Enclosure with hut circles west of Corringdon Leat, 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 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 with hut circles lies on the south western slope of Corringdon Ball, some 10 metres west of Corringdon Leat. It is built into the hillslope and there has been a considerable build up of soil on the uphill side of the enclosure bank. The enclosure measures 37m by 30m and has banks of boulders up to 4m in width and 1m in height. There are two hut circles within the enclosure. One, close to the north west bank, measures 8m in diameter and has walls 1.5m in thickness and 0.75m in height and an entrance to the south. The other is attached inside the southern bank; it measures 4m in diameter and has walls 0.5m in thickness and 0.4m in height. A third hut circle is attached to the outside of the bank near the enclosure entrance at the south; it measures 5m in diameter and has walls 0.5m in thickness and 0.5m in height. There are traces of at least one further hut inside the enclosure.

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:

10863

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SX66SE-072, Ref SX66SE-072, (1991)

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