Stone hut circle 525m WSW of Colquite Farm

Reasons for Designation

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The quality and diversity of the evidence is such that the moor has become the subject of detailed archaeological survey and hence it forms one of the best recorded upland landscapes in England. Of particular note are the extensive relict landscapes of Prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date. Together these provide direct evidence for human exploitation of the moor from the earliest Prehistoric period onwards. The well preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains provides 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 Bodmin Moor. They mostly date from the Bronze Age (c.2500-700 BC). The stone-based round houses consist of low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; the 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 provides 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 hut circle on Blacktor Downs, whose size and topographical position is typical of a seasonally-occupied Prehistoric herder's hut, is well preserved and has a close spatial and broadly contemporary relationship with the large, well- preserved hut circle settlement and associated field system on the S and SW slopes of the Blacktor Downs, and with the Bronze Age cairn group close by on the summit plateau.

Details

The monument comprises a small stone hut circle near a field system and cairn group on the summit plateau of Blacktor Downs in the middle of Bodmin Moor. The monument survives as a well-preserved small stone hut circle defined by a circular stone rubble wall, 1m wide and 0.5m high, faced internally by edge- and end-set stone slabs, rising to 0.75m high, around a flat internal area 2.5m in diameter and at the same level as the surrounding land. A slight reduction in the visible wall at the E side may mark the site of an original entrance. The hut circle has not been subject to any known disturbance. Although relatively isolated from other similar settlement sites, it lies immediately above a broadly contemporary field system to the SW, which in turn is associated with the large and well-preserved hut circle settlement on the S slope of the Blacktor Downs, and with a cairn group on the summit plateau to the E of this hut circle.

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:

15034

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Bradley, R, The Prehistoric Settlement of Britain, (1978), 60-62

Other
Consulted 1991, Carter, A/RCHME, Air Photo Transcription: SX 1573,
consulted 1/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1769.5,

End of official list entry

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