Details

This monument includes six stone hut circles and two circular enclosures
forming the largest part of a settlement situated on a west-facing slope
overlooking the valley of the River Lyd. The interior of the southern
enclosure measures 38m east to west by 36m north to south and is defined by a
partly faced rubble wall 1.7m wide and 0.6m high. Two stone hut circles are
linked by the enclosure boundary wall and both survive as stone and earth
banks surrounding a circular internal area. The southern hut is a two-roomed
building. The interior of the western room measures 6m in diameter and is
defined by a 1m wide and 0.4m high wall, whilst the eastern room is 3.9m in
diameter and the surrounding wall is 1m wide and 0.4m high. The interior of
the northern hut measures 5.5m in diameter and the surrounding wall is 1.8m
wide and 0.6m high. Both these huts are abutted by the enclosure boundary
wall, suggesting that the huts were constructed before the enclosure.

The interior of the northern enclosure measures 35m in diameter and is defined
by a partly faced rubble wall 1.7m wide and 0.7m high. A gap in the southern
circuit of this wall may represent an original entrance. A 5.5m diameter ring
of stones protruding through the turf lies on the western side of the entrance
and probably represents a stone hut circle.

Between the enclosures lie at least three unenclosed stone hut circles. The
interior of the southern hut measures 4.2m in diameter and is defined by a
1.5m wide wall standing up to 0.4m high. The doorway survives as a gap in the
surrounding wall, is lined by slabs along the northern side and faces WSW.
The central hut includes a two-roomed structure. The southern room measures 4m
in diameter and the northern room is 2.5m in diameter. The surrounding walls
are up to 1.2m wide and 0.4m high. The interior of the western hut is 5.3m in
diameter and the surrounding wall measures 1.5m wide and up to 0.8m high. The
doorway, which survives as a partly blocked gap in the surrounding wall, is
lined on both sides and faces south west.

Two stone hut circles lie a short distance to the east of this monument, but
are not included in the scheduling because they are the subjects of separate
schedulings.

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 stone hut circle settlement 330m south east of Great Nodden survives
comparatively well and contains archaeological remains and environmental
evidence relating to the monument, the economy of its inhabitants and the
landscape in which they lived. As such, it provides a valuable insight into
the nature of Bronze Age occupation on the west side of the Moor. The
multi-phase character of the settlement will provide valuable information
concerning the changing domestic and agricultural requirements of an upland
Bronze Age society.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 151
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 218
Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX58NW42,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX58NW64,
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX58NW69,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1988)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England