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.
These two hut circles are well-preserved examples and with other settlements
and cairns in the vicinity, indicate the wealth of evidence for occupation and
the ritual side of life on this part of the Moor.
Details
Low stone walls or banks enclosing a circular internal floor area form the
remains of timber and turf or thatch-roofed dwellings occupied by farmers of
the Prehistoric period. They may occur singly or in larger groups and were
sometimes built within a surrounding boundary bank or enclosure. On Dartmoor,
the long tradition of building stone-based round houses can be traced back to
the second millennium BC, probably from 1700 BC onwards.
These two hut circles lie on a west-facing slope at the western end of Lee
Moor, north of Spanish Lake. They are built of earth and stone and are 5m and
4.5m in diameter with walls 1m in thickness and 0.5m in height and entrances
in the west and north-west respectively. The larger, eastern hut circle has
traces of a bank leading from its north-east side and curving back towards the
other hut. There are two cairns close by and other cairns and occupation
sites a few hundred metres to the north.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10695
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
