Summary

An unenclosed stone hut circle settlement with an enclosure and some additional boundary banks 180m east of the confluence of Left Lake and River Erme.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 12 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 an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement with a single enclosure and several additional boundary banks situated on the western slopes of Harford Moor overlooking the valleys of the River Erme and Left Lake. The settlement survives as a series of eight stone hut circles, a single oval enclosure and several lengths of boundary bank. The enclosure wall is up to 1.2m wide and approximately 0.3m high and connects two of the stone hut circles, the other boundary banks are similarly preserved and the two longest form curving arcs to the north east and south west of the settlement. The stone hut circles are defined by substantial either orthostatic faced or coursed walls measuring up to 3m wide and 2m high and range in size internally from 6.2m to 7.5m in diameter. Several huts are linked by boundary banks, four have internal curving partition walls and where visible the entrances face south.

Further archaeological remains survive in the vicinity some are scheduled separately but others are not 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 some reduction in the heights of the boundary walls the unenclosed stone hut circle settlement with an enclosure and some additional boundary banks 180m east of the confluence of Left Lake and River Erme survives well and is closely associated with many other different types of archaeological remains in the immediate vicinity. The curving internal walls within at least four of the stone hut circles are also more unusual. The settlement will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, use, development, agricultural practices, social organisation, domestic arrangements and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume Four – The South-East , (1993), 53
Other
PastScape Monument No:-442300

Source: Historic England