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. Within the landscape of Bodmin Moor 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 animal shelters and hut
circle settlements for farmers or herders. 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
provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and
farming practices among prehistoric communities. They are highly
representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving
examples are worthy of protection.
This enclosure and its adjacent hut circle on Rillaton Moor have survived
well. They have not been excavated and only minor and limited disturbance is
evident. The monument will preserve contemporary deposits and land surfaces
beneath the hill-wash covering its western sides. Its proximity to other
broadly contemporary hut circles, enclosures, field systems and cairns on
Rillaton Moor and Stowe's Hill demonstrates well the pattern of land use
during the Bronze Age.
Details
The monument includes a sub-circular Prehistoric enclosure and an adjacent
stone hut circle situated near other broadly contemporary settlement features
on the east slope of Rillaton Moor on SE Bodmin Moor.
The enclosure survives as a wall of boulders and stone rubble, up to 2m wide
and 0.75m high, enclosing a near-circular internal area measuring 19m in
diameter. Several edge-set facing slabs are visible in the wall's more
exposed east-facing sides while its uphill, west-facing sides are largely
buried beneath soil washed down the hillslope since the enclosure's
construction. A short gap in the enclosure's SE sector is caused by a very
recent rectangular pit, 3m long, 2m wide and 0.3m deep, dug on the line of the
wall; otherwise there is no evidence for any disturbance to the monument. The
stone hut circle is centred 15m ESE of the enclosure wall and is visible as a
largely turf-covered stone rubble wall, 1.5m wide and 0.7m high, around a
circular internal area 6m in diameter, levelled into the hillslope and also
partly buried by later soil deposits along its western side.
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.
