Details

The monument includes a stone hut circle settlement situated on a gentle south
west facing slope overlooking the Yes Tor Brook. The settlement includes at
least seven stone hut circles which survive as circular or oval banks each
surrounding an internal area which varies from 7 sq m to 19.6 sq m, with the
average being 10 sq m. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.3m
and 0.6m, with the average being 0.4m. All of the huts have visible doorways.
A lynchet within the settlement may indicate the presence of fields or
enclosures which now survive largely as buried features.
Two small pits lying within the monument are between 0.7m and 0.8m deep and
were probably associated with historic prospecting activities on Walkhampton
Common.

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 stone hut circle settlement 900m west of Devil's Bridge survives well and
contains important environmental and archaeological information. Together with
other broadly contemporary settlements on Walkhampton Common this one provides
an insight into the character of occupation in this area during the Bronze
Age. An unusual feature of this particular settlement is that every hut has a
clearly visible doorway.

Source: Historic England

Sources

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

Source: Historic England