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Summary

A roughly D-shaped enclosure up to circa 30m across is recorded on the lower north-facing slopes of Shaugh Moor. Three hut circles are incorporated into the enclosure. It is part of a group of at least 7 such enclosures north of Saddlesborough. The enclosure is identifiable as stony spread earthwork banks on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and as slight earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1002517: Pounds and hut circles N of Saddlesborough

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE88
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439358
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/166
• Old SAM County Ref: DV428

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/106G/UK/1190, RAF/106G/UK/1190 RP 3258-3259 27-FEB-1946 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363067.

A D-shaped enclosure is visible as an earthwork.

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 2299 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Not visible on air photographs.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF/58/6399, RAF/58/6399 F64 0382-0383 02-JUL-1964 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363068.

A D-shaped enclosure is visible as an earthwork.

Price, D. G., 1973, Ancient fields on Shaugh Moor, 89 (Article in Serial). SDV147593.

A pound containing three hut circles, and one hut circle outside. Other details: Plan.

National Monuments Record, 1978, NMR SX5563, 6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV152488.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX56SE88 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV346917.

(08/09/1980) The enclosure, centred at SX 55676356, measures about 36.0m. by 30.0m., is formed by a wall of rubble and boulders, 1.3m. wide and 0.4m. high. It is otherwise as described in 3, although the internal partition is not a surveyable feature. There is a 3.0m. gap at the NE corner (see plan with SX 56 SE 91).
Two huts are integrated with the enclosure walling. The northern one is of type 2 (SX 56 NE 71), with an internal diameter of 5.0m. and ruined walling 1.5m. wide and 0.5m. high. The southern hut is probably of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19), with an internal diameter of 5.0m. The walling 1.3m. wide and 0.4m. high has an inner face of slabs backed by rubble.
Another possible hut is attached to the outer face of the enclosure near the NE Corner.
A half dozen single spaced blocks form an arc or semicircle 5.1m. by 3.7m. with a level interior. No entrances can be seen in any of the huts. Surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.

Smith, K., 1980, Typescript notes and plan of Shaugh Moor (Un-published). SDV138646.

(SX55666360.) An enclosure on relatively level ground near the foot of the north facing slope. In plan it is a rounded triangle, 28.0 metres from north to south and 30.0 metres from east to west across its broadest part. Possible traces of an internal partition defined by a break of slope cuts off the north-east corner. Comparatively numerous stones litter the interior which has not been cleared as completely as other enclosures. There is no apparent entrance and facing stones are visible in the wall. Two ruinous huts are visible in the wall. Two ruinous huts are visible in the interior, both attached to the enclosure wall. One hut attached to the enclosure wall in its north-east sector is very ruinous and no entrance is visible. The second is in the south-east corner of the enclosure and is also very ruinous.
An ill-defined rectangular enclosure south-east of the first enclosure, 40.0 metres by 18.0 metres with a hut circle in its south-east corner. The enclosure is only visible on its uphill south side where its wall and corners are defined by upright slabs and low ruinous walling. Elsewhere, the boundary identification is confined to intermittent stretches of tumbled stone. Walling of enclosure robbed to provide building stone for enclosure. Hut fairly well-defined with a 4.5 metres internal diameter and probably entrance to the south-west, floor terraced into the hillslope.

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

Enclosure visible with two hut circles attached to its walls.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 99-101 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Enclosures E (more complete, northern enclosure, with three associated hut circles) and D (fragmentary remains of an enclosure with two partial circles). These enclosures are in a poorer condition than the others and may have been robbed for stone more recently. Other details: Map 48, 3.

Fletcher, M. + Probert, S., 1998, Shaugh Moor, Devon: An Archaeological Survey (Report - Survey). SDV343481.

(02/12/1997) Centred at SX55686356. An enclosure located at the foot of a north-facing hillside on a gentle slope at 259m above OD. The turf-covered walls on the downhill side are somewhat spread; a few boulders and upright slabs are visible with inner and outer facing boulders and stones up to 1.8m wide and 0.7m high. The position of the entrance is not clear although transverse slabs visible in the west side may indicate a blocked entrance. The gently sloping interior has a spread of earthfast boulders. Three hut circles have been incorporated into this enclosure. SX55676357. A hut circle cut into the slope. It is 6.8m in diameter with a level interior some 4.3m in diameter. The wall, which is now damaged or destroyed in places comprises large facing slabs, some fallen with an average height of 0.5m. The back scarp is 0.5m high. The position of the entrance is not clear but it was located either in the north or the east quadrant. SX55676355. A rather ragged hut circle measures 6.8m (north-south) by 7.5m and is visible as circles of boulders and upright stones up to 0.5m high. The position of the entrance is not clear. SX55676355. A possible hut stance situated against the wall of the enclosure is about 5.5m in diameter. A hut circle noted by Butler on the north side of the enclosure is difficult to detect on the ground.

Bluesky International Ltd/Getmapping PLC, 1999-2017, Pan Government Agreement Aerial Photographs, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery SX5563 31-MAY-2016 (Aerial Photograph). SDV363087.

A D-shaped enclosure is visible as an earthwork. Stone settings are visible.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

NERC, 2013, LiDAR DTM data (1m resolution) Tellus: South Devon to Dartmoor, LIDAR SX5563 Tellus DTM 01-JUL-2013 to 31-AUG-2013 (Cartographic). SDV361514.

A D-shaped enclosure is visible as a subtle earthwork.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, SM33 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

Visited 02/10/2019. Site description is good and agrees with the OS GIS site plan (1997 survey). There is scattered low height western gorse on boundary walls and throughout enclosure area is lightly grazed. Overall condition moderate. Photo X2 taken .

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording photographs, SM-33 (Photograph). SDV363073.

Photo 1: View of impressive east side wall looking E. Photo 2: View of SSW side of enclosure looking SSE.

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.

A spread bank up to circa 3.5m wide is visible as a subtle earthwork defining a roughly D-shaped enclosure up to circa 30m across on the lower north-facing slopes of Shaugh Moor on aerial photographs of 1946 onwards and as slight earthworks on visualisations derived from lidar data captured in 2013.
The lidar derived visualisations might support an interpretation ofpossible subdivision of the enclosure interior into three cells.
The 3 hut circles previously recorded within the enclosure are not clearly identifiable as earthworks on the sources available to the survey, but stone settings are visible on digital images derived from aerial photographs of 2016.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4967 - Shaugh Moor Survey (1997-1998)
• 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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