Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Hut circles in Erme Valley

A Scheduled Monument in Cornwood, Devon

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 50.461 / 50°27'39"N

Longitude: -3.9202 / 3°55'12"W

OS Eastings: 263799.333263

OS Northings: 64112.77462

OS Grid: SX637641

Mapcode National: GBR Q7.TDR3

Mapcode Global: FRA 27PT.SPW

Entry Name: Hut circles in Erme Valley

Scheduled Date: 5 June 1972

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1002607

English Heritage Legacy ID: DV 809

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Cornwood

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Summary

An unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 460m north east of the confluence of the Bledge Brook and River Erme.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 November 2015. The 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.

The monument includes an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on the lower western slopes of Quickbeam Hill to the east of the River Erme. The settlement survives as up to eight stone hut circles with a single orthostatic and rubble built wall connecting two of the huts. The stone hut circles are substantially built from coursed stone and orthostats standing up to 0.9m high and vary in size internally from 7m to 9m in diameter. Two of the huts are apparently incomplete, surviving as partial arcs of walling and one of these has an interior dividing wall. Where entrances are visible they are south facing.

Further archaeological remains in the vicinity are scheduled separately.

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 reduction in the heights of the walls of two of the stone hut circles the unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 460m north east of the confluence of the Bledge Brook and River Erme survives well and lies within the Erme Valley rich in archaeological remains from many periods and ranging from ritual and settlement sites to later industrial remains. This settlement is particularly well built and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, use, relative chronologies of the huts, domestic arrangements, social organisation, agricultural practices and the overall landscape context of the settlement.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume Four – The South-East , (1993)
Other
PastScape Monument No:-442182

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.