Details

This monument includes a stone hut circle situated on a narrow natural shelf
on a west facing slope of Longstone Hill. The structure lies on the southern
edge of an extensive cairnfield, including at least 64 mounds, overlooking the
valleys of the Redaven Brook and West Okement River. The cairns lying in the
immediate vicinity of this hut are covered by separate schedulings. The
structure is composed of a stone and earth wall surrounding a circular
internal area. The interior of the structure measures 6.5m in diameter and the
surrounding 1.4m wide wall stands up to 0.4m high.

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 lying south of a cairnfield on Longstone Hill survives
well and contains archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the
monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. It provides a
valuable insight into the relationship between Bronze Age funerary, ritual,
agricultural and settlement activity on the north western side of the moor.
This is a rare example of a solitary stone hut circle being associated with a
cairnfield.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England