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Stone hut circle 500m ENE of Merrivale Bridge, forming part of a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1014669
Date first listed:: 19-May-1996

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1014669
Date first listed:: 19-May-1996

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: West Devon (District Authority)
Parish:: Dartmoor Forest
National Park:: DARTMOOR
National Grid Reference:: SX 55505 75168

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 500m ENE of Merrivale Bridge survives well and together with a rich array of nearby features forms part of a particularly important archaeological landscape in which the three major periods of human activity on the Moor are represented. This area is a popular visitor destination and many of the stone hut circles within the settlement are particularly well preserved and are regularly used for educational purposes.

Details

This monument includes a stone hut circle forming an outlying part of a large partly enclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on the gentle west facing slope of Over Tor overlooking the valley of the River Walkham. The building is terraced into the hillside and is composed of a stone and earth wall surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the building measures 5.5m in diameter and the surrounding 1m wide wall stands up to 0.9m high. A south facing gap in the hut wall may represent an original doorway. The area surrounding the monument may contain further archaeological features and deposits, but these are not included because they are not visible and cannot therefore be accurately mapped or assessed. Further stone hut circles and enclosures in the vicinity of this monument are the subject of separate schedulings.

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:: 24199
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 73
Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE-035, (1985)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard, (1994)

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.