Details

The monument includes an unenclosed hut circle settlement situated towards the
top of a gentle north facing slope on the north edge of the North York Moors.
The settlement is visible as a single hut circle defined by a penannular earth
and stone bank up to 1m wide and standing up to 0.3m high. The interior is at
a slightly lower level than the exterior ground surface and measures 7m in
diameter. There is a break in the bank at the north east which would have been
the entrance to the hut. The south edge of the hut circle is clipped by an
unsurfaced vehicle track and the north edge has been disturbed by the
construction of a field boundary fence running from east to west.
The settlement lies in an area rich in prehistoric monuments including
barrows, field systems and clearance cairns.
The east-west fence line at the north edge of the monument is excluded from
the scheduling, although the ground beneath it is included.

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

The North York Moors is an area which has an abundance of prehistoric remains,
particularly within moorland landscapes where they have not been disturbed by
more recent agricultural activity. These provide evidence for the widespread
exploitation of the uplands throughout prehistory. Many remains date from
the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC) and relate to diverse activities, funerary
and ritual practice as well as agriculture and settlement. For the first
millennium BC the range of evidence is more restricted. Settlement at this
time was concentrated in the lowland areas surrounding the moors, although
some settlement was located on the periphery and in the valleys. These late
prehistoric settlement sites on the higher ground are of two types: those
consisting of a small number of unenclosed hut circles and those found within
small square or sub-rectangular enclosures.
Hut circle settlements were the dwelling places of prehistoric farmers. The
hut circles take a variety of forms. Some are stone based and are visible as
low walls or banks enclosing a circular floor area. Others were timber
constructions and only the shallow groove in which the timber uprights used
in the wall construction stood can now be identified; this may survive as a
slight earthwork feature or may be visible on aerial photographs. Some can
only be identified by the artificial earthwork platforms created as level
stances for the houses. The number of houses in a settlement varies between
one and twelve. In areas where they were constructed on hillslopes the
platforms on which the houses stood are commonly arrayed in tiers along the
contour of the slope. Several settlements have been shown to be associated
with organised field plots, the fields being defined by low stony banks or
indicated by groups of clearance cairns.
Some unenclosed settlements are thought to date from the Bronze Age, but
excavation suggests that there are also some which were occupied during the
Iron Age to the Romano-British period (c.700 BC-AD 400). These settlements
provide an important complement to the various types of enclosed and defended
settlements which were being constructed and used around the same time. 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.
Despite limited disturbance, this hut circle settlement 300m north west of
Dimmingdale Farm survives well. Significant information about the date and
form of construction will be preserved. The archaeological deposits within the
internal floor area survive intact and will contain important evidence for the
nature and duration of the occupation. Evidence for earlier land use will also
survive beneath the bank. The settlement is situated within a group of
prehistoric monuments which also includes an enclosed cremation cemetery,
round barrows, cup marked rocks and clearance cairns. Monument groupings such
as these offer important scope for the study of the distribution and
development through time of prehistoric activity across the landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Spratt, D A , 'Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology in North East Yorkshire' in Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology of North East Yorkshire, , Vol. 87, (1993)
Other
Vyner, B E, (1995)

Source: Historic England