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Summary

The disturbed remains of several enclosures and at least one hut circle lie on the gentle south-west facing slope below Little Trowelsworthy Tor. The remains lie within a now abandoned medieval or later field system and have suffered from stone robbing and also have been used as repositories for clearance stone. As a result some of the enclosures are incomplete while one has has its walls significantly heightened. This example, to the south-west of the group, measures 25m north to south by 20m internally with walls up to 3.0m wide and 1.3m high. The stone-free interior remains at the same level as the surrounding ground though it is broken by two hollows around 1.2m in diameter and 0.3m deep. Where visible the original enclosure wall displays traces of internal facing. The north side of this feature incorporates a sub-rectangular platform measuring 4.0m by 3.0m which has been interpreted as a prehistoric hut circle. The ground evidence suggests that this is simply additional stone clearance material.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1020323: Prehistoric and historic archaeological landscape at Trowlesworthy Warren

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE233
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE238
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1360510
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439160
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/239
• Old SAM Ref: 24232

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ENCLOSURE (Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

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

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

A compound type enclosure on Trowlesworthy Warren. Hut circle 8 metres in diameter in upper part of enclosure. The middle section is indistinct on its northern side. This enclosure may be Prehistoric only in its upper section, as the remaining two sections have walls suggesting a different method of construction from the other pounds.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56SE19, Enclosure A (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV147005.

(22/06/1977) SX 571 645: A group of three enclosed settlements on a south-west slope at 265m O.D., together 6.0 hectares in area. All are in poor condition. See related records.
A: SX 5704 6450. A roughly oval enclosure measuring 18.0m by 26.0m internally with crude walling 2.0m to 3.0m thick, 0.7mhigh externally and 1.0m high on the inside where the interior is dished and contains a single type 1 hut.
This is of 3.5m internal diameter with a levelled floor and walls of small rubble 1.5m thick and 0.5m high. There is an entrance in the south-east. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on P.F.D.

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

Not recorded.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140655 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Enclosure (a) survives as a 21.9 metres by 15.2 metres sub circular area surrounded by a 4 metre wide and 1.7 metres high orthostatic wall with rubble infill. One hut circle is attached to the inner face of the enclosure wall.
Enclosure (b) which is also sub circular, measures 25 metres by 21 metres and is defined by a 1.2 metre wide orthostatic wall with rubble infill standing up to 0.4 metres high.
Enclosure (c) includes an irregular shaped area measuring 38 metres by 16 metres and is defined by a 1.2 metre wide orthostat and rubble wall standing up to 0.4 metres high.
Enclosures (b) and (c) are shown as a series of clearance cairns in the National Trust survey derived from the work of Mercer et al. Butler shows them as partial enclosures, but Price shows them as an agglomerated enclosure. Butler's mapping appears to be the most accurate, though with some additions. Two circular pits within Enclosure (a) each measure 1 metre in diameter and 0.15 metres deep. These may be associated with military training or be the result of archaeological investigation.

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 158, Map 51, Figure 51.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Prehistoric Enclosure (K) seems to have consisted of a number of small adjoining pounds each associated with hut circles

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

6454

Thackray, C., 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: the management of an historic landscape, 40, 102. 112a & b (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Large enclosure (a) at SX57046450 of 21.9 metres long by 15.2 metres wide with walls 0.4 metres high. It is trapezoidal in plan and cut more than 1 metre into the ground and bounded by a wall of small stones and turf with no visible facing stones. The entrance is in the north-east. There is possible evidence of two phases of construction.

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

(13/02/2002) Centred SX 5706 6454. The disturbed remains of several enclosures and at least one hut circle lie on the gentle south-west facing slope below Little Trowlesworthy Tor. The remains lie within a now abandoned medieval or later field system and have suffered from stone robbing and also have been used as repositories for clearance stone. As a result some of the enclosures are incomplete while one has had its walls significantly heightened.
The latter, at SX 5705 6450, measures 25m north to south by 20m internally with walls up to 3.0m wide and 1.3m high. The stone-free interior remains at the same level as the surrounding ground though it is broken by two hollows around 1.2m in diameter and 0.3m deep. Where visible the original enclosure wall displays traces of internal facing. The north side of this feature incorporates a sub-rectangular platform measuring 4.0m by 3.0m which has been interpreted as a prehistoric hut circle. The ground evidence suggests that this is simply additional stone clearance material.
Immediately to the north, centred at SX 5705 6454 are two fragmentary adjoining enclosures each roughly 30m north-east to south-west by 20m. The remains consist of low, spread stony banks and denuded scarps. The east enclosure contains a hut circle at SX 5707 6455. This D-shaped feature lies in a natural hollow and measures 6.7m north to south by 8.1m internally with walls 1.4m wide and 0.3m high. There is no obvious entrance. A L-shaped platform at SX 5709 6458 probably represents the disturbed remains of a second hut. The feature measures 8.4m north to south by 7.2m and possesses a slight stony rim.
Formerly recorded as part of SX 56 SE 19.

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

Features shown on survey.

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

Some elements shown on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-12 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(April 2020) Condition assessed as very good; no real issues recorded.

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

Photographs taken during the April 2020 visit.

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

Several elements shown on modern mapping including two enclosures and three hut circles.

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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