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Summary

A complex hut settlement of at least 35 hut circles covering 4.7 hectares with many huts contained within small enclosures on Langstone Moor. 35 hut circles were positively identified with three possible hut circles and four very doubtful features. At least seven of the previously identified huts were found to be bulges in enclosure walls with no signs of having ever been huts. There is a group of seven hut circles to the west of the main settlement. This group includes one hut with an inner partition, two with only partial remains and a slight ring of stones which may be the remains of a hut circle. A clearance cairn is located in this group and an earthwork running northwest to south-east is shown. Surveyed in 2003.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1007554: Enclosures and stone hut circles forming part of a stone hut circle settlement on Langstone Moor
• Scheduled Monument 1007556: Stone walls and earthworks of seven hut circles, a length of field boundary and a clearance cairn forming part of a Bronze Age settlement on Langstone Moor
• SHINE: Earthworks and stone walls of a Bronze Age hut circle settlement with in excess of 40 hut circles, some with small enclosures, with another hut circle settlement to the west, on Langstone Moor, near Greena Ball

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57NE16
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439615
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/17
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57NE/17/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 367
• Old SAM Ref: 20370
• Old SAM Ref: 20372

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1895, Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 147 (Article in Serial). SDV271711.

Langstone Moor. Settlement on slope above the River Walkham opposite Greena Ball. Five distinct enclosures or pounds and traces of others. About 43 huts. Several constructed in the enclosure wall. Further exploration to be undertaken in 1898.

Baring Gould, S., 1895, Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 85 (Article in Serial). SDV271711.

Baring Gould, S., 1901, 7th Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 138 plan (Article in Serial). SDV249499.

Worth, R. H., 1945, The Dartmoor Hut Circles, 243 (Article in Serial). SDV246120.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1978, SX57NE16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV253922.

(10/07/1950) Enclosures are rather fragmentary, composed of few stones. Hut circles mostly of turf covered stones, many with no entrance visible, like A, B, C. Hut D: a fine hut circle, entrance to south-west defined by two jambs still in place. E and F: composed of earth and stones, no definite entrances. G: possible entrance to south-west. H: remains only. I: entrance to south. J: remains of five hut circles. K: possible entrance to south-west. L, M, N and O: remains only. P: entrance to south-east. R: site of hut circle. S: remains only. V: remains only. W: double wall type. Y: remains of two hut circles. Z: fairly long boulders from the wall, probable entrance to south-east. B': double wall type. C': wall composed of fairly large stones, entrance to south-west. E' and F': remains of two small hut circles. G': a large hut circle whose wall is quite massive, composed of earthen bank with large stones surmounting it. Entrance to south-east. J' and K': very fragmentary remains.
Open settlement of 40+ small huts. The five uppermost in well defined enclosure. One large hut G', and one rectangular Y orthostatic. Other slight enclosures (Fox, 1953).
(15/10/1978) Between 400m and 435m OD on a slight south slope is a settlement which occupies 7.0 ha. There are 54 huts, half of which are attached to, or within, five enclosures.
The largest enclosure at SX 55587797 is oval in plan and measures 78.0m by 57.0m. Its walling, typical of the whole site, is of piled stones forming a bank 1.0m wide and 0.5m high. There are two entrance gaps which seem original, one in the south and the other in the south east between two huts. Eight huts are built on to the outer face of the enclosure and four stand within.
Four enclosures to the east vary in size from 20.0m by 30.0m to 40.0m by 50.0m They are rather fragmentary, probably partly buried by soil wash and a build-up of peat, and all have associated huts.
At SX 55897773, isolated from the main group, are the remains of two small and apparently overlapping walled plots. These are in the valley adjacent to the River Walkham which, with tinning activity, has probably destroyed the major part.
The huts are mostly of Type 1, though five have orthostats incorporated in their entrances and may be of Type 2 and ruined (? excavated). The internal diameters range from 2.0m to 7.5m.
The interiors are levelled and the rubble walling averages 1.6m thick and 0.6m high. Entrances are mainly on the south.
The hut at SX 55727794 is, with an internal diameter of 7.5m unusually large, and has also been levelled into the hillslope to a depth of 1.4m. Another, at SX 55757790 is sub-rectangular and almost 'barrel' shaped.
The whole area is free of clitter. No associated field system is visible but some four or five mounds of stone are evidence of gathering, if not of clearance.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD and at 1:2500 (Type sites: SX 56 SE 19 and SX 56 NE 71).
See ground photographs.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF/F65/58/6399, 0039-40 (Aerial Photograph). SDV255418.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 185 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

