A double stone hut circle and enclosure 280m south of Deadlake Foot

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 stone hut circle and enclosure 280m south of Deadlake Foot survive comparatively well and lie in close proximity to the unenclosed stone hut circle settlement at Watern Oke, which is one of the largest on Dartmoor. Archaeological structures, features and deposits survive and will provide a valuable insight into the economy of the site's inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived.

Details

This monument includes a double stone hut circle attached to the eastern side of an enclosure situated on the edge of the River Tavy flood plain at the foot of the Watern Oke hillslope. The hut is terraced into the hillside and is composed of stone and earth banks surrounding two internal areas or rooms. The interior of the northern room measures 4m in diameter and the wall stands 1.3m wide and 0.6m high. The southern room measures 5m long by 4m wide and is defined by a wall, 0.9m wide and 0.3m high. The enclosure measures 51m from north to south by 43m east to west and is defined on the south by a rubble boundary bank measuring 1.4m wide and standing up to 0.3m high. On the west a 3m wide and 0.7m high lynchet denotes the edge of the enclosure. On the north, a scarp at the foot of the hillslope denotes the edge. The eastern length of the boundary bank survives as a buried feature. A 4m length of boundary bank leading from the western corner of the enclosure measures 2m wide and 0.7m high and has been truncated by the River Tavy. The floodplain to the south-east of the monument may contain further archaeological features, but this area is not included within the scheduling because a considerable peat accumulation means that no earthworks or other structures have been identified.

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:

20395

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)

End of official list entry

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