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Summary

Hut circle on Crownhill Down of 12 metres by 9 metres with an internal division and a bank of earth and boulders. The hut circle is one of seven probably associated with a surrounding prehistoric field system crossing Crownhill Down.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: 439306
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/100/1
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56SE70

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• HUT CIRCLE (Constructed, Early Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 42 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1970 - 1978, SX56SE70 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV343431.

Hut circle to the east of a Prehistoric bank associated with a Prehistoric field system. Hut circle 12 metres by 9 metres with internal division and bank of earth and boulders.

Edwards, C., 1979, An archaeological survey of an area surrounding Hemerdon Ball (Report - Survey). SDV337241.

Site visited on 16th June 1979. A Bronze Age hut circle clearly defined by an earth and boulder wall with central division stands on Crownhill Down amidst the remains of a field system. A wall of boulders runs from its southern tip at SX57556048 to join the present field walls at SX57626043. Hut circle 12 metres long by 9 metres wide. The wall is 80 metres long by 1 metre wide and up to 0.2 metres high.

Gilbertson, D. + Collis, J., 1982, Mapping Three Millennia of Settlement and Land Use on Crownhill Down, South West Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV362901.

Hut circle in Field System 2.

Gilbertson, D. + Collis, J., 1985, Linear Banks on Crownhill Down, Dartmoor (Article in Serial). SDV337244.

Hut circle in Field System 2.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 194-6, Map 52, Figure 52.16 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Two hut circles 100 metres apart to the south-west of Broomage farm. The northerm of them of 10 metres diameter and this southern one is an oval of 12.0 metres by 9.0 metres. Alongside them is a rebuilt reave aligned downhill.

National Monuments Record, 2002, 439306 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV343432.

There are five hut circles and one hut platform within a Prehistoric field system. Hut E) a hut circle 12 metres by 9 metres with internal division and bank of earth and boulders.
Hut E) a much robbed hut of Type 2 with an internal diameter of 6 metres and a short arc of double-faced walling 1.6 metres wide by 0.6 metres high. Adjoining the south side is an annexe or possibly another hut with an internal diameter of 5.2 metres east to west and 4.1 metres north to south. Five stones are spaced around the perimeter.
Scattered group of hut circles probably associated with a rectilinear field system. At SX57556048 are the denuded remains of what appears to be one substantial hut with an annexe or possibly two conjoined extensively robbed hut circles. Located on a high point of the site is associated with adjacent and fragmentary field walls. The northern circle partially comprises a double-faced wall up to 2.8 metres wide and 0.6 metres high, The remainder of the circuit is defined by a number of large boulders with an interior diameter of approximately 8 metres. The southern part is defined by scattered large boulders which form a ragged circuit circa 7 metres by 5.6 metres internally. The largest boulder measures 1.2 metres by 1 metre by 0.7 metres high and the adjacent boulders are part of a robbed field bank.

Fletcher, M., 2002, The Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Ridding Down: Survey Report, 4 (Report - Survey). SDV343412.

Other details: Figure 3 and Crownhill Down Survey.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5760 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

A curvilinear bank and B-shaped hollow are visible.

Hegarty, C., Knight, S. and Sims, R., 2019-2021, The South Devon Coast to Dartmoor Aerial Investigation and Mapping Survey. Area 2, Avon Valley to Plymouth (AI&M, formerly NMP) (Interpretation). SDV362982.

An irregularly shaped earthwork bank circa 2 to 4m wide is visible as an earthwork on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013, enclosing a ‘B-shaped’ hollow up to circa 9m across, north-to south.
The circular earthwork is to the east of a north-north-east to south-south-west linear earthwork bank and ditch, probably part of a wider prehistoric field system crossing Crownhill Down (MDV2558) that was reused in the medieval period. Very slight banks circa 40m to the north-east are probably relict components of the prehistoric field system.
The earthwork hollow is interpreted as the mutilated remains of a hut circle, or possibly two small conjoined hut circles, of probable Bronze Age to Iron Age date, one of seven associated with the surrounding field system, and one of three closely grouped hut circles and two possible hut platforms.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

'Hut Circles' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4559 - Archaeological Landscape of Crownhill Down and Riddding Down
• 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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