Agglomerated enclosure with hut circles, south of Lower Piles

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 the later industrial remains, gives significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. This agglomerated enclosure in Lower Piles newtake is a well-preserved example incorporating three enclosures with hut circles and a probable droveway. It provides important insight into farming practices on the Moor during the Prehistoric period.

Details

The Dartmoor landscape includes many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or earth and stone banks, which acted as stock pens or protected areas for crop growing. Some of them were subdivided to accommodate hut dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. Many examples date to the Bronze Age (c.2500 to 500 BC), though earlier and later ones also exist. This is an agglomerated enclosure in the south-east corner of Lower Piles newtake, on a fairly steep west-facing slope above the River Erme. The site consists of lengths of walling of Prehistoric date originally forming at least three enclosures, with lynchets in some places, and enclosing nine Bronze Age hut circles. Some of the enclosure walls have been added to at later dates and a double bank of low stones suggests the presence of a droveway along the northern field boundary. The walls are constructed of rubble and earth and are about half a metre high, or slightly more where subsequently refurbished. The hut circles range from 7m to 12m in diameter, with walls up to 2m thick and 0.5m to 1m high. They are mainly turf-covered and four are attached to field walls. Clearance heaps and subdivisions associated with the newtake exist within the site.

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:

10522

Legacy System:

RSM

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.