| Summary : A Bronze Age enclosed hut circle settlement, comprising sub-circular enclosures and hut circles, which lies on the moderate west facing slope of Little Trowelsworthy Tor. The site was partly modified in the medieval period with the construction of a pilow mound; there are also post-medieval vermin traps associated with rabbit warrening activity. Three Bronze Age enclosures and numerous hut circles, recorded by previous authorities, are visible as stony structures on Environment Agency 1m Lidar data flown in 2019 and 2021 Historic England orthomosaic aerial photography. The site was mapped from aerial sources in 2023 during the Historic England Dartmoor-Plym project.
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| More information : (SX 575644) Enclosed Hut Group & Hut Circles (NR). (1)
Enclosure, North Entrance, South Entrance, Square Chamber (NR). (2)
A sub-circular enclosure about 150 paces in diameter situated on the western slope of Trowlesworthy Tor, the wall unbroken except for entrances on the north and south sides. Inside the southern entrance is a hut circle (3). The structures at the two entrances are vermin traps, these and the square chamber having been built by warreners (4). (3-5)
An enclosed settlement of 0.3 ha and three unenclosed hut circles (Centred at SX 57506439) lie on a south-west facing slope at 300m. O.D.
The sub-circular enclosure is of double walled construction with an infill of small stones. It is up to 4.0m. wide and 1.0m. high with a clearly defined entrance on the west. Gaps on the north and south may not be original as they incorporate vermin traps, the arms of which seem to be Spence Bate's square enclosure. The six huts within the enclosure are of type 2. (Type site: SX 56 NE 71) Two are adjacent to the wall but not integrated. All have levelled interiors with entrances on the west. The internal diameters are from 4.5m. to 8.0m. with a mear of 6.5m. with walling averaging 1.5m. thick and 0.8m. high. The hut at SX 57476444 has a 'porch' outside the entrance.
The huts outside the enclosure are of a similar type, from 3.0m. to 7.0m. internal diameter and from 0.3m. to 0.8m. high. One at SX 57576432 has been later utilised as a pillow mound by being ditched on the uphill side and the interior filled up with the soil.
There is no associated system of fields or plots.
Surveyed 1:10 000 on P.F.D./A.M. (6)
Depicted and described by Robertson and Butler. (8-10)
Centred SX 57506445. A sub-circular enclosure and eight hut circles lie on the moderate W facing slope of Little Trowelsworthy Tor.
The enclosure measures 61m N to S by 64m and is bounded by boulder and slab walls between 2.4 and 3.6m wide and up to 1.0m high. Within are six hut circles, the remaining huts lying outside, to the S. Most of the huts have served as repositories for cleared surface stone while one has been reused as a rabbit bury. The enclosure walls have been modified to include two post medieval vermin traps belonging to Trowelsworthy Warren (SX 56 SE 66).
SX 57476445. Measuring 6.9m N to S by 7.5m internally, this hut has walls 1.9m wide and 0.8m high.
SX 57496444. An ovoid hut 4.7m N to S by 5.7m internally with walls 1.3m wide and 0.3m high. A possible entrance is positioned in the S side.
SX 57506444. A small hut 3.8m in diameter with walls 1.6m wide and 0.7m high.
SX 57496442. A hut circle 6.8m in diameter with a smaller, later, structure occupying the E half.
SX 57516442. A second reused hut around 8.5m in original diameter with a smaller (6.5m diameter) hut occupying the N side.
Two huts lie to the S of the enclosure:
SX 57506437. Measuring 7.5m in internal diameter this hut has walls 1.7m wide and an average of 0.6m high.
SX 57586433. An ovoid hut 7.7m N to S by 9.0m reused as a rabbit bury. A deep drainage ditch lies outside the u[pslope sideof the feature, the excavated soil being used to infill the hut obscuring the walls.
A further feature at SX 57546439, recorded as a hut circle by Butler appears to be a small clearance cairn 4.7m N to S by 4.3m overall and a maximum of 0.7m high.
(10)
SX 5695 6476: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren. Scheduled.(11)
Detailed descriptions of enclosure and hut circles, described under national trust site reference 102349. (12)
Source 13 includes a brief accessible overview of a sample of sites in the Upper Plym Valley for visitors. (13)
Three Bronze Age enclosures and numerous hut circles, recorded by previous authorities, are visible as stony structures on Environment Agency 1m Lidar data flown in 2019 and 2021 Historic England orthomosaic aerial photography. The site was mapped from aerial sources in 2023 during the Historic England Dartmoor-Plym project.
The northern enclosure is centred on SX 57495 64438. It measures approximately 81.9m by 65.6m on plan. It encloses five hut circles, one of which has a porch. Two post-medieval vermin traps have been built into the enclosure walls. The enclosure stands within the arms of a large post-medieval v-shaped drainage ditch, a further aspect of its re-purposing as part of Trowlesworthy Warren (NRHE 439294).
The western enclosure is centred on SX 57402 64309. It measures approximately 81.3m by 56.1m on plan. It encloses at least five hut circles, with a sixth attached to the outside of the enclosure’s south-west arc. One of the internal hut circles has a porch whilst a small hut circle in the southern end of the enclosure is attached to short lengths of wall, forming a small enclosure or garden area. The enclosure stands within the arms of a large post-medieval v-shaped drainage ditch and has a smaller v-shaped ditch cut into its north-west quarter, suggesting that it was re-purposed as part of Trowlesworthy Warren (NRHE 439294). The enclosure is cut by a post-medieval leat (NRHE 1360626). Two conjoined hut circles stand outside the western enclosure at SX 57446 64246, also cut by the later leat.
The southern enclosure is centred on SX 57497 64170. Its walls are more fragmentary than the nearby enclosures. It measures approximately 63.8m by 56.7m on plan and encloses only one hut circle. The enclosure is also cut by the post-medieval leat NRHE 1360626. A v-shaped drainage ditch cuts the north-east arc of enclosure wall, seeming to divert water around the central hut circle.
Two unenclosed hut circles stand up-slope, both re-purposed as pillow mounds. That at SX 57496 64363 has south-west facing opening and is drained by the southern end of the large post-medieval v-shaped ditch that protects the northern enclosure. The hut circle at SX 57579 64323 has an opening facing south-east and is drained by a post-medieval ditch dug around its north-eastern side. Other v-shaped drainage ditches with earthwork banks on the downslope side are scattered across this area of the hillside, indicating the importance of the Bronze Age features to the post-medieval warren (NRHE 439294). Scheduled monument NHLE 1019084. (14-15)
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