Details

This monument includes two attached stone hut circles terraced into the south-
east facing slope of Conies Down Tor and forms part of an enclosed stone hut
circle settlement. The larger structure is composed of stone and earth,
measures 3.5m in diameter and is defined by a 1m wide wall standing up to 0.4m
high. The smaller hut is attached to the north-east side, measures 2m in
diameter and is defined by a wall 1.3m wide and 0.3m high. These structures
lie 30m west of the enclosed 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 enclosed stone hut circle settlement on the south-east slope of Conies
Down Tor survives comparatively well and forms part of a scattered group of at
least five broadly contemporary settlements situated in the upper reaches of
the valley of the River Cowsic. Both the huts and enclosures contain
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and
the landscape in which it was constructed and, as such, provide a valuable
source of information concerning the nature of Bronze Age occupation and land
use in this remote Dartmoor valley.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX57NE26, (1983)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)

Source: Historic England