Summary

Two stone hut circles 230m east of Pritton.

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 which falls into two areas includes two stone hut circles situated on the lower western slopes of Honeybag Tor in the valley of the East Webburn River. The hut circles survive as rubble built walls measuring up to 1m wide and 0.8m high surrounding internal areas of 6m in diameter. Both lie within an area of scattered stone formed by field clearance and the eastern one has been partially overlain by a roadside bank.

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 one being partly overlain by a bank and both surrounded by stones cleared from the adjacent field the two stone hut circles 230m east of Pritton survive comparatively well, and lie within a valley which is still more intensively used for agricultural practices than other areas of the open moor, probably because this has always been a more favourable location. As a result, their survival is all the more unusual. Both will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to their construction, use, agricultural practices, domestic arrangements, abandonment and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, Volume One - The East , (1991), 49-50
Other
PastScape Monument No:-445061

Source: Historic England