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Summary

Hut circle of 7.3 metres diameter with walls 1.5 metres wide by 1.0 metres high within dispersed settlement to the west of Lowton Brook in Fernworthy Forest

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1017983: Dispersed stone hut circle settlement and associated fields 490m south east of Silk House

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144113
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SE/25
• Old SAM County Ref: 957E
• Old SAM Ref: 28671
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX68SE45

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

One of the 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map.

Morley, 1975, Ancient Monuments Division Site Visit (Unknown). SDV351964.

Site visit 4th May 1975. Subrectangular hut of large stones, largely tumbled.

Turner, J. R., 1976, Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land. Fernworthy and Bellever (Report - non-specific). SDV351823.

Fernworthy Plantation. West Lowton 5B.
Site visit January 1976. Hut circle 7.5 metres diameter on a platform site, cut into an east-facing slope. Stone walls 1.5 metres thick, part of the wall has fallen away on the eastern side. Largest stone 1.5 by 0.2 metres, standing 1.0 metres above ground. Much clitter inside the hut. Not investigated, has been planted over.
February 1976. 8 posts ringing clearance zone. All agreements carried out.
Included in 1955 Spooner and Dixon report (A) Region south of the Teign (Assacombe and Lowton), Site No. 4.

Turner, J., 1978, Report of Work Carried Out by the Forestry Commission since January 1976 (Report - non-specific). SDV351816.

No work has been carried out on the West Lowton group of sites since January 1976.

Robinson, R., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1983 (Un-published). SDV345762.

Department of Environment Field Monument Warden site visits 11th July and 16th December 1983.

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

Not visible on 1946 RAF aerial photo due to tree cover.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP144113 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visit 30th May 1997. Hut circle, 7.3 metres diameter. Double orthostat wall 1.5 metres wide, 1.0 metres high. Internal area 41.83 square metres. A boundary bank leads off from this hut at an angle of 55 degrees.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 157, Map 35, Site 4 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Hut circle at 'Lowton Brook West' settlement.

Smith, N., 1992, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology with Woodland Areas 1992 (Un-published). SDV351819.

Fernworthy. West Lowton Group 5B. Site visit 25th May 1992. Hut circle located just below trackway, in a clearing. Site marked. Vegetation mechanically controlled and grazed. Recommended that present management regime be maintained. Other details: Photo.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

Visited on 3rd June 1995. Hut circle at SX66248323 of 7.3 metres diameter with walls 1.2 metres wide by 0.8 metres high and an entrance to the south.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 1996, Condition Survey of Identified Archaeology within Woodland Areas 1996 (Un-published). SDV351820.

Fernworthy. West Lowton Group 5B. Site visit 27th Septebmer 1996. Marked by a single post.

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

Site recorded.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour aerial photography for Dartmoor (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Site visible in a cleared area on aerial photograph.

Fugro-BKS, 2013, Fernworthy Forest LiDAR survey (Cartographic). SDV351778.

Site visible.

Newman, P., 2013, Fernworthy Forest Sites Survey (Un-published). SDV351708.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

Hut circle depicted.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1017983 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

The monument, which falls into six areas, includes a dispersed stone hut circle settlement and associated fields situated on a north east facing slope overlooking the valley of the Lowton Brook. The settlement contains at least 12 stone hut circles together with a number of lengths of rubble walling forming part of a field system. The stone hut circles within the settlement all survive as banks each surrounding an internal circular area which varies from 14.51 to 55.39 square metres with the average being 30.56 square metres. The height of the surrounding walls vary between 0.6m and 1.3m, with the average being 0.91m. Four of the huts have visible doorways and the orthostatic, rubble bank and coursed walling building traditions are all represented.
Despite afforestation, the dispersed stone hut circle settlement and associated fields lying west of Lowton Brook survives well and contains archaeological structures, features and deposits, relating to the exploitation of this part of the moor during the Bronze Age period.

Newman, P., 2013, The Archaeology of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, Devon, 26, Fig. 20 (Report - Survey). SDV351784.

Hut circle located at a junction between two reaves. Two orthostats from the wall remain in situ and there are several tumbled stones on the ground but the larger stones have been removed leaving a disturbed earthwork circle 7.5 metres diameter. Its level floor is terraced into the hillside. A breach in the south-east quadrant represents a former entrance.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, Unknown, SX68SE45 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV276178.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6216 - Condition Surveys of Ancient Monuments on Forestry Commission Land
• EDV6203 - Archaeological Survey of Fernworthy Forest
• EDV7389 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1996
• EDV7410 - Fernworthy Forest condition survey 1992
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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