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Summary

An enclosed settlement, recorded by the Ordnance Survey in 1977 as three adjoining enclosures; described by English Heritage in 2001 as an enclosure with three possible entrances. Interior contains 2 terraced type hut circles, average internal diameter 6 metres, in poor condition. There is a rectangular yard, 10 metres by 8 metres is in west angle.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019084: Partially enclosed stone hut circle settlement and post-medieval warren structures on the western slope of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE94
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439373
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/235
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24233
• Old SAM Ref: 102070
• Old SAM Ref: 102071
• Old SAM Ref: 10817

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Curwen, E. C., 1927, Prehistoric Agriculture in Britain, 282-6 (Article in Serial). SDV173835.

National Monuments Record, 1976, NMR SX5764, 2 (Aerial Photograph). SDV138979.

Photograph taken on 8th April 1976.

Price, D. G., 1977, Settlement at Trowlesworthy Warren, 44, 47, Figure 1 (Article in Serial). SDV150433.

A compound type enclosure on Trowlesworthy Warren. Three internal hut circles 7-9 metres in diameter, and a rectangular structure of unknown date and function. Some internal sub-divisions and lynchetting. Vermin traps. Two external hut circles. Massive enclosure walls.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE94 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV165582.

(21/05/1977) Centred SX 5760 6420: An enclosed settlement, comprising three adjoining enclosures, lies on a gentle, well drained south-west facing slope below Trowlesworthy Tor at 300m above OD just below the clitter.
SX 5761 6423: An enclosure, 70m by 40m and 0.3 hectares, constructed of a double row of orthostats, 1.2m apart with a small stone core; it has a negative lynchet on its upper side. There are three possible original entrances; one, 1.0m wide on the north east; another 2.0m wide, with inturns, on the south-east and the third opening into an adjacent enclosure. The boulder strewn interior contains two terraced type 2 hut circles, average internal diameter 6.0m, with walls 1.4m thick, and in poor condition. A rectangular yard, 10m by 8m, with an internal wall 1.5m wide, is in the west angle. A type 1, hut circle, internal diameter 4.5m, with a wall 1.5m thick, has a south-west facing entrance and the possible remains of a protecting wall. It is terraced into the slope immediately outside the enclosure and another Type 1 hut adjoins the enclosure on its north-east side.
SX 5758 6420: This enclosure, 60m by 55m and 0.3 hectares, is constructed of orthostatic walling 1.8m wide and is in poor condition; it is probably contemporary with the previously mentioned enclosure. It contains a poor Type 2 hut circle, internal diameter 6.5m wall 1.0m thick, linked by walling to the enclosure to form an irregular shaped yard, 20m by 15m, and a Medieval building (SX 56 SE 101).
SX 5761 6417: The remains of this enclosure, 65m by 40mand 0.25 hectares consist of a lynchetted orthostatic wall, about 2.0m wide, and probable postdates the other.
A fragmentary Type 2 hut circle, internal diameter about 5m, wall 1.2m thick, is built on the line of the wall. (Typesites: 1, SX 56 SE 19: 2, SX 56 NE 71). Surveyed at 1:10 000 on M.S.D.

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

Agglomerated enclosure of two or three elements visible, containing six hut circles, five of them attached.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP140702 140708 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Enclosure (a) survives as a 62 metre by 54 metre irregular shaped area surrounded by a 2 metre wide and 0.7 metre high orthostatic and rubble wall. One hut circle is attached to the inner face of the enclosure wall although the relationship of 2 others which are joined to each other to the enclosure wall is uncertain. Enclosure (b) which is also irregular in shape, measures 70 metres by 37 metres and is defined by a 2 metre wide orthostat and rubble wall standing up to 0.5 metres high. Two hut circles lie within the enclosure, one is attached to the inner face and another to the outer face of the enclosure wall. Enclosure (c), the southernmost within the group, includes an irregular shaped area measuring 48 metres by 46 metres and is defined by a 1.5 metre wide orthostat and rubble wall standing up to 0.8 metres high. The enclosure wall incorporates an earlier stone hut circle in its circuit.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 156, Map 51, Figure 51.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Trowlesworthy Tors enclosures includes a triple Enclosure 'E' which contains two vermin traps and four internal hut circles, two external ones and one hut circle within the southern boundary. Drainage ditches cross the interior of the enclosure and along with several of the hut circles of 4.8 t0 7.2 metres diameter have been deliberately filled with stone. None of the many gaps in the boundary wall originally 1.6 to 1.8 metres wide show any original features.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Depicted and described by Robertson.

