Details

The monument includes an unenclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on a
small knoll overlooking the North Teign River. The settlement survives as a
group of at least four freestanding stone hut circles. Two of the huts survive
as rings of edge set stones enclosing internal areas measuring 5m and 5.6m in
diameter respectively. The remaining buildings are defined by banks each
surrounding an internal area of 5.7m and 6.5m in diameter. The height of the
surrounding walls varies between 0.4m and 0.5m, with the average being 0.48m.
One of the huts has a visible doorway and all of them are of single
orthostatic construction.

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 400m north west of Scorhill stone
circle survives well and forms part of a group of at least six similar
settlements overlooking a substantial natural basin formed by the North Teign
River, the Gallaven Brook and Walla Brook. Together this group of settlements
represent an important insight into this relatively rare form of prehistoric
settlement.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
MPP Fieldwork by S. Gerrard, Gerrard, S., (1998)

Source: Historic England