Two adjacent stone hut circles 290m west of Trewalla 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.

These stone hut circles on the slope of Tregarrick Tor have survived well, without excavation or other disturbance evident. The substantial hillwash deposits against them will preserve contemporary land surfaces and environmental evidence. Their proximity to broadly contemporary field systems and hut circles demonstrates well the settlement pattern and organisation of land use during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes two adjacent stone hut circles near Prehistoric enclosures, field systems and other hut circles on the southern slope of Tregarrick Tor on SE Bodmin Moor. The hut circles are separated by a clear gap of 8.5m on a NNE-SSW axis. The northern hut circle is visible as a circular wall of boulders and rubble, up to 1.25m wide and 0.5m high, around an internal area 6m in diameter and levelled into the hillslope. The wall has occasional inner and outer facing slabs, laid on edge, and in the SE sector is an entrance gap 0.5m wide, lined on each side by a slab set transversely across the wall. The southern hut circle has a similar wall size and construction but rises to a height of 0.7m along its southern edge where it is built out slightly from the hillslope. This hut circle has a levelled internal diameter of 7.5m, with no evident entrance gap. Both hut circles have the northern faces of their northern walling largely masked beneath deposits washed down the steep hillside since their construction.

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:

15093

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1243.12,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1243,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1243.13,
7/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcription for SX 2471,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1357,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1244,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1245,

End of official list entry

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