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Summary

An enclosure containing one hut-circle with three lying outside it. The enclosure wall has been destroyed on the south-west; elsewhere it is double-faced with large orthostats remaining in places, and averages 1.5m. thick. The interior of the enclosure has probably been cleared of stones. The interior hut has an entrance on the south and measures 7m in diameter. The other three huts are very ruinous and fragmentary with internal diameters of 5.5m, 4.5m, and 4.0m. respectively. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Walling remains of a Bronze Age enclosure with internal and external hut-circles to the east of Bala Brook on Brent Moor

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset (Evidential): NI Site
• National Monuments Record: SX66SE95
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442042
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX66SE/128

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/CPE/UK/1890, 2279-2280 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX6662/1, 46-49 (Aerial Photograph). SDV151022.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX66SE95 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV151023.

(24/07/1977) On a southwest facing slope on the east bank of the Bala Brook at approximately 345.0m. O.D. is an enclosure containing two hut-circles, with two further huts on the exterior face of the enclosure wall (see large-scale divorced survey diagram). The detached huts mentioned (R. Robinson) could not be found.
The enclosure wall has been destroyed on the south-west; elsewhere it is double-faced with large orthostats remaining in places, and averages 1.5m. thick. The interior of the enclosure has probably been cleared of stones.
The interior hut is of Type 2 with an entrance on the south, and it has an annexe on the south; the internal diameter is 7.0m. The other three huts are very ruinous and fragmentary, probably all of Type 1, with internal diameter of 5.5m., 4.5m., and 4.0m. respectively. Typesites: 1, SX 56 SE 19; 2, SX 56 NE 71).
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD and at 1:500 for AO Records.

Robinson, R., 1978, Settlement on left bank of Bala Brook (Worksheet). SDV151020.

(April 1978) SX 669637 A pound and hut circles situated on the left bank of the Bala Brook. It lies on a west-facing slope in an area covered with turf and some heather and rushes. The pound is roughly circular about 45.0m in diameter with two hut circles within, two adjacent but immediately external and one hut circle outside to the south at a distance of about 12.0m from the pound wall. The pound shows on the Royal Air Force aerial photograph and lies immediately downhill from a leat leading to the corner of the enclosed fields above Shipley. The pound walls are about 0.5m high consisting of a tumble of granite with no clear faces. Other details: Sketch plan included.

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

Enclosure containing a double hut circle and a hut circle attached to the external wall visible on 1976 National Monuments Record and 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photographs.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 108, Map 57, Figure 57.8 (Monograph). SDV337765.

This enclosure at 'Zeal Hill West 2' contains one main hut circle, which appears to have an annex to the south (described elsewhere as a separate hut circle). The south corner of the enclosures perimeter walls is very overgrown but elsewhere they are well-defined. There are two hut circles immediately to the north-east of the enclosure; built along the perimeter wall and a break in the wall to the south may represent the original entrance. A further small structure lies opposite this ‘entrance’ to the south.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

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

Enclosure and some of the huts visible on the aerial mapping of the area.

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

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Enclosure shown on modern mapping with two internal and two external hut circles.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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