Enclosed stone hut circle settlement 200m east of Leeden Tor

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. Stone hut circles and hut settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers on Dartmoor. They mostly date from the Bronze Age, with the earliest examples on the Moor in this building tradition dating to about 1700 BC. The stone-based round houses consist of low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; remains of the turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts may occur singly or in small or large groups and may lie in the open or be enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their longevity and their relationship with other monument types 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.

The enclosed stone hut circle settlement 200m east of Leeden Tor survives well within a coaxial field system and, together with other nearby settlement sites and ceremonial monuments, provides a clear insight into occupation and farming practices on the Moor during the prehistoric period.

Details

This monument includes four enclosures, 16 stone hut circles and a number of rubble walls arranged within an enclosing boundary and forming an enclosed stone hut circle settlement, situated on a gentle east-facing slope of Leeden Tor overlooking the valley of the River Meavy. The main enclosure survives as a rubble bank measuring 3m wide and standing up to 1.1m high, surrounding an area with maximum dimensions of 150m north to south by 100m east to west. This enclosure wall was either never finished, or survives as a buried feature along its western circuit. Within the large enclosure, three smaller contiguous curvilinear enclosures and a number of short lengths of rubble walling have been identified. These enclosures are defined by rubble walls, 1.5m wide and 0.5m high. Although stones have been cleared from the interior of the enclosures, much clitter remains. Ten of the stone hut circles lie within the smaller enclosures; the remaining six lie in an arc immediately to their west. The linear distribution of these six stone hut circles strongly suggests that they may have once been linked by a palisade or similar structure which now survives as a buried feature. This boundary is considered to be the most likely location for the western circuit of the largest enclosure. The stone hut circles are composed of circular or oval stone and earth banks surrounding an internal area. Fifteen of the huts are circular in plan and the internal diameter of these vary from 2.3m to 8m with the average being 4.2m. One hut is oval in plan and this measures internally, 8.4m long by 6.8m wide. The height of all the surrounding walls varies between 0.3m and 1m, with the average being 0.62m. Ten of the huts are attached to visible boundary walls, two contain two rooms, five have identifiable doorways and one has an annex. Stone hut circles, a reave, a round cairn and stone alignment have been identified in close proximity to this monument.

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:

22285

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE17,
National Archaeological Record, SX57SE42,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE17.2,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE17.3,

End of official list entry

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