Details

This monument includes two stone hut circles and two clearance cairns situated
on a gentle south-facing slope overlooking the valley of the river Walkham and
forming part of the Bronze Age settlement on Langstone Moor. The westernmost
stone hut circle is composed of rubble walling and the interior measures 1.9m
in diameter and has 1.2m wide walls standing up to 0.3m high. The doorway
faces south. The easternmost hut is composed of orthostat walling protruding
through the soil and the interior measures 2.8m in diameter. Both huts are
terraced into the hillslope.
The western clearance cairn is ovoid in shape, measures 4.8m long, 3m wide and
stands up to 0.3m high. The eastern cairn measures 3m long, 2m wide and
stands up to 0.2m high. These cairns indicate that there was some limited
clearance of field stone from the area surrounding the settlement.

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 enclosures and stone hut circle settlement on Langstone Moor, to which
this monument belongs, survive well, are visually impressive and represent
particularly fine examples of their class. They contain archaeological
remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape
in which it was constructed and, combined with the clearance cairns, provide a
valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation and land use on the
west side of the moor.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE17,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
Raymond, F, Single Monument Class Description - Cairnfields, (1987)

Source: Historic England