Details

The monument includes an unenclosed hut circle settlement on level ground at
the northern point of a moorland ridge at the north edge of the North York
Moors. The settlement is visible as a pair of conjoined hut circles which are
defined by penannular earth and stone banks 1.5m-2m wide. Each bank has a
break at the north east which would have been the entrance to that hut. The
interior of the larger hut circle is at a lower level than the exterior ground
surface and measures 6m in diameter. The surrounding bank stands up to 0.4m
high. The second hut circle lies on the south west side of the first with the
interior at a lower level measuring 5m in diameter. The surrounding bank
stands up to 0.3m high. Running in a north to south direction across the
settlement there are a number of tank tracks caused by military activity
during World War II.
The settlement lies in an area rich in prehistoric monuments, including ritual
and funerary monuments as well as other late prehistoric settlement sites.

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 these 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 military disturbance during World War II the hut circle settlement
640m south west of Osborne House survives well. Significant information about
the date and form of construction will be preserved. The archaeological
deposits within the internal floor area of the larger hut 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 banks. The
settlement is situated close to an enclosed late prehistoric settlement in an
area which includes other late prehistoric settlements as well as earlier
monuments. 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)
Vyner, B E, 'CBA Research Report 101: Moorland Monuments' in The Brides Of Place: Cross-Ridge Boundaries Reviewed, , Vol. 101, (1995), 28
Other
1314,

Source: Historic England