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 24-27/102.069-071 (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Enclosure 69a at SX57636420. May be primary. Area of 48 metres by 46 metres enclosed by wall 1.5 metres wide, 0.4 metres high, composed of mound, topped with boulders, including some large orthostats in west sector. North-east sector comprises generally smaller stones. Wall abuts hut circle, set in south-east sector of enclosure. Gap in north-west side may indicate entrance. One hut circle is associated with this enclosure.
Enclosure 70a at SX57636426. Enclosed area 70 metres by 37 metres. Wall 2 metres wide, 0.5 metres high. Could be secondary to enclosure 69a and earlier than enclosure 71a. Area enclosed is rectangular. Wall is composed of orthostats and rubble core, and incorporates some earthfast boulders in eastern sector. Wall is interrupted in several places, by hut circles and a vermin trap. Three gaps may represent entrances; 2, on south-west and south-east sides are flanked by expanded terminals, and one on north-east side is marked by a wall set transversely on south-east side of gap. Five hut circles are associated with this enclosure.
Enclosure 71a at SX57596423. May be secondary to enclosure 69a. Relationship with enclosure 70a is uncertain. Shares north-east wall with 70a, and south-east wall with 69a. North and south-west sides are composed of inner and outer orthostats with rubble core. In western sector, wall is less substantial and represented largely by a break in slope. One hut circle is associated with this enclosure.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(20/05/2001) Centred SX 5760 6422. Three adjoining enclosures and six hut circles lie on a moderate west-facing slope 260m west of Great Trowlesworthy Tor. The enclosures are as described in detail by the Ordnance Survey in 1977.
Four of the hut circles are contained by the enclosures and two lie outside, immediately to the south-east. All display evidence of level interiors though none have identifiable entrances. Two of the huts have been adapted to form rabbit buries.
SX 5760 6426. Measuring 5.6m by 6.1m in internal diameter with walls 1.0m wide and 0.2m high this hut possesses a deep drainage ditch around its upslope side. The excavated debris from the latter has been used to infill the hut to encourage rabbit burrowing.
SX 5763 6423. A small hut measuring 4.3m by 3.6m with crudely built walls 1.4m wide and 0.3m high.
SX 5763 6416. A robbed hut 6.5m north-south by 5.9m internally with walls 1.2m wide and a maximum of 0.8m high. The west and south walls have been removed.
SX 5759 6422. A large hut circle measuring 8.0m north-south by 7.5m with walls 1.2m wide and 0.25m high. The interior has largely been infilled for reuse as a bury.
Outside the enclosures are:
SX 5765 6423. A hut circle 5.2m in diameter with walls 1.6m wide and 0.4m high.
SX 5765 6422. 4.2m in diameter this hut has walls 1.2m wide and 0.5m high.
Later additions to the enclosures are two vermin traps (SX 56 SE 66) at SX 5759 6420 and SX 5760 6427 and an alleged medieval building (SX 56 SE 76).

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Three adjoining enclosures shown on survey data.

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

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-23 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(14/09/2020) Condition assessed as poor; heavy bracken coverage in places obscuring the huts and other features.

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

Photographs taken during September 2020 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2019, MasterMap 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362729.

Features shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2019, National Heritage List for England, 1019084 (National Heritage List for England). SDV362730.

Agglomerated enclosure on the south-west slope of Great Trowlesworthy Tor, 100 metres north-east of Lee Moor China Clay Works leat. Consists of 3 conjoined sub-rectangular enclosures, covering an area of 0.9 hectares. The enclosures are delimited by banks of stone and earth up to 2.5 metres wide and 0.75 metres high and incorporate at least 4 hut circles, 2 freestanding and 2 attached to the banks, one internally and one externally. Huts range in diameter from 6 metres to 11 metres and have walls up to 2 metres thick and 0.6 metres high. One enclosure has a small subdivision with a hut attached to the subdividing bank. There is a later rectangular building of unknown date or function in the western enclosure.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7369 - Survey of Granite Loading Bays at Trowlesworthy, Devon
• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

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