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Summary

Three parallel reaves running west-east, north of the Great Central Reave and further fields around Hartland Tor. Continuation of the Stannon Hill reave system. Associated with hut settlement / field system MDV6801.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX67NW66
• National Monuments Record: SX67NW68
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442709
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 621528
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX68SW/76

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD SYSTEM (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• REAVE (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Prowse, A. B., 1891, The Ancient Metropolis of Dartmoor, 309-10, plan (Article in Serial). SDV245176.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 4365-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Royal Air Force, 1949, RAF/540/176, 5122-3 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224083.

5122-3 A nearly circular enclosure 190 yds. north of (SX 67 NW 67) (SX 64427980). The boundary is slight but traceable nearly all the way round.
Twenty two yards north east is a nine yards diameter hut circle (SX 67 NW 92).

Royal Air Force, 1951, RAF/540/483, 4046-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224087.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1978, SX67NW68 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV306728.

(10/10/1978) The enclosure is part of a prehistoric field system covering an area of 600m. by 200m., centred at SX 64508000, between 360m. and 400m. above O.D. on the south and west slopes of Hartland Tor.
The fields are both curvilinear and rectilinear in form, from 0.3 ha. to 0.5 ha. in extent. They are bounded by contour lynchets up to 0.4m. high and banks of piled and occasionally orthostatic stones up to 0.6m. high set up and down the contours.
The southern half of the system has been enclosed in recent times and brought under pasture resulting in partial clearance and a smoothing of the features. Here a single hut circle survives (SX 67 NW92), perhaps an outlier to the associated settlement in the northern part (SX 68 SW 12).

Fleming, A., 1978, The Prehistoric Landscape of Dartmoor. Part 1: South Dartmoor, 97-123 (Article in Serial). SDV235265.

Hartland Parallel Reaves. Three parallel reaves running west-east, north of the Great Central Reave. Other details: Figure.

Greeves, T. A. P., 1983, Middle Merripit Survey Drawing (Plan - measured). SDV321106.

Reaves shown on Middle Merripit survey sketch plot 1983. Part of the course of one of these reaves is noted on the survey drawing. Other details: Scale 1:10560.

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

The reaves extend E-W with N-W banks across them. One of the banks meets bank PRN 20494. Visible on 1947 and 1951 RAF AP.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, I. S. Sainsbury (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

[621528 / SX67NW66] (18/07/1989) The 3 main parallel reaves (a), (b) and (c) of the Stannon Reave System enter Middle Merrypit Farm from the NE. Only a fragment of (a) can now be traced at SX64738057, but (b) is almost complete from SX64888038 W to SX63958027. It is predominantly a turf covered stony bank, about 1.8m wide and up to 0.4m high, occasionally reinforced with larger stones or boulders. Reave (c) recommences at SX65168022 and proceeds W just traceable as a turf covered line of stones up to 2m wide and 0.3m high but soon reduced to a vegetation mark, very clear in the exceptionally dry summer of 1989. This fades completely about SX64908014 in the flood plain of the Stannon Brook. It probably continued further W, its line now fossilised in a post medieval boundary bank from SX64648008 to SX64408006. From here for some 130m to the W it appears to have been incorporated into the settlement and field system but no trace could be found across the ridge top and towards the E Dart. Besides the 3 parallel reaves there are shorter ones e.g. (d) (e) (f) (g) and several sub-dividing transverse banks forming large rectilinear fields (h) (i) (j) (k). Most are turf covered stony banks up to 2m wide and about 0.3m high. The relationship of settlements (a) (b) (c) and (d) from ground and plan evidence indicates incorporation subsequent to the layout of the reave system. Settlement (b) contains some quadrant or 'D' shaped enclosures attached to reaves (c) and (d).
The pattern of post medieval field walls show that most follow, or have been influenced by, the initial layout forming what Fleming refers to as a 'fossilised' reave system.
[442709 / SX67NW68] This field system is now incorporated in SX68SW80 (MDV6801), although the early source detail has not been transferred to that record.
NB: the NRHE have retained both records and separate numbers, so these records have been retained separately in the HER [Richards, A. F., 27/06/2022].

Fleming, A., 1988, The Dartmoor Reaves: Investigating Prehistoric Land Divisions, 29, Fig 21 (Monograph). SDV229071.

Ancient Monuments, 2004, Schedule Note (Schedule Document). SDV321100.

(03/09/2004) Monument includes a group of coaxial fields and associated prehistoric settlements extending from the western side of the 'East Dart River' over the slopes of 'Hartland Tor'. The coaxial fields survive as a group of fields arranged on an east-west prevailing axis subdivided by transverse boundaries. The boundaries survive as stony banks up to 2m wide x up to 0.4m high.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV1059 - RCHME Field Investigation
• EDV8648 - Middle Merripit Farm, Duchy Farms Survey
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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