Details

The monument includes a prehistoric hut circle situated on the western edge of
Smith's Moor, at the eastern crest of the upper River Fowey valley on southern
Bodmin Moor.
The hut circle is located near the north-western end of a settlement of five
stone hut circles dispersed along the west and south-west edges of Smith's
Moor. The hut circle survives with a wall of heaped rubble, up to 1m wide and
0.3m high, defining a circular internal area measuring 6m in diameter,
levelled into the hillslope. The wall has outer facing slabs up to 0.4m high.
The north-eastern sector of the hut circle's wall is over-ridden by a modern
stone-faced hedgebank running on a NNW-SSE axis, which has removed some rubble
from the immediately adjacent parts of the hut circle wall.
Beyond the monument, the north-western hut circle in this settlement is
located 30m to the NNW and prehistoric field walls associated with this
settlement survive from 55m to the south-east. Another hut circle settlement
is situated on the midslope of the valley, 270m to the north-west and the
later deserted medieval settlement of Tresibbet, with its field system, is
located from 125m to the north-west.
The modern post-and-wire fence is excluded from the scheduling but the ground
beneath, including the hedgebank, is included.

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

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been
recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The
Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the
best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of
prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date provide direct evidence for human
exploitation of the Moor from the earliest prehistoric period onwards. The
well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field
systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains
provides significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land
use through time. Stone hut circles were the dwelling places of prehistoric
farmers on the Moor, mostly dating from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The
stone-based round houses survive as low walls or banks enclosing a circular
floor area; remains of a turf or thatch roof are not preserved. The huts occur
singly or in small or large groups and may occur in the open or be enclosed by
a bank of earth and stone. Although they are common on the Moor, their
longevity of use and their relationship with other monument types provides
important information on the diversity of social organisation and farming
practices among prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative
of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

This stone hut circle on Tresibbet Farm has survived reasonably well, with
only minor disturbance due to the modern hedgebank which crosses its wall. The
nearby prehistoric and medieval settlements and field systems on Smith's Moor
and along the valley side place this monument in its wider context,
demonstrating well the nature of farming practices among prehistoric
communities and its development into the medieval period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
consulted 1993, Carter, A./Fletcher, M.J./RCHME, 1:2500 AP plot and field trace for SX 2075,
consulted 1993, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1009.05,

Source: Historic England