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Summary

A line of old stones forming an old boundary runs along the shoulder of the hill above the settlement, and track lines run down the hill towards the river. Small stream. No enclosing pound, but a singular structure occupies a space between the rock of the cleave. Two walls have been erected enclosing a space of roughly rectangular turf. Four huts examined by baring gould; hut 1; entrance paved. Near the centre are several earthfast flat stones. A circular cooking hole nearby, scooped in the calm and full of peat ash and charcoal. Hut 2; hearth in centre, ash and charcoal around it. To the north of the hearth some stones may have formed a dais. Portion of flint pebble found on floor, secondary chipping begun. Hut 3; seems to have been divided across by a wall which has fallen. No hearth found. Indications of paving. A cattle pen. Hut 4; a double hut or ring. No hearth found. Seems to have served as a cattle pen.
Vis=20/7/1950 (os) huts composed of turf covered stones; some have jambs still standing; one is divided into two compartments.
Vis=12/8/1964 (ancient monuments) settlement north east of ger tor. Large group of huts 8.23 - 9.14m diameter, widely spread among enclosures and possibly fields. Well defined curving boundary wall on higher side.
Vis=15/8/1979 (os) a partly enclosed settlement of about 15ha with a dozen huts. Detailed description of location and size of huts given on os card.
Vis=estimated -/-/1992 (ancient monuments) 5 hut circles within a large enclosure. Huts clustered in a ring around open space 45m nw-se by 27m ne-sw in which traces of occupation survive as buried features (see subsheets) (am).

Summary from record MDV12852:
Vis=15/8/1979 (os) a partly enclosed hut settlement. For details see subsheets and sx58se/19.
Associated with / same as MDD3563?

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011239: A cluster of five stone hut circles situated within a large enclosure 470m north-east of Ger Tor
• Scheduled Monument 1011237: Length of boundary wall and seven stone hut circles forming part of a large enclosure north-east of Ger Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SE5
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440591
• Old DCC SMR Ref: MDV12852
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/19
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/57
• Old SAM County Ref: 558
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 22243 (PART)
• Old SAM Ref: 22244

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Aerial Photograph). SDV236699.

Aph=nmr sx 55 83.

Baring Gould, S., 1894, Hut Circles at Tavy Cleave, 197-198 (Article in Serial). SDV236697.

A line of old stones forming an old boundary runs along the shoulder of the hill above the settlement, and track lines run down the hill towards the river. Small stream. No enclosing pound, but a singular structure occupies a space between the rock of the cleave. Two walls have been erected enclosing a space of roughly rectangular turf. Four huts were examined by Baring Gould;
Hut 1; entrance paved. Near the centre are several earthfast flat stones. A circular cooking hole nearby, scooped in the calm and full of peat ash and charcoal.
Hut 2; hearth in centre, ash and charcoal around it. To the north of the hearth some stones may have formed a dais. Portion of flint pebble found on floor, secondary chipping begun.
Hut 3; seems to have been divided across by a wall which has fallen. No hearth found. Indications of paving. A cattle pen.
Hut 4; a double hut or ring. No hearth found. Seems to have served as a cattle pen.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3379-3380 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX58SE5 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV236695.

(20/07/1950) Huts composed of turf covered stones; some have jambs still standing; one is divided into two compartments.

Ancient Monuments, 1964/1992, Schedule notes (Schedule Document). SDV236694.

(12/08/1964) SX 5486 8335 Settlement north-east of Ger Tor. Large group of huts 8.23 - 9.14m diameter, widely spread among enclosures and possibly fields. Well defined curving boundary wall on higher side.
(1992) SX 5502 8339 Five hut circles within a large enclosure. Huts clustered in a ring around open space 45m north-west by south-east by 27m north-east by south-west in which traces of occupation survive as buried features (see related records).

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 222-4, 237-41, 244-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SE5 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV276024.

