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Summary

Hut circle '82' of 4 metres by 3.3 metres with walls 1.6 metres wide by up to 0.7 metres high to the south of the Watern Oke settlements. Excavations in 1905 recovered flint, charcoal and traces of pottery. Hut may have been reused at later dates.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440614
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/16/102
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/18
• Old SAM County Ref: 488
• Old SAM County Ref: 559
• Old SAM Ref: 22313
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SE12
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SE12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• (Alternate Type) CAIRN (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• HUT CIRCLE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• (Alternate Type) PIT (Constructed, XX - 1901 AD to 2000 AD)

Full description

Anderson, I. K., 1906, 11th Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 113, hut 82 (Article in Serial). SDV337055.

Hut 82; diameter 20 feet (6 metres). On opposite side of the river (from hut 81), to the west of Homer Redlake, and nearly suth-west from the boundary stone at about 200 yards, is a fine hut circle well built. Here was found flint, charcoal and traces of pottery.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3377-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2149, 4295 (Aerial Photograph). SDV282746.

Ancient Monuments, 1964, Schedule notes (Schedule Document). SDV236740.

(12/08/1964) Hut circle north-east of the Meads. Single large hut, diameter 6m, wall 2m wide. Terraced "platform house" fashion on a north facing slope.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SE12, SX58SE12 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV236748.

(30/01/1962) Located. (25/10/1979) SX 56558312 A hut circle (number 82 of the Watern Oke group, SX 58 SE9) that has an internal diameter of 3.6m but has been excavated to form a pit 2.7m square and 0.5m below the present surrounding surface.
It is of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) with rubble walling, 1.1m wide, 0.3m high externally and 0.6m high internally, and a south-east entrance.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photograph.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

Visited 19/01/1983.

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

Recorded.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 128973 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(13/10/1993) Hut circle terraced into hillslope. Simple plan and single orthostat walling type. The interior sub-rectangular measures 4m by 3.3m and is surrounded by a 1.6m wide wall standing up to 0.7m high. Excavations by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1905 recovered flint, charcoal and traces of pottery.
Butler, Robinson and Greeves have suggested that this structure is a tinners' building. The shape certainly supports this hypothesis, but there are a number of reasons why it should not be accepted. First, the excavation in 1905 revealed only prehistoric artefacts and more significantly the excavators, who were experienced stone hut circle diggers, expressed no doubts regarding its identity. Second, the rectangular shape may be enhanced by the 1905 excavation. Third, the location is not a typical one for a tinners' building. At present the most plausible interpretation is that this stone hut circle was re-used during the medieval and or post-medieval period.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 101-2, 109-110, Maps 32 & 33 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Not shown at Watern Oke settlement.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, The Archaeology of the MOD Willsworthy Estate: An Archaeological Survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England NMR Reports for each monument Part 1 (Report - Survey). SDV360378.

(23/06/1998) A sub-square feature set within a stony mound is situated on a gentle north-east facing slope at Western Red Lake SX56568312. It overlooks a deep valley at the junction of the River Tavy and is situated at 434m above OD.
It comprises a sub-square hole or pit c 3.3m by 2.7m and a maximum 0.6m deep which is apparently set into a stone, boulder and soil mound which is on average 0.5m high. The hole is crudely lined with stones, boulders and slabs and there is no trace of an entrance, only a narrow gap on the downhill side. It appears to lie on, rather than cut into, the hillside; the peat-covered area around is closely cropped acidic grassland with a scatter of earthfast granite boulders.
The origin and function of this feature are not clear. It is not identifiable as a prehistoric monument in its present however it seems likely to have been refashioned probably as a military OP either from a cairn or possibly from a hut circle. Surveyed at 1:2500 scale.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV350638.

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(15/02/2001) This feature remains as described in 1998.

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

Shown as a cairn on survey.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour aerial photography for Dartmoor (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Visible on aerial photograph.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1011243 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes a stone hut circle situated on a north-east facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Tavy and the large unenclosed stone hut circle settlement at Watern Oke. The building is terraced into the hillslope and is composed of stone and earth walls surrounding a sub-rectangular internal area. The interior of the hut measures 4 metres long by 3.3 metres wide and is surrounded by a 1.6 metres wide wall standing up to 0.7 metres high. Excavations carried out by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in June 1905 recovered flint, charcoal and traces of pottery.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV5981 - FLAKE (Prehistoric - 698000 BC to 42 AD)
• FDV5982 - SHERD (Early Neolithic to Late Iron Age - 4000 BC to 42 AD?)

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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