary cairn, which was incorporated into the
later field system. The remaining three cairns are believed to be the result
of field clearance. The stone hut circle lies within the southern field, is
terraced into the hillside and is composed of a stone and earth wall
surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the building measures
2.3m in diameter and the surrounding 1.4m wide wall stands up to 0.3m high.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
24054
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
