Details

The monument includes two stone hut circles and a length of walling situated
on a gentle west facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Walkham. The
interior of the western stone hut circle measures 6m in diameter and is
surrounded by a 1.5m wide double orthostatic wall standing up to 0.55m high. A
south west facing gap in the wall may represent an original doorway. The
eastern building has seen limited damage as a result of stone robbing for the
adjacent historic wall, but despite this, the orthostatic hut wall stands up
to 0.75m high by 1.6m wide and surrounds an internal area measuring 6m in
diameter. A 1m wide orthostatic wall standing up to 0.8m high leads from the
western stone hut circle in a westerly direction before turning south westward
and then south. This wall probably represents the visible remains of an
enclosure associated with the stone hut circles.

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 two stone hut circles and length of walling 240m south west of Yellowmeade
Farm survive comparatively well and represent an important source of
environmental and archaeological information. The settlement is one of at
least four similar sites in this part of the Moor and overlooks the well known
broadly contemporary ritual complex at Merrivale.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1994)
Other
National Archaeological Record, SX57SE18,

Source: Historic England