Details

The monument includes a prehistoric stone hut circle located on a tongue of
flat ground overlooking a steep declivity 740m east of Woodhead. The hut
circle measures 11.5m diameter externally and has a flat, grassy interior. Its
turf covered stone wall survives up to 0.3m wide and measure approximately 1m
wide. There is an entrance on the hut circle's south eastern side.

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

Stone hut circles and hut circle settlements were the dwelling places of
prehistoric farmers. Most date from the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). The stone-
based round-houses consist of low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor
area; the remains of the turf, thatch or heather roofs 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 or stone. Frequently traces of their associated
field systems may be found immediately around them. These may be indicated by
areas of clearance cairns and/or the remains of field walls and other
enclosures. The longevity of use of hut circle settlements and their
relationship with other monument types provides 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 740m east of Woodhead survives well and is a rare
survival in Cumbria of an unexcavated example of this class of monument. As
such it will contain undisturbed archaeological deposits. The monument lies
close to other prehistoric monuments on the fells around Bewcastle and thus
indicates the importance of this area in prehistoric times and the diversity
of monument classes to be found here.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
SMR No. 71, Cumbria SMR, Greens Burn, (1985)

Source: Historic England