Details

This monument includes two stone hut circles aligned north-south lying on the
eastern edge of a narrow terrace situated on a steep west-facing slope
overlooking Tavy Cleave.
The huts are terraced into the hillside and are each composed of a stone and
earth bank surrounding a circular internal area. The interior of the northern
hut measures 2.6m in diameter and the wall stands 1.7m wide and 0.4m high. The
doorway faces WSW. The southern hut measures 2.2m in diameter and is defined
by a wall, 1.5m wide and 0.3m high. The doorway faces WNW.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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 two stone hut circles 450m SSE of Ger Tor survive comparatively well and
contain archaeological structures, features and deposits which provide a
valuable insight into the economy of the site's inhabitants and the landscape
in which they lived. Small stone hut circles such as these are considered to
be relatively rare on Dartmoor and were clearly never intended as permanent
dwellings.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England