Details

This monument includes three stone hut circles situated on an east-facing
valley side overlooking the Rattle Brook. The huts are all terraced into the
hillslope and are composed of stone and earth walls, surrounding an internal
area. The internal diameter varies between 4m and 3m, and the surrounding
walls are between 0.4m and 0.5m high. These huts lie close to an enclosed
settlement, and they are probably contemporary with many of the huts within
the enclosure.

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 three stone hut circles situated west of the enclosed stone hut circle
settlement 260m north of Deadlake Foot survive well within an area containing
a number of broadly contemporary settlements. These hut circles contain
archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument,
the economy of its inhabitants and the landscape in which they lived. As such,
they provide a valuable insight into the nature of Bronze Age occupation on
the west side of the Moor. These huts may have been abandoned at the time when
the nearby stone and earth enclosure boundary was constructed. They may
therefore contain important information relating to the earliest phase of
occupation on this hillside.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX58SE15,
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,
MPP fieldwork by S. Gerrard,

Source: Historic England