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Summary

An irregularly shaped stone enclosure of 0.08ha, with three stone hut circles incorporated into the walls, associated with an extensive settlement of huts and enclosures, south of Legis Tor. The hut circles were built into the northern and eastern interior, while a third appears to be attached to the southern exterior. All are ruinous with internal diameters of approximately 32m and 3.7m. The example on the east site has some stones of the wall remaining in situ. Surveyed in March 2022.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1019876: Prehistoric settlement, three round cairns and a post-medieval rabbit warren at Legis Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE148
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 438914
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/360
• Old SAM County Ref: 591
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 22289
• Old SAM Ref: 10700

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

National Monuments Record, 1976, SX5765, 5/22-245/22-24 (Aerial Photograph). SDV155850.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1977, SX56NE148 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV277673.

(20/06/1977) An enclosed hut group with a further five hut circles occupy 0.5 hectares on a south slope at 284.0m. O.D.
The 'kidney' shaped enclosure is 30.0m. by 52.0m. and constructed of large boulders with rubble infill. The walling is 2.0m wide and 0.9m high, though in poor condition. The possible entrances are in the north and south sides. To the north-east of the enclosure amongst the rock clitter is the remains of another enclosure; only 20.0m of walling, 2.0m thick and 0.6m high remains in very poor
condition.
There are eight type 1 huts, two being integrated within the enclosure wall and abutting the external face; the remainder are free standing outside the enclosure. Most of the huts are levelled and have eastern entrances.
The internal diameters are from 4.5m to 7.5m with a mean of 6.0m, with walling averaging 1.2m thick and 0.7m high. The huts at SX 5746 6538 and SX 5745 6533 have entrance porches.
At SX 5747 6534 is a levelled area with some boulders which suggest a hut site, not portrayed at 1:10 000 acale). The huts at SX 5740 6531 and SX 5740 6532
adjoin one another. (Type site: SX 56 SE 19).
No field system or plots are visible. Found during field investigation. Surveyed at 1:10 000 on PFD/AM.

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

Agglomerated enclosure of two elements. Four hut circles attached to interior walls of enclosure. One hut circle attached to exterior wall of southern element. One hut circle freestanding within southeast element. Area 1.9 hectares.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130869 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(22/02/1993) Small kidney-shaped enclosure with attached stone hut circles forming part of an extensive prehistoric settlement. Enclosure measures internally 52m north-south by 30m east-west and is defined by a rubble wall 3m wide and up to 0.6m high. Three stone hut circles, composed of circular banks of stone and earth are attached to the enclosure boundary wall.
(NB MPP 22289(p) is a revision of SAM 10700)

Butler, J., 1994, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Three - The South-West, 111-4, Map 49, Figure 49.1 (Monograph). SDV137656.

Settlement 'C' at Legis Tor is almost pear shaped with three attached hut circles. The enclosure links patches of surface stone beteen the three small huts of about 3.0 metres diameter on the perimeter.

Probert, S., 2005, Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey (Report - Survey). SDV363484.

(07/02/2005) Centred SX 5745 6534. Eight hut circles, two enclosures and fragments of contemporary walling lie on the moderate southern flank of Legis Tor.
Three of the huts are incorporated in the walls of a kidney-shaped enclosure measuring 41.5m north-south by 27m at the northern end of the site. Two further huts lie to the east of this enclosure, while another two huts lie immediately south of the enclosure and are associated with fragments of crude contemporary walling and a solitary hut and adjoining enclosure lie at the south-west of the site at SX 5740 6532. See related records.

Probert, S. A. J., 2010, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of Ringmoor, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV360517.

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

Visible on aerial photograph.

Newman, P., 2018, Archaeological Sites within Ringmoor Training Area, Dartmoor National Park, Devon: A condition survey on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Report - Survey). SDV361636.

Depicted on the GIS survey layer.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPRM-26 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(02/03/2020) Enclosure located by volunteer recorders. Condition of features assessed as ?moderate, although vegetation encroachment (heavy bracken) is affecting the site.

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

Photographs taken during March 2020 visit.

Ordnance Survey, 2021, MasterMap 2021 (Cartographic). SDV364015.

Enclosure shown on modern mapping.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1019876 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

A small kidney-shaped enclosure measures internally 52 metres north to south by 30 metres east to west and is defined by a 3 metres wide and 0.6 metres high rubble wall. Three stone hut circles are attached to this enclosure boundary, and they measure between 4 metres and 4.5 metres in diameter and are surrounded by walls standing between 0.6 metres and 0.8 metres high.

Newman, P., 2022, Ringmoor Down Premier Archaeological Landscape Dartmoor National Park, Devon. A new survey, Table 1 (Report - Survey). SDV365490.

An irregularly shaped stone enclosure with three stone hut circles incorporated into the walls, associated with an extensive settlement of huts and enclosures, south of Legis Tor
SX 57452 65377. An irregularly shaped stone enclosure of 0.08ha, with three stone hut circles incorporated into the walls, associated with an extensive settlement of huts and enclosures, south of Legis Tor. The enclosure was constructed from moorstone boulders in a variety of sizes, with an inner and outer face. Some stretches of these facings survive in situ but where collapsed the alignment of the ruined masonry is still very visible within the spread of the tumbled stone. The space between the faces was probably packed with masonry and earth. The walls were between 1.3m and 1.5m thick and up to 1m high in places. In their ruined state the walls are now spread up to 5m. On the eastern side, several large, naturally located boulders of over 3m long, have been included into the structure. The hut circles were built into the northern and eastern interior, while a third appears to be attached to the southern exterior. All are ruinous with internal diameters of approximately 32m and 3.7m. The example on the east site has some stones of the wall remaining in situ. Surveyed at 1:1000 scale using GPS, March 2022.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7443 - Condition survey of archaeological sites in Ringmoor Training Area
• EDV7569 - Condition survey of Ringmoor Down training area
• EDV8227 - Ringmoor Training Area: Monument Baseline Condition Survey
• EDV8917 - Survey of the archaeological features on Ringmoor Down

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