Stone hut circle 50m south-east of Carey Tor

Reasons for Designation

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date 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 were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers on the Moor, mostly dating from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The stone-based round houses survive as low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; remains of a turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts occur singly or in small or large groups and may occur in the open or be enclosed by a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their longevity of use and their relationship with other monument types provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming practices among prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection.

This hut circle near Carey Tor has survived well; it displays clear details of its construction and has no visible or recorded evidence for any disturbance. Its proximity to other broadly contemporary hut circles and cairns demonstrates well the nature of settlement and the organisation of land use during the Bronze Age.

Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle situated near other broadly contemporary settlement sites and funerary cairns on the south-east slope of Carey Tor at the southern edge of East Moor on eastern Bodmin Moor. The hut circle survives with a circular wall of heaped rubble, up to 1.6m wide and 0.6m high, around an internal area 5.5m in diameter, levelled into the hillslope. The hut circle wall incorporates occasional boulders, up to 0.75m long, along its inner and outer sides. The wall has a south-facing entrance, indicated on its western inner side by a small end-set slab or orthostat, rising 0.1m above the wall-line, and on its eastern outer side by an edge-set slab set across the wall line. This monument is one of seven hut circles forming a dispersed unenclosed settlement over an area of 1 hectare on the south-east and east sides of Carey Tor.

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:

15184

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1083.01,
consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1093,
Consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1082,
Consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1083.3,
Consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1084,
Consulted 3/1992, Carter, A/RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcriptions for SX 2376 & SX 2377,
consulted 3/1992, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1139,

End of official list entry

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