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Summary

An enclosed hut circle settlement of probable Bronze Age to Iron Age date is visible as stony earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. The enclosure contains at least four hut circles. It is one of at least six such enclosures incorporated into a later, probably medieval field system north and west of Trowlesworthy Warren House.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020323: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE23
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439172
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/89
• Old SAM Ref: 24232

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Enclosure shown on 19th century map with three hut circles and a track to the south.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Enclosure' shown on early 20th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223, RAF/3G/TUD/UK/223 Vp2 5142-5143 12-JUL-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV352279.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

National Monument Record, 1976, SX5664, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV175071.

Photograph taken on 8th April 1976.

Price, D. G., 1977, Settlement at Trowlesworthy Warren, 44, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV150433.

Enclosure on Trowlesworthy Warren. Four internal hut circles 4-6 metres in diameter. Massive stones and orthostats, but only mounds in places. A well-preserved example.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE23 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV175074.

(15/06/1977) SX 56696487. An enclosed settlement, 45m. by 35m. and 0.15 ha., which lies on a gentle, well drained, south-west facing slope at 255m. above O.D.. The wall, 1 to 1.5m wide and of double orthostatic construction, has been mutilated on the south west by the construction of a Medieval field wall and ditch, and used as a dump for field clearance. There is a possible original entrance, 3.0m. wide in the south east at the junction with a probably contemporary wall. The interior has been cleared and contains two terraced type 2 hut circles, average internal diameter 6.0m.
Their walls are 1.2m. thick and in poor condition, and both have south west facing entrances marked by transverse slabs. A 'D' shaped type 2 hut circle, internal diameter 5.0m. wall 1.1m. thick and in poor condition, is terraced against the inner face of the enclosure wall. The fourth hut circle in the enclosure is a type 1 with a 3.5m. internal diameter, 1.5m. thick walls and a possible eastern entrance and it is in poor condition. (Type sites: 1, SX 56 SE 19 2, SX 56 NE 71).
1:10 000 Survey on P.F.D.

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

Sub-circular enclosure visible containing eight hut circles, four of them attached.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140607 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 1st April 1995. Simple enclosure at SX56706488 forming part of a partially enclosed hut settlement. It survives as a 40 metre by 33 metres circular shaped area surrounded by a 2 metre wide and 0.7 metres high double faced orthostatic wall with rubble infill. At least 4 hut circles are visible within the enclosure, two of which are attached to its inner face. Lengths of boundary wall lead north and south from the enclosure and a small part of the interior has been cut by Post Medieval animal runs.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 159-60, Map 51, Figure 51.3 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Enclosure 'A' at 'Shadyback Tor' is of Prehistoric construction. Four hut circles take up much of the interior.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 53, 102. 148a (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Three well-defined sides of a sub-rectangular enclosure remains 40 metres long by 33 metres wide with a wall 2 metres wide by 0.7 metres high. The west side has been truncated and superimposed by a later wall. The large boulder wall has inner and outer faces with a rubble core. The entrance on the east side is flanked by orthostats.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5664 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

Curvilinear banks are identifiable as spread earthworks.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5664 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(26/02/2001) Centred SX 5760 6488. A sub-circular enclosure containing three, possibly four hut circles lies 100 metres north-west of Trowlesworthy Warren House. These features form part of a much larger settlement formerly occupying most of the spur above the Plym Blackabrook confluence.
The enclosure measures 41 metres north to south by 38 metres and is bounded by stony banks up to 2.0 metres wide and 0.6 metres high. Two contemporary banks connect this enclosure with elements of the larger settlement. The wall of double orthostatic construction, has been mutilated on the south-west by the construction of a Medieval field wall and ditch, and used as a dump for field clearance. There is a possible original entrance, 3.0 metres wide in the south-east at the junction with a probably contemporary wall. The interior has been cleared and contains two terraced type two hut circles with average internal diameter of 6.0 metres.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Enclosure shown on survey.

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

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UP-TR4 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(03/07/2019) Condition of the site assessed as good. Some impact on southern flank from walkers. Close proximity to track and farm also noted. Some accumulation of rushes in hollows and tussocks of grass growing on the pillow mounds to the south.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Site photographed during July 2019 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2019, MasterMap 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362729.

Enclosure shown on modern mapping.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

Stony banks are visible within spread curvilinear earthwork banks circa 4m wide as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1946 and digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards, defining an oval enclosure circa 40 by 34m across, to the north of Trowlesworthy Warren House.
At least four banked circular hollows are visible within the enclosure. One is located centrally, with one each abutting the inner face of the west, north and eastern enclosure bank.
The visible earthworks are interpreted as the remains of a probable enclosed hut circle settlement of Bronze Age to Iron Age date, one of at least six such enclosures incorporated into a later, probably medieval field system north and west of Trowlesworthy Warren House.
The western and southern edges of the enclosure appear to have been incorporated into the later field system. A narrow ditch cutting through the hut circle on the eastern edge of the enclosure, visible continuing north and south of the enclosure, is possibly a field boundary ditch associated with the later field system.
The hut circles are transcribed as part of the enclosure but are also recorded separately.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1020323 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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