Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement 560m west of Horn's Cross

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 560m west of Horn's Cross survives well and contains important environmental and archaeological information. The settlement forms part of a group lying close to the substantial Dartmeet coaxial field system and will therefore provide contrasting information to that available from settlements associated with these fields.

Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle settlement situated on a gentle north facing slope overlooking the O Brook. The settlement includes at least one simple and one agglomerated enclosure and four stone hut circles, which survive as circular or oval banks each surrounding an internal area which varies from 9 sq m to 19 sq m, with the average being 12.5 sq m. The heights of the surrounding walls vary between 0.4m and 0.7m, with the average being 0.5m. Two of the huts have visible doorways, two lie within enclosures and the other two are connected to each other by a length of rubble walling. The northern enclosure is of the simple type and includes a 38m long by 37m wide area defined on three sides by a 1.6m wide and 0.25m wide rubble bank. The north eastern side of the enclosure is no longer visible but probably survives as a buried feature. The southern enclosure is agglomerated and includes two elements. The earliest enclosure is small measuring 18m long by 13m wide. At a later date a much larger enclosed area measuring up to 88m long by 60m wide was added to this. The wall of this enclosure is 1.8m wide with an average height of 0.3m and survives as an earthwork with occasional protruding orthostats. Archaeological remains of a later date survive within the monument and these include a tin prospecting trench and military training slit trenches. The prospecting trench cuts through the northern enclosure and survives as a 4m wide and 0.9m gully complete with a slight 0.3m high bank on its eastern edge. The military slit trenches survive within the southern enclosure as rectangular hollows with the material quarried during their construction forming a bank around the edge of each pit.

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:

28773

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities - The North in Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Vol. 4, (1993), 192

End of official list entry

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