See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

This settlement consists of 9 hut circles and the remains of 3 probable enclosures, on a gentle, well drained west facing slope, within Lower Piles, a probable Medieval newtake, whose walls and clearance heaps overlie it.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1009578: Agglomerated enclosure with hut circles, south of Lower Piles
• SHINE: Earthwork remains of a field system with possible prehistoric origins surrounding Lower Piles deserted medieval farmstead, as well as a prehistoric cairn and industrial streamworking along Piles Brook and the River Erme

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX66SW53
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442333
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SW/92
• Old SAM County Ref: 818
• Old SAM Ref: 10522

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Rowe, S., 1848, Perambulation of Dartmoor, 170 (Monograph). SDV154476.

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

'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 119SE (Cartographic). SDV137427.

Crossing, W., 1912 (1965), Crossing's Guide to Dartmoor, 400 (Monograph). SDV320981.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX66SW53 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV154475.

(24/03/1950) Hut circles in a poor condition generally.
(04/08/1977) Centred SX 64426049. This settlement consists of 9 hut circles and the remains of 3 probable enclosures, on a gentle, well drained west facing slope, at 265.0m above OD, within Lower Piles, a probable Medieval newtake, whose walls and clearance heaps overlie it.
'A' SX 64476050. The remains of this enclosure comprise of sub-circular arc of walling, 1.4m wide, with a hut circle, internal diameter about 7m, which has been used as a dump for field clearance. A newtake wall overlies both the enclosure wall and hut circle.
'B' SX 64366050. The remains of this enclosure forms a semi-circular arc of double-faced orthostatic walling, 1.0m wide, with a terraced, sub-rectangular hut, or possibly yard, 5.7m by 5.4m internally, with orthostatic walling, built against the inner face. They are truncated on the west by a newtake wall.
'C' SX 64376047 to SX 64406051. This length of lynchetted walling, linking two probable type 2 hut circles, average internal diameter 7.0m, is probably the remains of an enclosure. The wall
and the huts have been used as dumps for field clearance.
The five freestanding, terraced, probably Type 2 hut circles, average internal diameter 7.0m are in very poor condition, two have been partly cleared and three have been used as dumps for field clearance.
No evidence of cultivation associated with the settlement can be identified. (Type 2 huts, SX 56 NE 71).
1:10 000 Survey revised on MSD.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6460 (Aerial Photograph). SDV157244.

Photographs taken on 8th and 22nd April 1976.

Hankin, C. F., 1980, An Archaeological Check-List for Harford (Un-published). SDV361875.

Site visited in April 1977. Within the newtake known as Lower Piles. A group of seven huts near the south-east corner of the enclosed land. All now composed of fairly small stones the walls appearing as thick banks of stone and turf, not high, but spreading to a width of 1.8 metres or more. The diameters vary from circa 9.20 metres to circa 12.20 metres outside measurements. Only one hut has a well defined entrance, this is on the south-east side of the circle.

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

Seven hut circles visible, four attached to reaves or walls, within a field system.

Griffith, F. M., 1988, DAP/JT, 3, 3a (Aerial Photograph). SDV343788.

Photograph taken on 21st January 1988.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 40, Map 54, Figure 54.2 (Monograph). SDV337765.

'Lower Piles Settlement' with thirteen surviving hut circles of which only two are less than 6.0 metres in diameter. They had been used for stone for the nearby newtake wall and for local stone clearance. Low banks and peculiar angles to the field walls downhill suggest the settlement continued towards the river but this area has been cleared more efficiently so the original extent is unknown. Only one complete circuit survives surrounding Hut Circle '1' of 5.3 metres diameter and the badly preserved Hut Circle'2'. A passageway about 4 metres wide runs between the fields leading to Hut Circle '3' of 6.0 metres diameter.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1009578 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

This is an agglomerated enclosure in the south-east corner of Lower Piles newtake, on a fairly steep west-facing slope above the River Erme. The site consists of lengths of walling of prehistoric date originally forming at least three enclosures, with lynchets in some places, and enclosing nine Bronze Age hut circles. Some of the enclosure walls have been added to at later dates and a double bank of low stones suggests the presence of a droveway along the northern field boundary. The walls are constructed of rubble and earth and are about half a metre high, or slightly more where subsequently refurbished. The hut circles range from 7 metres to 12 metres in diameter, with walls up to 2 metres thick and 0.5 metres to 1 metre high. They are mainly turf-covered and four are attached to field walls. Clearance heaps and subdivisions associated with the newtake exist within the site.

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

Enclosure and hut circles visible on aerial photograph.

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

'Settlement' with ten hut circles and several sections of wall shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.