Stone hut circle settlement 290m south east of Manga Rock

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

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1019264
Date first listed:: 24-Jan-2001

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1019264
Date first listed:: 24-Jan-2001

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 63803 85582

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 settlement 290m south east of Manga Rock survives well and forms part of a group of at least six similar settlements overlooking a substantial natural basin formed by the North Teign River, the Gallaven Brook and Walla Brook. Together this group of settlements represents an important insight into this particular form of relatively rare prehistoric settlement.

Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle settlement situated on an east facing slope overlooking the valley of the North Teign River. The settlement includes three stone hut circles which survive as circular walls each surrounding an internal area which varies from 8.5 sq m to 19.6 sq m. The heights of the surrounding walls vary between 0.3m and 0.7m. One of the huts has a visible doorway and a length of boundary wall leads downslope from the southern building. Another short length of boundary walling lies to the north of the central hut.

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:: 28759
Legacy System:: RSM

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.1, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.2, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.3, (1995)

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.