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Two stone hut circles situated on the southern edge of an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 1180m south of North Hessary Tor

A Scheduled Monument in Dartmoor Forest, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.5396 / 50°32'22"N

Longitude: -4.0091 / 4°0'32"W

OS Eastings: 257730.103219

OS Northings: 73019.922277

OS Grid: SX577730

Mapcode National: GBR Q2.WG05

Mapcode Global: FRA 27HM.V81

Entry Name: Two stone hut circles situated on the southern edge of an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 1180m south of North Hessary Tor

Scheduled Date: 16 July 1974

Last Amended: 20 June 1994

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1011180

English Heritage Legacy ID: 22327

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Dartmoor Forest

Built-Up Area: Princetown

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Details

This monument includes two stone hut circles aligned north east-south west and
situated on the southern edge of an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement,
lying on the lower south-facing slope of North Hessary Tor, overlooking the
valley of the River Meavy. The northern building is composed of a stone and
earth bank surrounding an internal area. The interior of the hut measures 2m
in diameter and the wall stands 1.3m wide and 0.3m high. The doorway survives
as a gap in the western wall. The southern hut survives as an arc of stones
protruding from the peat, defining an internal area with a diameter of 6.2m.
Nine stones are visible and these stand up to 0.2m high.
Other stone hut circles forming part of this unenclosed stone hut circle
settlement survive to the north of this monument.

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 unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 1180m south of North Hessary Tor
survives comparatively well and, despite limited reuse during the
post-medieval period, important and informative archaeological structures,
features and deposits still survive. Such evidence will provide a valuable
insight into the economy of the site's inhabitants and the landscape in which
they lived.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57SE1,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England

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