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

An open settlement of around 40 hut circles, some with small enclosures, on Peter Tavy Common, near Greena Ball visible on the aerial photographs. Enclosures with associated hut circles inside and attached to walls are visible.

Griffith, F. M., 1986, Langstone Moor hut circle settlement, 24/8/1986 (Personal Comment). SDV253928.

The stone-free condition of this site was quite striking. In low vegetation the enclosure walls are very clear. Many of the hut circles are terraced into the hillside and might be mistaken for 'platform houses'.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 68-69, Map 30, Figure 30.2 (Monograph). SDV219155.

'Langstone Moor settlement' with seven enclosures and 51 hut circles some of which were excavated in 1894.

Newman, P., 2003, The Langstone Moor Stone Circle, Peter Tavy, Devon and its Prehistoric Environs, 7-9, figs 2, 9, Appendix IV (Report - Survey). SDV255420.

An English Heritage 1:1000 survey in 2003 recorded a complex hut settlement of at least 35 hut circles covering 4.7 hectares with many huts contained within small enclosures on Langstone Moor.
Only 35 hut circles were positively identified with three possible hut circles and four very doubtful features. At least seven of the previously identified huts were found to be bulges in enclosure walls with no signs of having ever been huts.
There is a group of seven hut circles to the west of the main settlement. This group includes one hut with an inner partition, two with only partial remains and a slight ring of stones which may be the remains of a hut circle. A clearance cairn is located in this group and an earthwork running northwest to south-east is shown.

Newman, P., 2004, Merrivale Range Baseline Condition Survey, 10/08/2004 (Report - Survey). SDV346874.

Area is closely cropped grass. Most of the huts are in a stable state and condition is generally good.

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

Enclosures and hut circles shown on survey.

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

Clearly visible on the aerial photography. Map object based on this source.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Merrivale Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation, 10/01/2018 (Report - Survey). SDV361635.

Langstone Moor Hut settlement. A minimum of 35 stone hut circles with associated enclosure walls. Some of the huts are fully enclosed, others are free standing. The condition of the huts is variable. Several larger examples have been subject to antiquarian interventions.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with enclosures and hut circles.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1007554 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

This monument includes 45 stone hut circles and five enclosures situated on a gentle south-facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Walkham and forming much of the large settlement on Langstone Moor. Twenty-five of the stone hut circles are attached to boundary walls. Thirty-nine of the huts are circular in plan and the internal diameters of these huts vary from 1.2 metres to 7 metres. Five huts are oval in plan and these range between 2 metres to 5 metres long and 1.6 metres to 3 metres wide and stand between 0.3 metres and 0.4 metres high. One hut is square in plan and is divided into two compartments. The average height of all the hut walls is 0.46 metres. One of the huts has a porch and another has a screened doorway. Eleven of the huts on Langstone Moor were excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee during 1894. A raised dais, a hearth and cooking hole were found in several of them. The artefacts recovered included a flint core, five flakes and a scraper.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7275 - Survey of the Langstone Moor stone circle and other prehistoric monuments nearby
• EDV7441 - Condition survey of the archaeological sites of Merrivale Training Area
• EDV7570 - Condition survey of Merrivale Range training area
• EDV8404 - Excavation at settlement on Langstone Moor
• EDV8713 - Merrivale Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey

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