Two stone hut circles and part of a coaxial field system at Frenchbeer Rock

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 two stone hut circles and part of a coaxial field system at Frenchbeer Rock survive well and contain archaeological and environmental information relating to the character and development of this area in prehistoric times.

Details

The monument includes two stone hut circles and part of a coaxial field system situated on a gentle spur overlooking the valley of the South Teign River. The stone hut circles survive as walls surrounding circular internal areas and both have well defined south facing doorways. The internal diameter of the southern hut measures 8.5m and is defined by a 3.4m wide double faced orthostatic wall standing up to 1.8m high. The northern hut's interior measures 6.4m in diameter and is defined by a 2m wide and 1.2m high orthostatic wall. The coaxial field system includes at least four distinctive lengths of rubble walling forming part of the Kestor parallel reave system. The north western and south eastern lengths of walling are parallel reaves. The remaining two are cross reaves and they lead off from the south eastern length of parallel reave.

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:

28662

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.