Details

This monument includes an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on a
gentle north west facing slope overlooking the River Plym. The settlement
includes eight stone hut circles, all terraced into the hillside and lying
within a tight cluster. Most of the stone hut circles survive as banks of
earth and stone each surrounding a circular or oval internal area. Five of the
huts are circular in plan and measure between 4m and 6.5m in diameter. The
remaining huts are oval in shape and measure between 7m and 10m long by 4.5m
and 7m wide. One hut survives as a ring of protruding stones whilst all of
the others are composed of walls measuring between 1m and 1.3m wide and
between 0.25m and 0.4m high. The average width and height of the walls is
1.14m and 0.36m respectively. One of the huts has an annex, and another has a
visible doorway.
A structure attached to the southern outer face of one stone hut circle is
a cache. The cache survives as a 1m wide and 0.3m high rubble wall
surrounding an internal area with a diameter of 1m. The size of this
structure suggests that it was used for storage purposes rather than as a
shelter.
Other archaeological features surviving in the vicinity of this monument are
the subject of separate schedulings.
This monument is in the care of the Secretary of State.

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 unenclosed stone hut circle settlement 760m north east of Trowlesworthy
Warren House survives comparatively well and together with a rich array of
nearby features forms part of an extensive archaeological landscape in which
the three major periods of human activity on the Moor are represented. This
area is a popular visitor destination and the settlement is frequently
visited.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Devon County Sites and Monuments Register, SX56NE486, (1993)
Gibson, A, Single Monument Class Description - Stone Hut Circles, (1987)
MPP Fieldwork by S. Gerrard, (1993)
Thackray, C., The Upper Plym Valley: The management of an historic landscape, 1994, Archaeological Site Inventory

Source: Historic England