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Summary

Two sub-rectangular enclosures and five hut circles lie on the gently sloping western flank of Little Trowlesworthy Tor.

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
• SHINE: Earthworks and stone walls of partially enclosed Bronze Age hut circle settlements and post-medieval warren structures on the western slope of Little and Great Trowlesworthy Tors

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56SE14
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439145
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/74
• Old SAM County Ref: 280
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24233
• Old SAM Ref: 10814

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map within an enclosure with stones shown on the inside and outside of the boundary.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Enclosure' with 'Hut Circles' shown on early 20th century map.

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

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX56SE14, Enclosure (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV146202.

(01/06/1950) Enclosure and hut circles. Enclosure with three huts on the wall and one in the centre. The wall is 3.0 metres wide and is composed of the usual turf covered stones. Good condition. Bracken on the site. Associated hut circles (A-H) with diameters 5 - 8 metres.
(26/05/1977) Two enclosures and a hut circle lie on a gentle well drained south-west facing slope at 290 metres above O.D. below the clitter and above the blanket bog.
SX 57406430: An oval enclosure, 70 metres by 55 metres and 0.4 ha. constructed of a double row of orthostats with rubble infill about 1.3 metres to 2 metres wide and 0.6 metres high and in poor condition.
It has three possible original entrances, one with an inturn that may post-date the enclosure's construction. It contains two type 2 huts, internal diameter 5.5m. with walls 1.0m. to 2.0m. thick and the remains of a possible third hut circle, all set into the slope with entrances facing south, marked by jambs. One has a protecting wall and the other has three small 'yards' attached. There is a type 2 hut, 6.0m. internal diameter, wall 1.0m. to 2.0m. thick built onto the enclosure wall, with a possible entrance facing south. A further small incomplete ring of stones, internal diameter 3.0m., 0.8m. thick and 0.2m. high, may be the remains of a type 1 hut.
SX 57446424. A type 2 hut, circle internal diameter 6.5m., wall 1.5m. thick has a south facing entrance and protecting wall, and is set into the slope.
SX 57506417: The remains of this ovoid enclosure measure 60m. by 60m. and 0.3 ha. The wall is of orthostatic construction, about 1.2m. thick, and has either been robbed or is unfinished. There is no definite entrance and the interior is clitter strewn.
It contains a type 2 hut circle, internal diameter 6.5m.walls 1.5m. thick, set into the slope. A possible entrance faces south where a tumble of stones may have been a protecting wall. (Type sites: 1, SX 56 SE 19: 2, SX 56 NE 71).
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on P.F.D. Enlarged Survey at 1:1000.

Ordnance Survey, 1975, OS/75/369, 145-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDV254607.

Three huts on wall, one in the centre. The entrance is to the west.

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

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

Four internal hut circles 5-9 metres diameter. Interior only partly cleared of stones. Massive boulders in wall.

Balaam, N. D. + Smith, K. + Wainwright, G. J., 1982, The Shaugh Moor Project: Fourth Report - Environment, Context and Conclusion, 244, Figure 22 (Article in Serial). SDV145845.

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

An enclosure is visible containing two freestanding hut circles, and with five more attached to its walls.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140717 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 10th April 1995. Simple enclosure forming part of a partially enclosed hut settlement. Survives as a 60 metre by 50 metre sub-rectangular area surrounded by a 3 metre wide partly faced rubble wall with occasional orthostats standing up to 1.2 metres high. At least five hut circles are visible within the enclosure, one of which is attached to the inner face of the enclosure wall. The enclosure wall has been cut by a Post-Medieval leat.

Pye, A., 1992, Archaeological Watching Brief on the ECC Lee Moor works leat corridor in the Upper Plym Valley, 7 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV165953.

Enclosure containing 1 hut platform and 4 hut circles.

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

Enclosure G on Trowlesworthy Tor with three hut circles on the perimeter and one at the centre. Two leats are shown running north to south through this enclosure and a dog-leg shaped drainage ditch is shown to the east.

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, 19, 102.056a (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Sub-rectangular area 60 by 50 metres enclosed by massive wall, containing 4 hut circles and one hut platform. Wall is particularly substantial, up to 3 metres wide, on the south-west side, where it is partly of dump construction and in places revetted with inner and outer facing slabs. North-east side features inner and outer face construction while north-west side appears to be of dump construction. There appear to be 2 entrances in the north and west sides. A pile of stones flanks the northern entrance. A drain runs through centre of enclosure. A D-shaped hut platform, 5 metres by 5 metres by 0.15 metres high is situated on inside of the north-east corner.

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

(20/05/2002) Centred SX 57466424. Two sub-rectangular enclosures and five hut circles lie on the gently sloping W flank of Little Trowlesworthy Tor.
The N enclosure, centred SX 57416432 measures 62m N to S by 57 m and is partially bounded by robbed boulder and slab walls around 1.5m wide and 0.4m high. Within are three hut circles:
SX 57426429. An ovoid hut circle 5.0m N to S by 4.4m with walls 1.4m wide and 0.5m high.
SX 57436431. Measuring 5.4m in diameter this hut has walls 1.0m wide and a maximum of 0.9m high.
SX 57416432. A disturbed rubble-strewn hut 6.4m N to S by 6.7m internally with walls 1.6m wide and 0.4m high. A small sub-circular annex 3m in diameter lies adjacent to the S side.
The S enclosure, centred at SX 57506418, measures 54m N to S by 47m and possesses disturbed stony walls around 1.3m wide and 0.4m high. A solitary hut circle 5.3m in diameter lies at SX 57506418, near the centre.
At SX 57456426 between the enclosures are a pair of adjoining hut circles. The N hut is 6.5m in internal diameter with walls 1.3m wide and a maximum of 1.0m high. It is adjoined by a poorly preserved hut 4.6m in diameter with spread stony walls around 1.4m wide and 0.4m high.
Both enclosures are bisected by a later leat channel formerly taking water from Spanish Lake to the Blacka Brook.

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

Outline of enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-19 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(08/09/2020) Condition assessed as very good, although there was some bracken recorded within the huts closest to the southern boundary of the enclosure.

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

Images taken during the September 2020 visit.

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

Enclosure 50 metres by 75 metres, defined by bank 3 metres wide and up to 1 metre high. Contains at least four 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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