An agglomerate enclosure and seven stone hut circles 460m WSW of Raddick Hill summit

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.

The agglomerate enclosure and seven stone hut circles 460m WSW of Raddick Hill summit survive well within an area containing a large variety of important archaeological monuments. The settlement contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument, the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation on the west side of the Moor. The close association of the settlement with the nearby cairnfield is of special interest, as the cairnfield may represent the burial ground for the site's inhabitants.

Details

This monument includes an agglomerate enclosure and seven stone hut circles situated on a gentle west facing slope of Raddick Hill overlooking the valley of the River Meavy. The agglomerate enclosure is composed of two similar sized conjoined enclosures aligned north-south and defined by a rubble wall measuring 2m wide and standing up to 0.4m high. The interior of the northern enclosure measures 60m north to south by 56m east to west and the southern enclosure 60m north to south by 58m east to west. Two gaps in the boundary wall may be original entrances allowing access between the two enclosures and between the enclosures and their surrounding area. Six of the stone hut circles lie within the enclosures and the seventh lies immediately outside the north east angle of the northern enclosure. The stone hut circles are composed of stone and earth banks surrounding an internal area. The internal diameter of the huts varies between 3.5m and 6.8m with the average being 4.8m. The height of the surrounding wall varies between 0.3m and 0.6m with the average being 0.4m. A cairnfield lying 50m to the south east of the monument is included within other scheduling proposals.

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:

22293

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
National Archaeological Record, SX57SE38,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE16,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)

End of official list entry

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