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Summary

Unenclosed hut circle settlement to the south of the Steeperton Tor settlement with five or six hut circles and a few short lengths of boundary wall

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1016639: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement on the north eastern slope of Steeperton Tor
• SHINE: Earthworks and stones walls of Bronze Age hut circle settlement on the north eastern slope of Steeperton Tor, comprising at least three enclosures and 17 hut circles
• SHINE: Earthworks and stones walls of Bronze Age hut circle settlement on the north eastern slope of Steeperton Tor, comprising at least three enclosures and 17 hut circles

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX68NW7
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443701
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68NW/22
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68NW/22/20
• Old SAM Ref: 28722
• Pastscape: 443701
• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1900, A Book of Dartmoor, 148-149 (Monograph). SDV277387.

Royal Air Force, 1946 - 1949, Royal Air Force Aerial Photographs, 2082, 4379-80 (Aerial Photograph). SDV342938.

Photograph taken on 19th May 1947.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX68NW7 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV242752.

(15/08/1950) Three enclosures and seventeen hut circles, on north-east slope of Steeperton Tor. Remains of enclosures with fragmentary walls composed of partly heather covered stones.
Hut B. Few stones remaining. Hut C. Composed of partly turf covered stones and no entrance visible. Huts D and E. Walling very fragmentary with few stones remaining. Huts H and I. Fragmentary walling, no entries visible. Huts J, K and L. Walls of stones and turf, no entrances visible. Huts M and N. Composed of usual turf covered stones and no entrances visible. Huts A and F. Outside enclosures to the north, northerly enclosure contains huts B, C, D and E central enclosure contains huts G, I, L, K and M. Huts H and J are outside it abutting onto its wall. Huts N, O, P and Q are outside to the south.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 374-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

Photograph taken on 26th April 1979.

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

This is an agglomerated enclosure of three elements with nine internal hut circles visible on the aerial photograph. Six hut circles are visible lying outside the enclosure.

Price, D. G., 1985, Changing Perceptions of Prehistoric Tinning on Dartmoor, 129-138 (Article in Serial). SDV215975.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 149249 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(15/06/1998) Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement on the north-east slope of Steeperton Tor.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 211, Map 41, Site '2' (Monograph). SDV219155.

A short distance south-east of the 'Steeperton Tor settlement' are fragments of walling associated with another group of five huts which show that these were at one time provided with fields.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(08/10/1993) Centred SX 62158905. Thirteen, possibly fourteen hut circles and three associated enclosures are located on the moderate north- east flank of Steeperton Tor 400 metres west of the tor. All the huts are small, in the region of 3.5 metres in diameter, and the two exceptions (1) and (4) very poorly preserved. Several huts possess entrances mostly in the south or south-eastern margins. Though the area is partly obscured by long grass and reeds it is obvious that a number of the huts surveyed by the Ordnance Survey are little more than irregular stone-free patches. Doubtfully hut sites, these patches may even be natural features. Others, (16) and (17), are also unlikely to be hut sites but are enclosed by distinct stoney rings. The function of the latter is unclear but they may have been small stock pens. The enclosures associated with these huts are incompletely preserved and average 0.2 hectares in area. The enclosing walls mostly consist of turf-covered boulders though some orthostats are also visible. On average they measure 1.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high. At SX 62178908 two upright blocks 0.9 metres apart appear to mark a contemporary entrance into the enclosure.
For further information see NRHE archive report. Eighteen hut circles and several enclosures are Scheduled.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

Probert, S. A. J. + Newman, P., 2003-2004, Measured survey North Dartmoor Military Range Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV350801.

(24/10/2003) Despite the schedule details there are still no more than fourteen likely hut circles in this settlement. The remaining 'huts' are as described above.
NB: Survey data aligns with the 2010 aerial photography of this site, which is slightly further north than appears on MasterMap (and the scheduling polygon), [Richards, A. F.]

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

The aerial photography shows this site fairly clearly and MasterMap is not apparently that accurate at this location. This source agrees with the survey data. Map object based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

Group of five hut circles shown to the south of 'Settlement' on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1016639 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

The monument includes a partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement situated on a north east facing slope of Steeperton Tor overlooking the Steeperton Brook. The settlement survives as a group of rubble banks forming at least five incomplete enclosures in which a large number of stone hut circles are situated. The stone hut circles all survive as circular or oval banks each surrounding an internal area which varies from 5 to 30 square metres. The height of the surrounding walls varies between 0.3 metres and 0.7 metres. Ten of the huts have visible doorways, seven are butted by enclosure walling, one is attached to an enclosure and they all of single orthostatic or rubble bank construction.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8679 - Okehampton Range: Management Survey
• EDV8291 - Okehampton Range: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8695 - Survey of Okehampton North Dartmoor Military Range

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