Stone hut circle and iron working site on Holm Slack, 300m south of The Hulleys

Reasons for Designation

Stone hut circles and hut circle settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers. Most date from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The stone- based round-houses consist of low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area; the remains of the turf, thatch or heather roofs 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 or stone. Frequently traces of their associated field systems may be found immediately around them. These may be indicated by areas of clearance cairns and/or the remains of field walls and other enclosures. The longevity of use of hut circle settlements and their relationship with other monument types provides 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.

Despite limited disturbance the stone hut circle and iron working site on Holm Slack, 300m south of The Hulleys has survived well. Significant information about the date and form of construction will be preserved. Important evidence for the nature of the industrial activities carried out and the duration of the occupation will survive within the internal floor area. The surrounding area is poorly drained and subsoil features will contain waterlogged deposits, preserving a wide range of environmental evidence in the form of organic remains. The hut circle originally lay just west of a contemporary settlement in an area which also had prehistoric field systems and burial monuments. Associations such as this provide evidence for the relationship between industrial, agricultural, domestic and ritual activity in the prehistoric period and offer important scope for the study of the distribution and development through time of prehistoric activity across the landscape.

Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle and iron working site which are situated beside a small stream, at the bottom of a steep-sided valley running through the Moor Grit at the eastern edge of the North York Moors. The hut circle is visible as an oval-shaped ring of boulders set into the ground and laid horizontally. It is orientated north west to south east with maximum dimensions of 10m by 8m externally, and it stands up to 0.4m high. The boulders would have formed the foundations and lower courses of the hut walls. There is an opening 3m wide alongside the stream at the north west end which would have been an entrance to the hut. At the south east end of the oval, the boulders define a sub-circular shallow depression measuring 5.5m in diameter, which would have been the internal floor area of the hut; the boulders project to the north west beyond the floor area as far as the hut entrance. In the centre of the floor area there are two further boulders. The hut would have been used for industrial activities rather than domestic occupation; limited excavation in the 1920s uncovered evidence for iron working, including a feature in the south east corner which was interpreted as a bowl furnace. The hut circle originally lay just west of a contemporary settlement in an area which also had prehistoric field systems and burial monuments. No upstanding remains of the associated settlement now survive.

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:

34568

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Crew, P, Iron for Archaeologists. A review of recent work.. in Excavations at Crawcwellt, (1995), 32-35
Rimington, F C, Transactions of the Scarborough and District Archaeol. Soc. in The Hulleys Stone Circle, (1958), 20-25
Rimington, F C, Transactions of the Scarborough and District Archaeol. Soc. in The Hulleys Stone Circle, (1958), 20-25

Other
Wastling, V J, The Hulleys, Cloughton Newlands, 1997, Unpublished report

End of official list entry

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