Summary

A stone hut circle 200m north-east of Moorlands Farm

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 November 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a stone hut circle situated on the crest of a hill forming the steep southern valley side of the West Dart River. The hut circle survives as a substantial ring of double orthostatic faced and rubble filled walls measuring up to 1.3m wide and 0.8m high enclosing a circular level interior with a diameter of up to 9.1m. There is no clearly defined entrance. The hut circle has been overlain on its southern side by a substantial coursed newtake wall which incorporates some of the orthostats from the hut circle.

Further archaeological remains survive within the vicinity of the monument, but these are not included within the scheduling because they have not been formally assessed.

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. Despite having been partially overlain by a later field boundary the stone hut circle 200m north east of Moorlands Farm survives well and the walls are substantially built. It will contain important archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, agricultural practices, domestic arrangements and its overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume Four – The South-East , (1993), 216
Other
PastScape Monument No:-443419

Source: Historic England