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Summary

An enclosed hut circle settlement of probable Bronze Age to Iron Age date is visible defined by stony earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017. The enclosure contains a possible hut circle. It is one of at least six such enclosures incorporated into a later, probably medieval field system north and west of Trowlesworthy Warren House.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020323: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren
• SHINE: Stony earthwork banks of a prehistoric hut circle settlement at Trowlesworthy, as well as earthwork remains of two medieval or later pillow mounds

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/90
• Old SAM Ref: 24232
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Enclosure visible on 19th century map with the northern and eastern sides represented by a wall.

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

Enclosure 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.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

National Monument Record, 1976, SX5664, 1 (Aerial Photograph). SDV175071.

Photograph taken on 8th April 1976.

Price, D. G., 1977, Settlement at Trowlesworthy Warren, 44, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV150433.

Two internal hut circles 8-9 metres in diameter in enclosure. Stone-free interior and a marked lynchet dividing the pound into two parts. Massive stones and boulders, plus a high mound in places.

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

Agglomerated enclosure visible, of two elements, containing one hut circle.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140624, (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 1st April 1995. Two enclosures at SX 5652 6479 and SX 5658 6482. Agglomerated enclosure forming part of a partially enclosed hut settlement. At least two distinct enclosed areas are visible. The relationship between the enclosures indicates that the western enclosure was built first. Enclosure B which is irregular in shape, measures 63 metres by at least 55 metres and is defined by a 4.0 metre wide partly faced rubble wall standing up to 0.4 metres high. Two hut circles lie within the enclosure. The southern part of the enclosure has been removed by a post-medieval field and therefore its original extent is unknown.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 159-160, Map 51 Figure 51.3 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Enclosure 'E' south-west of Shadyback Tor is too badly damaged for the complete plan to be established. One large hut circle exists in the western part of the enclosure with a small circular annex adjoining to the north-east. The south side of the enclosure has been obliterated by a later 'field wall' and a 'road' passes through the enclosure from east to west.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 57, 102 156b (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Enclosure wall at SX56606485 encloses an area 63 metres by 55 metres with a wall 0.5 metres high and contains a hut circle. It is disturbed by a later field boundaries and interupted by a track from the southeast end. The turf covered bank contains a few large stones and a drain follows along the north side.

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

Most of the boundary 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.

Curvilinear banks are identifiable as spread earthworks.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5664 03-MAY-2007 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

Curvilinear banks are visible as earthworks.

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

Northern part of enclosure visible on survey

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

Some of the boundary visible on aerial photograph.

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

(03/07/2019) Condition assessed as good, although site is vulnerable to vehicle damage due to its proximity to Trowlesworthy farm. Wheel ruts pass close to the enclosure wall. A 15 metre drainage ditch up to 1.0m deep has been cut within this field enclosure in recent years.

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

Site photographed during July 2019 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2019, MasterMap 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362729.

Most of enclosure shown on modern mapping.

National Monuments Record, 2019, Pastscape, 439175, SX56SE24 (Website). SDV362732.

Centred SX 56586482 are two adjoining sub-circular enclosures each containing a single hut circle. They lie in open ground between two later fields 150 metres west of Trowlesworthy Warren House. All prehistoric features have been robbed for walling stone in later periods.
The eastern enclosure measures 49 metres north to south by 65 metres and contains a hut circle at SX 56596482. This hut measures 5.6 metres north to south by 4.6 metres in internally diameter with walls 0.8 metres wide and a maximum of 0.7 metres high with an entrance in 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.

Stony banks are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs of 1946, digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2002 onwards and visualisations derived from lidar data captured between 1998 and 2017 as earthworks circa 3m wide to very spread banks up to 9m across, defining an irregularly shaped enclosure up to approximately 89m across, to the north-west of Trowlesworthy Warren House.
A roughly circular banked hollow circa 6m and 8m across is visible within the enclosure.
The visible earthworks are interpreted as the remains of a probable hut circle settlement of Bronze Age to Iron Age date, one of at least six such enclosures incorporated into a later, probably medieval field system north and west of Trowlesworthy Warren House.
The banked circular hollow within the enclosure is interpreted as a possible hut circle.
The enclosure abuts and probably post-dates a similar if smaller oval enclosure to the west (MDV2544).
The southern half of the enclosure appears to have been incorporated into and overlain by a later, probably medieval field system (MDV14369), but the enclosure bank survives within the later plot to be identifiable as a subtle spread earthwork on lidar derived visualisations.
The possible hut circle is recorded separately.

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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