Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 900m and 940m north west of Warren House Inn

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 900m and 940m north west of Warren House Inn survives well and contains environmental and archaeological information about the settlement, its occupants and the landscape in which they lived. The settlement lies within the Stannon block field system and contains a small group of especially complex buildings.

Details

The monument, which falls into two areas of protection, includes a stone hut circle settlement situated on a gentle south facing slope overlooking the Walla Brook. The settlement includes at least one enclosure and 18 stone hut circles, which survive as circular or oval banks each surrounding an internal area which varies from 3.8 sq m to 15.2 sq m, with the average being 10.4 sq m. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.2m and 0.8m, with the average being 0.43m. Eight of the huts have visible doorways and two lie within the enclosure. The three hut circles centred at NGR SX66698142 are especially complex in character, with the northern one possessing a hooked porch, whilst the other two are connected to a small irregular shaped courtyard. The enclosure is situated within the northern part of the settlement and includes a 1.5m wide and 0.5m high earthwork bank with occasional large orthostats surrounding an area measuring 19m long 15m wide.

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:

28744

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - The Second Millennium B.C. in Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Vol. 5, (1997), 112
Fleming, A, Prehistoric Dartmoor in its context in The Dartmoor Reaves; Boundary patterns and behaviour etc., Vol. 37, (1979), 128

End of official list entry

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