Stone hut circle 82m south-east of Wardbrook Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the Moor from the earliest prehistoric period onwards. The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains provides significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land use through time. Stone hut circles were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers on the Moor, mostly dating from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The stone-based round houses survive as low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; remains of a turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts occur singly or in small or large groups and may occur in the open or be enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their longevity of use and their relationship with other monument types provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practices among prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

This stone hut circle near Sharptor has survived reasonably well. Despite some recent disturbance limited to some of the larger facing slabs it will retain its original sub-surface features besides the visible evidence for its wall construction. It is located in an unusual valley floor situation at the edge of a Prehistoric field system bordering an earlier Prehistoric hillfort.

Details

The monument comprises a stone hut circle situated in a broad saddle near the north-western edge of a field system extending from the earlier Prehistoric hillfort on Stowe's Hill on Bodmin Moor. The hut circle survives as a low circular wall of stone rubble, 9m in external diameter, up to 2m wide and 0.4m high, with six large edge-set inner facing slabs around a level, circular interior area 5m in diameter. Another of the facing slabs has become dislodged from the wall's SW sector and now lies flat in the hut circle interior. Two other facing slabs have recently been removed, leaving clear sockets in the wall's inner edge where they were formerly positioned.

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:

15078

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Fletcher, M J, From Cornwall to Caithness. Papers presented to Norman Quinnell in Stowe's Pound, Vol. 209, (1989)

Other
consulted 9/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1398,
consulted 6/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1463,
consulted 6/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcription for SX 2573,

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