Agglomerated enclosure with hut circles and later farmstead at Whittenknowles Rocks

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 provides 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.2500-1000 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 agglomerated enclosure with hut circles and later farmstead buildings demonstrates the continuity of use of the Moor from the Prehistoric period through to the medieval period.

Details

This agglomerated enclosure with hut circles lies on a south-west facing slope north of Eastern Tor and east of Sheepstor Brook. It covers an area of approximately 6ha and incorporates at least seven enclosures and forty stone hut circles, as well as medieval farmstead structures. It is cut on the south edge by the course of the leat which runs to Sheepstor village. The enclosure lies in an area of natural outcrops and clitter which obscure the details of the site. The main enclosure banks average 2m in width and 0.5m in height made of earth and rubble, but are as much as 3m in width and over a metre high on the northern side, where large boulders and slabs are incorporated. The hut circles have walls of earth and stone up to 2m in width and 0.6m in height, they are up to 12m in diameter, some are conjoined, some attached to banks and others free-standing. There is evidence for double faced walling in some huts and entrances, predominantly to the south-west, some with jambs. In the south-east quadrant of the enclosure there are the remains of four of the buildings of a medieval farmstead. These are all rectangular in plan and orientated with their long axes down the slope. They are from 11m to 35m in length and approximately 6m in width, the longest being subdivided into three rooms. Their walls stand over a metre in height and there are traces of outbuildings abutting two of them.

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:

10710

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
SX56NE-016, REF SX56NE-016, (1990)

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