Details

The monument comprises a prehistoric enclosed settlement situated on an
east facing slope overlooking the valley of the East Dart River. The
enclosure survives as an incomplete oval shaped area denoted by a rubble
wall measuring up to 3m wide and standing up to 0.4m high. The interior of
the enclosure measures 85m north-south by 95m east-west and contains at
least two stone hut circles. Both stone hut circles measure internally
4.6m in diameter and have clearly defined entrances.
A post and wire fence within the northern part of the monument is excluded
from the scheduling, although the ground below is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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. Within the landscape of Dartmoor
there are many discrete plots of land enclosed by stone walls or banks of
stone and earth, most of which date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC), though
earlier and later examples also exist. They were constructed as stock pens or
as protected areas for crop growing and were sometimes subdivided to
accommodate stock and hut circle dwellings for farmers and herdsmen. The size
and form of enclosures may therefore vary considerably depending on their
particular function. Their variation in form, longevity and relationship to
other monument classes 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.

Despite being incomplete, the prehistoric enclosed settlement 740m north
west of Hartland Tor survives well and will contain archaeological and
environmental information relating to this area during the prehistoric
period. A natural depression within the enclosure will be a particularly
rich source of environmental and possibly cultural information. The
settlement forms part of a discrete cluster of broadly similar enclosures.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Butler, J, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities, (1991), 161-162

Source: Historic England