Enclosure east of Down Tor, 740m north east of Combshead Tor

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. Within the landscape of Dartmoor there are many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or banks of stone and earth, most of which date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC), though earlier and later examples also exist. They were constructed as stock pens or as protected areas for crop growing and were sometimes subdivided to accommodate stock and hut circle dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. The size and form of enclosures may therefore vary considerably depending on their particular function. Their variation in form, longevity and relationship to other monument classes 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 enclosure east of Down Tor, 740m north east of Combshead Tor survives well and contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument, the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. As such, it provides a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation on the west side of the Moor. This monument lies within an area containing a stone alignment and three cairns and may therefore also provide information concerning ritual and funerary activity.

Details

This monument includes a circular enclosure situated on a gentle west-facing slope of Hingston Hill overlooking Down Tor. The enclosure survives as a 47m diameter area defined by a 2.5m wide and 0.8m high double faced rubble wall. The entrance is denoted by a slab which extends through the thickness of the wall. This enclosure lies close to a cairn and stone alignment which are the subject of separate schedulings, and may have been associated with these monuments.

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:

24121

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 166
Worth, R H, Worth's Dartmoor, (1981), 212

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56NE131, (1985)
National Archaeological Record, SX56NE30,

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