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Summary

A cluster of five huts, SW of Gutter Tor. The northern three all have similar appearance with comprising turf-covered banked collars surrounding a hollowed centre. Their approximate diameters are 7m to 8m and up to 0.5m high. A further two huts 40m and 84m south of this cluster have diameters of 9m and 8m by 0.5m high maximum. Both have southern entrance openings. A small 'u' shape enclosure of 0.24ha is attached to the northern of these two. Its stony walls, now covered by turf and disguised by vegetation, are 2m wide and 0.4m high.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1012239: Unenclosed stone hut settlement south-west of Gutter Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE57
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/45
• Old SAM Ref: 10598
• Pastscape: 438662

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

The two eastern features shown as 'Tumuli (sites of)' with a cross on early 20th century map.

Breton, H. H., 1914, Beautiful Dartmoor and its Interesting Antiquities, 59 (Monograph). SDV256843.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX56NE57, SX56NE57 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV216495.

Visited on 2nd November 1950. Tumuli (sites of) no information as to the type, construction or dimensions of these barrows could be found.
Visited on 20th December 1950. Tumuli sites at SX57496652 and SX57485248. These two sites are identical to the rest of the group in the vicinity. Small mounds are discernible at all the sites shown by symbol.
Visited on 28th May 1977. The nine supposed tumuli are in fact all hut circles with average diameter 7.0 metres. All except one in fair condition.
Ten hut circles are attached to the exterior walls of a circular enclosure at SX57536654 which lacks its full circuit on the south side.
Two hut circles are within a partitioned enclosure with two elements. One incorporated into the central division, the other free standing within the western element at SX57456650. A third hut circle is to the west of this group at SX57506653.
One hut circle is attached to the north-west exterior of the oval enclosure at SX57516645. One hut is adjacent to the enclosure on the east side at SX57536646. One hut circle to the south-west of the enclosure at SX57486644.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX5766, 1/421-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV232536.

Photograph taken on 8th April 1976.

Grinsell, L. V., 1978, Dartmoor Barrows, 166 (Article in Serial). SDV273224.

Visited on 8th June 1974. Group of nine or more roughly circular flat areas on south-west slope of hill, on Ordnance Survey "sites of tumuli" resemble hut sites; but Breton stated that they "were originally large cairns".

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 117, Map 49 (Monograph). SDV137656.

To the south of Gutter Tor is an important settlement of at least ten well-proportioned hut circles of 4.2 metres to 7.5 metres diameter together with four enclosures but little now remains above ground. The site was effectively quarried to construct the nearby warren boundary. The hut circles are reduced to dish-shaped hollows, some with a raised rim and a gap at the site of south-facing entrances. Enclosure walls where present are barely visible rubble banks. (Map 49 shows the configuration of the enclosures and hut circles).

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPRM-19 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(27/07/2019) Feature to the far south of the group could not be found due to vegetation overgrowth; features 1-4 were located and assessed as very good condition.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs (Photograph). SDV363073.

Features photographed during July 2019 visit.

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

Four hut circles shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1012239 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

This unenclosed hut settlement south-west of Gutter Tor consists of six hut circles terraced into the south-facing slope some 500 metres from the tor. The group is orientated broadly north-west/south-east; four huts are single and two are joined together. The huts range from 7.5 metres to 10.5 metres in diameter and the walls, built of small stones and earth, range from 1.5 metres to 3 metres in thickness and from 0.5 to 1.5 metres in height. There are entrances in the southern sides of the huts, one retains its jambs.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

A group of five hut circles SW of Gutter Tor. SX 57488 66513. A cluster of five huts, SW of Gutter Tor. The northern three all have similar appearance with comprising turf-covered banked collars surrounding a hollowed centre. Their approximate diameters are 7m to 8m and up to 0.5m high. A further two huts 40m and 84m south of this cluster have diameters of 9m and 8m by 0.5m high maximum. Both have southern entrance openings. A small 'u' shape enclosure of 0.24ha is attached to the northern of these two. Its stony walls, now covered by turf and disguised by vegetation, are 2m wide and 0.4m high.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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