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Summary

A sub-square enclosure containing the remains of four hut circles lies on the western flank of Lee Moor some 300m west of Little Trowlesworthy Tor. The enclosure measures 29m north-south by 33m and is bounded by a robbed stony bank around 2.0m wide and up to 0.8m high. The huts are all relatively small with diameters between 4 and 5m and possessing level interiors. None display identifiable entrances. All have been used as repositories for cleared surface stone.

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: SX56SE10
• National Monuments Record: SX56SE12
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 439133
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56SE/86
• Old SAM County Ref: 280
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24233
• Old SAM Ref: 10809
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX56SE12

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Whitley, N., 1855, Plan of Prehistoric Enclosure at Trowlesworthy Warren (Plan - sketch). SDV175112.

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

Enclosure shown on 19th century map with four internal hut circles.

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

'Enclosure' shown on early 20th century map with four hut circles.

Curwen, E. C., 1927, Prehistoric Agriculture in Britain, 277,281-5 (Article in Serial). SDV173835.

One of 8 enclosures giving evidence of earliest agriculture on Dartmoor.

Curwen, E. C., 1943, The Efficiency of a Flint Sickle, 46-7 (Article in Serial). SDV147035.

Curwen comments on the time needed to reap grain in fields like those at Trowlesworthy using a flint sickle.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950/1977, SX56SE18 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV147032.

(01/06/1950) Hut circles and an enclosure. The enclosure wall is approximately 2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high and is composed of turf covered stones. The four hut circles inside the enclosure are also composed of turf covered stones and have an average diameter of 7 metres. They are in poor condition and not one has an entrance.
(23/05/1977) SX 57366453. An oval enclosure, 35m by 30m., on a gentle, well drained south-west facing slope, 295m. above O.D. The wall, 2.0m. thick, and in poor condition, is constructed of small boulders with some orthostats. There is a negative lynchet along the upper wall and a simple entrance, 1.5m. wide, to the south-east. It contains 3 type 1 huts, average internal diameter 4.0m. walls 1.3m. thick, all in poor condition, two built onto the wall, and the remains of a type 2 hut, internal diameter 5.0m., wall about 1.0m. thick. (Type sites: 1, SX 56 SE 19 2, SX 56 NE 71). 1:10 000 Survey on P.F.D.

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

Photograph taken on 8th April 1976.

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

Four internal hut circles, 7-8 metres in diameter with low walls.

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

Sub-circular enclosure visible with evidence (fragmentary) of partitions inside. It contains four hut circles, two attached by an internal wall.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140721 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Site visited on 8th April 1995. Simple enclosure forming part of a partially enclosed hut settlement. Enclosure survives as a 40 metre by 34 metre sub-rectangular area surrounded by a 2 metre wide and 0.4 metre high rubble wall with occasional orthostats. At least four hut circles are visible within the enclosure, one of which is incorporated into the enclosure wall and another is attached to its inner face.

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

Enclosure (C) seems to have an original entrance defined by cross slabs on the downhill side. Four buildings take up most of the interior with diameters of 3.8 - 4.6 metres.

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, 85, 102.366a (Report - non-specific). SDV143510.

Sub-rectangular enclosure 40 metres by 34 metres defined by a poorly preserved wall 2 metres wide by 0.4 metres high. Dump construction is evident in the south-west sector and some facing stones are visible around the perimeter. Two transverse orthostats in the south-eastern sector may indicate an entrance. Two hut circles are attached to the inner face in the north-eastern sector and two more internal huts.

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

(20/05/2002) Centred SX 57376455. A sub-square enclosure containing the remains of four hut circles lies on the western flank of Lee Moor some 300m west of Little Trowlesworthy Tor.
The enclosure measures 29m north-south by 33m and is bounded by a robbed stony bank around 2.0m wide and up to 0.8m high.
The huts are all relatively small with diameters between 4 and 5m and possessing level interiors. None display identifiable entrances. All have been used as repositories for cleared surface stone.
SX 57376456. The largest hut measuring 5.3m N to S by 5.0m with walls 1.1m wide and 0.6m high.
SX 57356455. 4.4m in internal diameter and walls 1.5m wide and 0.4m high.
SX 57386455. A terraced platform adjacent to the boundary bank 4.2m in diameter.
SX 57366452. Measuring 4.8m N to S by 4.4m internally this hut is bounded by a crude circle of boulders.

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

Enclosure shown on survey.

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

Enclosure visible on aerial photograph.

Various, 2018-2020, PALs Condition Recording forms, UPTR-14 (Worksheet). SDV362781.

(08/09/2020) Condition assessed as very good; no current threats recorded.

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

Site photographs taken in September 2020.

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

Enclosure shown on modern mapping.

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

Enclosure with four hut circles lying 50 metres west of an agglomorated enclosure with hut circles. Diameter 38 metres; the stone and earth bank is 3 metres wide and 0.6 metres high. Hut circles range from 7-8 metres diameter with walls up to 2 metres thick and 0.7 metres high. Hut walls are of stone and earth with evidence of facing. One hut has an entrance to the south-west.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 20/09/2021 (Website). SDV364039.

[439133 / SX56SE10] Summary description ? Enclosures - ? corn plots.
Full description(s) ?
SX 573644. A group of eight oval enclosures situated about half a mile southeast of Trowlesworthy Warren House. (These sites are separately recorded as SX 56 NE 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 19). The enclosures are regarded by Curwen as being corn plots, and described as being "each markedly lynchetted" but not intentionally levelled. (1-2)
The lynchets are doubtful. (3)
There are some fourteen enclosed hut groups on the south-west slope of Trowlesworthy Tor: additional to those noted above are SX 56 SE 20, 124, and 109.
Some of the enclosures have been fairly well cleared of the stone which is prolific throughout the area.
In one third, e.g. SX 56 NE 18, 19 and 94, there is a distinct levelling of the interior with, on the upper side, a difference of up to 0.7m. between the inside and the outside ground levels. Where, externally, the natural level is almost at the top of the walling hill-wash may account for some rise but the impression gained is of cutting back into the slope for the construction of a revetting wall. Within on the lower sides there is also a build-up of 0.3m. to 0.5m., unlikely to be accounted for by natural soil creep. It is possibly the result of cultivation.
Only one enclosure is sub-divided by a low east to west lynchet. Other are only partly cleared with no signs of levelling. (4)
Sources ?
Ref Title (& comments) Year SoR Pages Volume Notes
(1) VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION Antiquity, 1 1972 282-4 fig (E C Curwen)
(2) VIRTUAL CATALOGUE ENTRY TO SUPPORT NAR MIGRATION APs (OS/75/369 145-6 Aug 75)
(3) Annotated Record Map
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. Corr 6" (A Fox) 1950
(4) Field Investigators Comments F1 NVQ 10-AUG-77

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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