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 provides 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.
This enclosure is a well-preserved example with hut circles, forming an
integral part of the concentration of settlement along this stretch of the
Erme Valley. It provides important insight into farming practices on the Moor
during the Prehistoric period.
Details
The Dartmoor landscape includes many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone
walls or earth and stone banks, which acted as stock pens or protected areas
for crop growing. Some of them were subdivided to accommodate hut dwellings
for farmers and herdsmen. Many examples date to the Bronze Age (c. 2500 to
500 BC), though earlier and later ones also exist.
This enclosure, on a west-facing slope in Higher Piles newtake, above the
River Erme, consists of a main sub-rectangular enclosure 92 m. by 80 m., with
two hut circles, and a subsidiary area on its south side, 53 m. by 36 m..
The walls of the main enclosure are drystone, 3 m. to 4 m. wide and up to a
metre high, including very large stones. An entrance on the south side is
marked by two stone jambs over a metre high. The hut in the south-west corner
is terraced and interrupts the wall; it is 8 m. in diameter with walls 2 m.
thick and up to 1 m. high. The second hut circle on the south side also
interrupts the line of the wall; it is 7.5 m. in diameter with walls 2 m.
thick and 0.3 m. high. The wall around the smaller area of the enclosure
follows the line of the main west wall, then turns east and continues up the
slope as a slight bank and ditch. The wall has two set faces in its western
stretch, but beyond the first hut circle it is not faced and is wider and
more tumbled. The changes of character may reflect later re-building.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
10531
Legacy System:
RSM
End of official list entry