(15/08/1979) A partly enclosed settlement, centred at SX 54858325 occupies an area of about 15 hectares to the north and east of Ger Tor, with a dozen huts situated on a sheltered south slope above the River Tavy.
West of Ger Tor a wall ascends a steep slope from the river and for 100m at its north end runs through clitter; it is evidently modern but of very crude construction and possibly incorporates a prehistoric base whereby the whole of Ger Tor would be incorporated into the settlement area. 80m to the north east of its termination a turf-covered prehistoric wall, 1.0m wide and 0.3m high, curves eastward to form one side of a funnelled entrance which ends on a slight gulley.
Here there are three huts (A, B, & C) all of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) with walling 0.7m wide and 0.3m high. A, outside the enclosure, is almost rectangular and measures 4.3m by 2.9m internally with no visible entrance. B and C have diameters of 3.0m and 3.3m with southeast entrances The funnelled entrance is 40.0m wide, the eastern bank curving north and east is of varied construction, partly rubble, partly single slabs and with some double walling and intermittent orthostats. It is generally from 0.3m to 0.6m high with an occasional orthostat 1.0m high. The wall ceases suddenly at the north east end.
Six huts (D, E, F, G, H & L) in this part of the settlement are of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71) with double-walling, 1.1m wide and from 0.4m to 0.7m high. The internal diameters range from 4.1m to 6.7m and all have entrances in the south or south west. Three other huts (J,K&M) are in poor condition, possibly Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) or robbed Type 2, with rubble walling 0.7m to 1.0m wide and internal diameters between 3.3m and 4.3m. All are 0.3m high with entrances to the south.
N, at SX 54878335, may have been a small hut but is now a circle of stones 3.6m in diameter and 0.3m in height.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photographs. For details see subsheets and SX58SE/19.

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

Not visible on Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130611-5 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Dick, A. M., 1993, Note about scheduling (Personal Comment). SDV276025.

Four hut circles shown on Ordnance Survey 6 inch (1965) map. Scheduled as part of hut settlement, Devon 558. 1993 revision schedules west part of 558 as part of SAM 22242 and hut circle (subsheet 9) as SAM 22243. Central part of Devon 558 de facto descheduled, east part (SX58SE/19) scheduled as SAM 22244.

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.

(03/08/1998) Centred SX 55008334. A group of 12 hut circles lie within an incompletely preserved field system immediately northern and north-east of Ger Tor. The hut circles, tabulated below, are in varying states of preservation and one shows signs of excavation. All the huts have been terraced into the often steep valley side to provide level interiors which are mostly slightly ovoid. Entrances, where apparent, lie in the southern quadrant.
The associated field system, visible over an area of 10 hectares is obscured by peat on the north and west and hill wash on the slope north-east of Ger Tor. The boundary banks are as described by the Ordnance Survey (1979).
SX54838331 Hut circle measures 5.6m in diameter, with wall 0.9m wide. Disturbed, small shelter built into north side.
SX54858329 Hut circle measures 3.75m in diameter, with wall 1.3m wide, 0.4m high.
SX54898334 Hut circle measures 5.35m in diameter, with wall 1.9m wide, 0.8m high. ?entrance on SW.
SX54898337 Hut circle measures 5.45m in diameter, with wall 3.6m wide, 0.8m high. Entrance to south.
SX54908338 Hut circle measures 5.8m in diameter, with wall 1.9m wide, 0.6m high. Interior disturbed.
SX54978343 Hut circle measures 7.7m in diameter, with wall 2.4m wide, 0.65m high. Entrance to south.
SX55018340 Hut circle measures 3.9m in diameter, with wall 0.5m high.
SX55048342 Hut circle measures 6.35m in diameter, with wall 1.6m wide, 0.6m high.
SX55088339 Hut circle measures 7.8m in diameter, with wall 2.3m wide, 0.65m high. Small hut built into southern side.
SX54878335 Hut circle measures 2.0m in diameter, with wall 1.0m wide, 0.3m high. Crude circle of stones.
SX54948329 Hut circle measures 2.3m in diameter, with wall 1.5m wide, 0.3m high.
SX54858334 Hut circle measures 4.7m in diameter, with wall 1.4m wide, 0.5m high.
Whilst recorded on 1:10 000 sheet SX 58 SE most of this site lies on the adjacent sheet, SX 58 SW. Indeed the field system is a continuation of that on the SW flank of Nattor Down (SX 58 SW 8,16 and 45) which occupy a further 25ha and contain 19 hut circles.

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

(13/01/2001) These features remain as described in 1998.

Probert, S., 2007, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV357728.

Probert, S., 2013, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV357729.

Newman, P., 2019, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV363156.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8441 - Excavation ofhuts on north-east slope of Ger Tor
• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• 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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