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Summary

A hut circle of probable prehistoric date is identified by field and aerial survey within an enclosed settlement on the south-west facing slopes of a spur to the west of Trowlesworthy Warren House. The hut circle is identifiable as subtle earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1946 and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 and stones set within the banks are visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2016.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020323: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/90/4
• Old SAM Ref: 24232

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Hut circle shown on 19th century map.

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

Hut circle shown on early 20th century map.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, Devon County Council RAF/CPE/UK/1890 4290-4291 10-DEC-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

A subtle curvilinear bank is visible.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140625 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 1st April 1995. Hut circle within agglomerated enclosure survives as a bank of earth and stone surrounding a circular internal area and is of the porch plan and double orthostat walling type. Interior measures 6 metres in diameter and the surrounding 1.7 metre wide wall stands up to 0.8 metres high]. A south-south-west facing gap in the hut wall may represent a doorway leading to a straight porch which survives as a large recumbent slab on the west side of the opening. A narrow arc of stones adjacent to and outside the north-west side of the hut may either represent an earlier hut or an attached structure.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 159-160, Map 51, Figure 51.s (Monograph). SDV137656.

Large hut circle shown towards the west side of Enclosure 'E' at Shadyback Tor with an entrance to the south-west and a small circular annex adjoining to the north-east.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 58, 102 156c (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Oval hut circle at SX56586482 composed of inner and outer facings with some orthostats and containing a rubble core. It is terraced into the hillslope and measures 6.9 metres by 5.5 metres internally with walls up to 0.7 metres.

Environment Agency WMS, 1998-2016, LiDAR DSM data JPEG image (1m resolution) (Cartographic). SDV360209.

Feature visible on Lidar data.

Environment Agency, 1998-2017, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) EA: South Devon Coast to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5664 Environment Agency DTM 01-JAN-1998 to 31-MAY-2017 (Cartographic). SDV361470.

A subtle curvilinear bank and hollow are visible.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5664 31-MAY-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A ring of scattered stones is visible.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Small oval feature shown on survey.

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

Hut circle visible on aerial photograph.

National Monuments Record, 2019, Pastscape (Website). SDV362732.

Hut circle at SX56596482 measures 5.6 metres north to south by 4.6 metres in internally with walls 0.8 metres wide and up to 0.7 metres high. An entrance lies on the south side.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2020, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

A hut circle of probable Bronze Age to Iron Age date, located centrally within the enclosed hut circle settlement MDV126275, is identifiable as subtle earthwork banks under vegetation on aerial photographs of 1946, a circular bank surrounding a hollow or platform on visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017, and a roughly circular ring of scattered stones on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2016.
The earthworks visible on the lidar derived images form a roughly circular bank 2.5m to 4 wide defining an oval or sub-rectangular hollow or platform up to approximately 6m across.
The variable wide of the earthworks visible on the lidar derived images might indicated that the bank has been somewhat spread, possibly by deliberate levelling. The spread nature of the bank might also be indicated by the ring of scattered stones visible set within the broad bank.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1020323 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

Within Scheduled area.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)
• EDV8098 - The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping (formerly NMP) Survey, Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (Ref: ACD2040)

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