Enclosure with hut circles north of Corringdon Ball

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. Within the landscape of Dartmoor there are many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or banks of stone and earth, most of which date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC), though earlier and later examples also exist. They were constructed as stock pens or as protected areas for crop growing and were sometimes subdivided to accommodate stock and hut circle dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. The size and form of enclosures may therefore vary considerably depending on their particular function. Their variation in form, longevity and relationship to other monument classes 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.

This enclosure with three hut circles forms part of a concentration of contemporary occupation evidence surviving on Corringdon Ball, near the ceremonial and funerary complex at Glasscombe.

Details

This enclosure lies on the northern edge of the summit of Corringdon Ball and forms part of a concentration of occupation sites occurring in the area. It consists of a sub circular enclosure, measuring 50m by 60m, defined by a bank 1.5m wide, 0.4m high and built of rubble. There is a gap of some 20m in the bank, between two hut circles, on the western side. Three hut circles are attached to the inside of the bank, one on the north eastern side and two on the western side, they measure up to 8m in diameter and have rubble walls up to 1m in thickness and 0.4m in height.

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:

10857

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SX 66 SE-107, SX 66 SE-107, (1991)

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