Ancient Monuments

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Stone hut circle settlement 290m south east of Manga Rock

A Scheduled Monument in Gidleigh, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.6539 / 50°39'14"N

Longitude: -3.928 / 3°55'40"W

OS Eastings: 263804.775255

OS Northings: 85579.721563

OS Grid: SX638855

Mapcode National: GBR Q6.74S1

Mapcode Global: FRA 27NB.X4B

Entry Name: Stone hut circle settlement 290m south east of Manga Rock

Scheduled Date: 24 January 2001

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1019264

English Heritage Legacy ID: 28759

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Gidleigh

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Widecombe-in-the-Moor St Pancras

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle settlement situated on an east facing
slope overlooking the valley of the North Teign River. The settlement includes
three stone hut circles which survive as circular walls each surrounding an
internal area which varies from 8.5 sq m to 19.6 sq m. The heights of the
surrounding walls vary between 0.3m and 0.7m. One of the huts has a visible
doorway and a length of boundary wall leads downslope from the southern
building. Another short length of boundary walling lies to the north of the
central hut.

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 stone hut circle settlement 290m south east of Manga Rock survives well
and forms part of a group of at least six similar settlements overlooking a
substantial natural basin formed by the North Teign River, the Gallaven Brook
and Walla Brook. Together this group of settlements represents an important
insight into this particular form of relatively rare prehistoric settlement.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.1, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.2, (1995)
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX68NW40.3, (1995)

Source: Historic England

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