Rectangular building 420m north west of Hen Tor, forming an outlying part of Hentor Farm
List Entry Summary
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.
Name: Rectangular building 420m north west of Hen Tor, forming an outlying part of Hentor Farm
List entry Number: 1020011
Location
The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
County: Devon
District: South Hams
District Type: District Authority
Parish: Shaugh Prior
National Park: DARTMOOR
Grade: Not applicable to this List entry.
Date first scheduled: 11-Dec-2001
Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.
Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System: RSM
UID: 24222
Asset Groupings
This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.
List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
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 provides direct evidence
for human exploitation of the Moor from the early prehistoric period onwards.
The well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites,
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.
Of more than 600 post-medieval farmsteads recorded on Dartmoor, around 100 are
now deserted. Although some of these were established as late as the 18th and
19th centuries, many have their origin as medieval settlements, some perhaps
dating back to as early as the 11th century. Those founded in the post-
medieval period represent a time in which arable farming increased in
popularity on the Moor, resulting in a large number of new farms being built
on previously unenclosed moorland. Many of these farms were abandoned after a
relatively short time and provide rare examples of planned single period
farmsteads.
Most deserted post-medieval farmsteads survive as single farmhouses associated
with a variety of outbuildings, including: ash houses, barns, cow houses,
dairies, hulls, stables, linhays, shippons, cartsheds, dog kennels and
lavatories. Other features commonly found with farmsteads include gardens and
a farmyard which acted as a focal point for many farming activities.
In most cases, deserted post-medieval farmsteads are associated with
contemporary field systems, many of which still remain in use for grazing or
cultivation.
Deserted post-medieval farmsteads will provide information about the
developing character of agricultural exploitation within an upland landscape
during the historic period, and reflect a response to changing environmental
and economic conditions. Surviving examples are relatively rare away from the
moorland areas in south west England, and consequently those on Dartmoor
provide a major source of evidence for this type of site.
The rectangular building 420m north west of Hen Tor survives comparatively
well and forms an outlying part of Hentor Farm. Archaeological information
concerning the purpose and function of this structure will survive within this
ruined building.
History
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Details
The monument includes the remains of a rectangular building representing part
of a post-medieval farmstead situated on a gentle west facing slope
overlooking the valley of the River Plym. The building lies a short distance
to the east of Hentor Farm with which it is broadly contemporary. The
structure survives as an open ended rectangular building terraced into the
slope. The walls are formed by edge set orthostats measuring 0.9m wide and up
to 1.2m high. The interior of the building measures 11.5m long by 3.5m wide
and its western end is open.
This monument forms part of a well-preserved, extensive and complex
archaeological landscape held in care by the Secretary of State.
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.
Selected Sources
Other
Thackray, C., The Upper Plym Valley: The management of an historic landscape, 1994, Archaeological Site Inventory
National Grid Reference: SX 59082 65622
Map
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This copy shows the entry on 24-Apr-2018 at 08:06:30.
End of official listing