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Summary

Group of 21 structures; 18 are hut circles and three rectangular structures, situated on a medium, N-facing slope amid dense clitter between the River Swincombe and the Wheal Emma Leat. Included are two groups of conjoined hut circles. Fragmentary field walls adjoin. This site is on the local list of Nationally Important Dartmoor sites.

Location

Protected Status

• SHINE: Central western section of the Bronze Age Venford Reave at Swincombe, with a number of attached hut circle settlements and enclosures, as well as an extensive Bronze Age field system, a cairn and a post-Medieval blowing house on Down Ridge

Other References/Statuses

• Dartmoor Non-designated Heritage Asset (Historical): NI Site
• National Monuments Record: SX67SW73
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 443454
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/267
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67SW/268
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX67SW73

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

National Monuments Record, 1969 - 1976, NMR SX6373, 1/144 (Aerial Photograph). SDV234379.

Photograph taken on 12th April 1969.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1980, SX67SW73 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV258118.

(25/02/1980) Centred at SX 63577210 in an area of dense clitter are six hut circles. All are in fairly poor condition and appear to be of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) with tumbled rubble walls, occasionally with some inner facing slabs. The walling is 0.9m wide and 0.4m high, and the internal diameters range from 2.6m to 3.0m. Entrances are in all cases uncertain.
The two easternmost huts incorporate massive in situ boulders.
The huts are typical of those found in dense clitter, which in itself imposes a constraint on size, and at a distance of 20m are almost impossible to detect.
There are some very small cleared, or naturally clear patches, irregular in plan and usually about 6 square metres in area.
Rickles of stone occur in the vicinity of the huts, 3.0m to 10.0m long, but these `walls' form no recognisable fields or plot boundaries.
Found during field investigation.
Huts surveyed at 1:10 000 and at 1:2500 on MSD.

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

Six hut circles visible beside the Venford Reave (one hut circle may be attached to the reave itself). Short length of bank visible and recorded.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1987-1993, Duchy Farms Project Survey Visit, P. Pattison (Report - Survey). SDV350839.

(26/07/1988) Group of 21 structures; 18 are hut circles and 3 rectangular structures, situated on a medium, N-facing slope amid dense clitter. Included are two groups of conjoined hut circles. Fragmentary field walls adjoin. The group is centred at SX 63137255.
Most of the huts are in only poor-fair condition, except hut (C) and (G) and (N) which are well preserved. All are small with internal diameters between 1.7m and 5.2m; the average is 3.2m. Wall construction is almost uniformly of piled rubble forming low banks composed of medium-large size stones. Occasionally there are traces of internal and external facing slabs (hut circles (B), (D) and (N). Four structures utilize massive, in situ, boulders (hut circles (D), (O), (U) feature (V)). Features (A), (F) and (V) have rectangular ground plans. There are no clear entrances to any of the hut circles.
There are two groups of conjoined hut circles:
1) (K) and (L)
2) (P) (Q) (R) and (S). Four hut circles are arranged in series, almost creating a building range, with common walls. (R) may be a core structure around which the remaining three were built.
Although loosely associated as a scattered group, there hut circles display no obvious organisation; they are randomly sited among the clitter. Two field walls may have formed an enclosure on the SW side of the "Venford" reave (SX 67 SE 96); indeed most of the hut circles lie inside it and there are patches of cleared ground within. The field walls survive up to 1.5m wide and 0.5m high and are of similar form to the hut circle walls. Further wall fragments exist on the extreme S of the group. Three hut circles have relationships to field walls: (G) probably pre-dates a wall while (P) lies at one end of a short length. The relationship of (V) to a field wall is not clear.
Only six of the hut circles and one field wall is visible on aerial photos referred to in Royal Commission APP (1985). A further table of information on the settlement is held in the NRHE archive.

Butler, J., 1993, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Four - The South-East, 209-210, Map 62, Figure 62.3 (Monograph). SDV337765.

Prehistoric Settlement '7' at Deep Swincombe West is a partially enclosed hut group near the river with at least 26 small primitive hut circles of 2.5 to 4 metres in diameter associated with the boundary reave. Many of them are built against the larger boulders with the patch of surface stone. Butler records a low rubble bank meandering between the rocks.

Gerrard, S., 2004, List of Sites Remaining to be Considered for Designation on Dartmoor (Un-published). SDV345444.

This site was considered for designation as a Scheduled Ancient Monument during the Monument Protection Programme. The programme ended before the entire list of sites was successfully scheduled so this is included on a local list of Nationally Important Sites.

Ordnance Survey, 2020, MasterMap 2020 (Cartographic). SDV363413.

Six features shown at 'Settlement' on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8146 - Royal Commission Survey at Down Ridge and Swincombe
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project
• EDV8423 - Duchy Farms Project

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