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Summary

Hut circle 3; one of 24 hut circles set within a walled Bronze Age enclosure at Grimspound. This circle is sub-circular and measures 3.0-3.3 meters in diameter. Located within the guardianship area managed by Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1014667: Grimspound, a partially enclosed prehistoric settlement with field system and two post-medieval caches between Hookney Tor and Hameldown Tor

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX78SW/49/6
• Old SAM County Ref: 142
• Old SAM Ref: 22212

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1894, 1st Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee: The Exploration of Grimspound, 101-121 (Article in Serial). SDV304196.

Hut 3 is not perfectly circular and has a paved doorway and an internal, raised dais. A hearth with a lot of charcoal was found opposite the door, although stone from the walls has fallen upon it. There was also a cooking hole lined with stones set on edge, with a small, flat square stone near it which may have been anvil for splitting bones on, or a base for roof support. The floor is paved between the coking hole and the doorway. There is a curved, paved passage by the entrance, with a shelter wall to screen it from wind. One piece of flint was found during the excavation.

Baring Gould, S., 1895, Second Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 82-83 (Article in Serial). SDV271711.

Pattison, P., 1991, A Survey of Grimspound, Manaton Parish, Devon, 6 (Report - Survey). SDV304224.

Hut 3 is a sub-circular structure measuring 3.0 - 3.3 meters in diameter, with walls 1.2 meters wide, remaining to a height of 0.9 meters. The wall is coursed mostly with horizontally laid blocks and slabs, some set on edge, forming the internal face. There is a prominent upright granite post on the western arc of the wall. The hut was reconstructed in 1894. The entrance is on the south side flanked by two jambs and protected from the wind by a curved shelter wall. None of the internal features exposed in 1894 now visible, but large blocks on the south-eastern side may be remnants of the "dais". Considerable visitor erosion has occurred.

Gerrard, S., 1995, 140322 (Site Visit). SDV321021.

Hut circle terraced into the hill slope with a hooked porch plan, single orthostat and coursed walling type. The interior is 3.28 meters in diameter and is defined by a 1.2 meter wide wall standing up to 0.9 meters high. A 1.25 meter wide south-facing gap in the surrounding wall is flanked by two upright slabs and represents the original doorway. A hooked porch extends east from the west side of the doorway and would have protected the hut from wind. The floor of this porch is paved with granite slabs. This hut was excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in 1894. This work revealed a raised bench alongside the eastern wall, raised 0.2 meters above the floor, a hearth containing charcoal, a cooking hole and a chopping anvil or padstone. Close to the doorway a stone lintel was found. After excavation this hut was reconstructed by building a continuous inner wall face banked up externally with a turf bank. Interior surfaces severely eroded and walls have been subject to rebuilding by visitors. Other details: MPP/140301 visit 11/1/1995.

Department of National Heritage, 1996, Scheduled Monument Consent Letter (Correspondence). SDV321022.

Scheduled Monument Consent granted for works concerning erosion repairs and consolidation of huts 3 and 20. Other details: 28/8/1996.

Ordnance Survey, 2010, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV344030.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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