A partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 670m south of The Grey Wethers

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 partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 670m south of The Grey Wethers survives well and together with other nearby broadly contemporary settlement sites, ceremonial monuments and land division boundaries provides an important insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation and exploitation on the eastern fringes of the northern moor.

Details

The monument, which falls into three areas, includes a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement lying in Great Stannon Newtake and situated on a steep slope overlooking an unnamed tributary of the East Dart River. The enclosure lies on the western edge of the settlement and survives as an irregular shaped area measuring 40m long by 20m wide defined by a 1.3m wide rubble bank standing up to 0.3m high. Three stone hut circles are linked to the enclosure walling indicating that the enclosure was added sometime after the huts were built. The remaining huts lie to the east and south and all appear to be unenclosed, although their linear distribution may suggest that they too were once linked by a boundary which now survives as a buried feature. The stone hut circles within the settlement all survive as banks each surrounding a circular or oval internal area which varies from 4.52 square metres to 22.55 square metres with the average being 12.12 square metres. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.3m and 0.75m, with the average being 0.48m. Eleven of the huts have visible doorways, one has a porch, another has a bench and four are conjoined. The walls themselves vary in character, but the rubble bank and orthostatic construction techniques are both represented.

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:

28681

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard, Gerrard, S., (1997)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard, Gerrard, S., (1997)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard, Gerrard, S, (1997)

End of official list entry

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