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Summary

Settlement containing an enclosure and hut circles to the north-west of Yellowmeade Farm

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019574: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement, two cairns and a route marker 325m north west of Yellowmeade Farm

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX57SE15
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440065
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX57SE/77
• Old SAM County Ref: 867E
• Old SAM Ref: 28775
• Pastscape: 440065

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Enclosure and 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 106NE (Cartographic). SDV249909.

Hut circles marked on early 20th century map.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX57SE15 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV271768.

Site visited on 17th August 1950. Hut 'a'. Double walled, entrance to south-east. Hut 'b'. Double wall type, entrance to south-east. Hut 'c'. Bisected by a low wall of stones aligned north to south, which divides the circle into two compartments. Entrance to south and on west of the straight of the dividing wall which ends about 1 metre short of south side of circle. The west side of the circle abuts on the wall of the enclosure. Hut 'd'. Rather despoiled, abuts onto wall of enclosure. Hut 'e'. Has entrance on west side and abuts onto wall of enclosure. Hut 'f'. Oval in plan, entrance to south. Hut 'g'. Double walled type, entrance to south. Enclosure 'h'. Containing huts 'c', 'd' and 'e'. Hut 'I'. Abuts onto wall of enclosure and onto hut 'd'. Hut 'j'. Double walled type, entrance to west. Hut 'k'. Double walled type, circle divided into two compartments of unequal size by low wall. The northern compartment is smaller and each have an entrance on west side of circle. Hut 'l'. Double walled type, entrance on south side. Hut 'm'. Double walled type. Circle divided into two unequal compartments, the entrance is into the larger easterly section on south side. The dividing wall projects 2 metres beyond the wall of the circle on south side, possibly indented as wind break for the entrance. Huts 'n', 'o' and 'p'. Marked by clearly defined turf embedded stones.
An enclosed settlement of three huts and a further eight unenclosed huts are situated on a slight south-west slope in open moorland.

Royal Air Force, 1964, F63/58/6399, 042 (Aerial Photograph). SDV229824.

National Monument Record, 1976, SX5674 (Aerial Photograph). SDV267165.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX57SE15 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV271765.

(03/02/1980) An enclosed settlement of three huts and a further eight unenclosed huts are situated on a slight south-west slope in open moorland.
The enclosure, 38.0m by 50.0m (0.19 hectares) has walling which is partly double-faced and partly rubble, originally about 1.2m wide but now tumbled to a general width of 2.0m. The height ranges from 0.5m to 1.3m, this applying mostly to in-situ boulders incorporated in the wall. There is a simple 2.0m entrance gap in the south-east corner. Two huts, H and E, are built against the internal face of the enclosure on the north east side 'H' has a small annex 'I'. A third hut 'C' straddles the wall alignment. All eleven huts of the settlement have suffered stone robbing but the presence of some double-faced walling, even in the smallest, suggests that they were of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71). Internal diameters range from 4.0m to 6.2m, the walling 1.1m wide and up to 0.4m high. Where visible entrances are mostly south-west to the south-east.
Unusual characteristics of four huts, 'C', 'D', 'G' and 'M', are bisecting rubble walls (?later), 0.7m wide and 0.3m high. Only in 'C' is an internal entrance gap visible. Hut 'M' has a further internal wall (see sketch plan); 'K' is not subdivided but has a rectangular annex, 2.0m by 4.3m, built onto the north side and open to the west.
Surveyed on MSD at 1:10 000 and at 1:2500 (see illustration).

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

Some hut circles visible on aerial photographs.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 152360 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

A prehistoric settlement 350 metres north-west of Yellowmeade Farm.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 14-18, Map 44, Figure 44.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Prehistoric settlement north-west of Yellowmeade Farm with an oval enclosure and at least twelve hut circles and two cairns. Further features and hut circles are shown to the south.

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

Many features visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

'Settlement' shown on modern mapping with an enclosure and hut circles.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019574 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

The monument includes a stone hut circle settlement, two cairns and a post- medieval route marker stone situated on a gentle west facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Walkham. The settlement includes an oval enclosure containing three stone hut circles, with a further nine huts lying outside. The stone hut circles survive as banks each surrounding a circular internal area of between 2.6 metres and 7.5 metres in diameter. The heights of the surrounding walls vary between 0.4 metre and 0.8 metre. Nine of the huts have visible doorways, one has an annex, another a courtyard and two have partitions. The stone hut circle at NGR SX 56507449 was in later years converted by the addition of a rubble bank wall, an annex and straight porch. This is a particularly complex structure displaying obvious chronological range. The enclosure forming the focus of the settlement survives as a substantial double faced wall standing up to 1 metre high surrounding an area measuring 53 metres long by 36 metres wide. A rubble bank leading between the two northern huts within the enclosure represents a later sub- division. The cairn on the south western edge of the settlement measures 5.5 metres in diameter and stands up to 1 metre high. The mound is composed of large rocks and two edge set stones in its centre represent the remains of a disturbed cist. The second cairn lies south of the settlement and survives as an oval mound measuring 4 metres long by 3.5 metres wide. A number of edge set stones protruding from the mound indicates that structural details survive within this cairn. The route marker stone is one of at least 13 known in this part of the Moor to have indicated the position of a road leading between Ashburton and Tavistock. The stone measures 1.66 metres high and bears the letter 'A' on its eastern face and 'T' on its western side. It is believed that this stone and its companions were raised around AD 1700.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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