See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Western enclosure within settlement east of Yealm Steps covering 0.7 hectares with walls 3 metres wide by 0.6 metres high and containing at least five hut circles

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015429: Prehistoric stone hut circle settlement, a contemporary field system, post-medieval buildings and two lengths of leat 310m south east of Yealm Steps

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW30
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/32
• Old SAM County Ref: 460
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24100
• Old SAM Ref: 10847

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Whitley, N., 1855, Settlement north of Ranny Brook (Plan - sketch). SDV137283.

Visited in September 1855. Plan shows 4 huts within the smaller enclosure, and 14 within the larger. Hunts described as having 'door jambs generally opening to the south: composed of granite slabs set on edge'.

Spence Bate, C., 1870-1871, On the Prehistoric Antiquities of Dartmoor, 498 (Article in Serial). SDV277110.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map within two adjoining enclosures. The western enclosure contains five hut circles and has two entrance on the south side.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW30, SX66SW30 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV146089.

Visited on 31st March 1950. A fine example of enclosure and hut circles. Extensive prehistoric settlement area. Two villages contiguous, the larger pound a development of the smaller. Pound walls and those of huts consist of stone and turf. At least 22 huts within the enclosure. To the north and south of the pounds are scatters of isolated huts generally much larger than the enclosed huts. On the south there are remains of fields or paddocks. Rough moorland.
Visited on 5th August 1977. Extensive settlement covering 6 hectares. At SX61976358 a sub-oval enclosure an enclosed village at Yealm Head. One enclosure about 126 metres square is smaller. Entrance to south. Surrounding wall is almost perfect. Remains of 2 or 3 huts on eastern side of the wall. These huts are straight on two sides and curved on the third. Several more huts in smaller enclosure. Outside the wall on the summit of the hill and on all sides are many other huts.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6363 (Aerial Photograph). SDV156571.

National Monuments Record, 1979, NMR SF1457, 326-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV172921.

Photograph taken on 1st March 1979.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Agglomerated and partitioned enclosure of at least three elements containing 26 hut circles, six attached.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 133079 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Visited on 11th March 1993. The western enclosure is the earliest, measures 0.7 hectares and is defined by a 3 metres wide and 0.6 metres high rubble wall. A clearly defined entrance into this enclosure survives in the south-western circuit, but other gaps in the north and south-east may be of more recent origin. Eight hut circles are said to survive within this enclosure, although only five were recorded during the mpp field visit. A gap in the eastern circuit wall of this enclosure leads into the second, later and larger, enclosure.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 183-7, map 52, Figures 52.9 & 52.9.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Complete double enclosure to the north of Ranny Brook. Enclosure 'A' seems to have used material from earlier enclosures in its construction and much of it was rebuilt when Enclosure 'B' was added to the east. The walls are now spread to 5 metres across and still a metre high in places. Two gaps in the opposite walls are likely to be original gateways as each has a pair of large slabs set sideways across it though at the northern entrance one has slipped sideways into the interior. The southern entrance is only 0.4 metres wide. The enclosure contains five definite hut circles and possibly another five small features. There are two further breaks in the perimeter allowing access into the eastern eanclosure.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 2015-2017, 2015-2017 Aerial Photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDV361462.

Enclosure and hut circles visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with two adjoining enclosures. The smaller oval western enclosure contains six hut circles.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1015429 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This monument includes a large prehistoric stone hut circle settlement containing 25 stone hut circles. The agglomerate enclosure survives as two sub-circular parts lying across the slope and covers an area of 1.9 hectares. The western enclosure is the earliest. This covers 0.7 hectares and is defined by a 3 metres wide and 0.6 metres high rubble wall. A clearly defined entrance into this enclosure survives in the south-west circuit, but other gaps in the north and south east may be of more recent origin. At least five stone hut circles lie within this enclosure. A gap in the eastern circuit wall of the enclosure leads into the second, later and larger enclosure.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.