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Summary

An enclosure with four hut circles, on the moderate western slope of the River Erme at Erme Plains. In plan the enclosure has roughly parallel north and south sides with rounded ends. The boundary is a turf-covered bank or collapsed wall, with a spread of up to 4.5 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres high. Fragments of an interior wall are in situ visible at a couple of points around the circuit. Four small, very ruinous hut circles survive attached to the enclosure interior comprising turf covered rubble with no significant structural masonry visible, and unclear entrance locations. Internal measurements cannot be taken accurately but all have a spread of 5 to 6 metres in diameter. A small ring of stones near the south-east exterior, with an interior diameter of 2.4 metres is a possible though unlikely hut circle.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1004573: Enclosure and hut circles on Erme Plains

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW3
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442165
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/7
• Old SAM County Ref: 806

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSED HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Early Neolithic to Late Bronze Age - 4000 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

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

Enclosure with two hut circles shown on 19th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 4277-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Visible

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW3 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV153730.

(08/03/1950) Enclosure with hut circles. Walling is poor, average height 0.4 metres and obviously incomplete at its eastern extremity. There are seven hut circles.
(11/08/1977) Centred SX 63686506. An enclosed settlement which comprises 3 enclosures and lies on moderate, well drained, east facing slopes at 370m above OD.
(a) SX 63616495. This sub-rectangular enclosure, 70m east to west by 50m transversely and 0.3 ha, has turf covered, small boulder walling, 1.6m wide, 0.5m high, in very poor condition, especially the east side which lies on the edge of the river cliff. A probable original entrance, 1.5m wide is on the south west side.
Three small, type I hut circles, average internal diameter 2.5m, walls 1.1m wide and in very poor condition, are built onto the inner face of the enclosure wall on the west side.
(b) SX 63686506. A triangular enclosure 130m northwest-southeast by 115m transversely and 0.7 ha, partly destroyed by tinning in the stream which bisects it. The south walling, 2.0m to 3.0m wide and in poor condition, is built of small boulders and the north walling has been rebuilt, probably in connection with the tinner's huts (SX 66 NW 57). Four fragmentary, type 1 hut circles, average internal diameter 3.7m, walls 1.1m wide are connected with the enclosure, one freestanding, a pair built onto the inside of the enclosure wall and one built onto the outside. A rectangular yard, 6.0m by 3.2m internally, with a fragmentary wall 1.5m wide, and an adjoining yard, about 3m diameter, are built onto the inside of the enclosure wall.
SX 63736511. This enclosure, 50m east to west by at least 35m transversely has small boulder walling 1.5m wide and 0.3m high. It is in very poor condition, and is incomplete.
There is no evidence of cultivation within or adjacent to the enclosures. (Type site: SX 56 SE 19).
1:10 000 Survey revised on MSD.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6364, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV155390.

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

Enclosure visible with three hut circles built near the west wall.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 69-70, map 55, figure 55.3 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Enclosure 'B' an oval 61 metres by 50 metres at 'Knackersmill Gulf' with a wall 2.5 metres wide by up to 0.6 metres high. The four hut circles around the edge are only 2.5 metres across and so more likely to be store houses than dwellings.

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

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Erme Valley Survey data (GIS and Excel spreadsheet) (Cartographic). SDV361913.

Enclosure shown on survey.

Newman, P., 2018, The Upper Erme Valley, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: An Archaeological Survey, Appendix 1 (Report - Survey). SDV362921.

An enclosure with four hut circles, on the moderate western slope of the River Erme at Erme Plains. In plan the enclosure has roughly parallel north and south sides with rounded ends. The boundary is a turf-covered bank or collapsed wall, with a spread of up to 4.5 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres high. Fragments of an interior wall are in situ visible at a couple of points around the circuit. Four small, very ruinous hut circles survive attached to the enclosure interior comprising turf covered rubble with no significant structural masonry visible, and unclear entrance locations. Internal measurements cannot be taken accurately but all have a spread of 5 to 6 metres in diameter. A small ring of stones near the south-east exterior, with an interior diameter of 2.4 metres is a possible though unlikely hut circle.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Enclosure and hut circles shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2020, National Heritage List for England, 1004573 (National Heritage List for England). SDV363414.

Subrectangular enclosure. Partly grassed over drystone walling standing 4 courses maximum. There are two hut circles against the western side.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8082 - Survey of the Upper Erme Valley

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