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Summary

An extensive Bronze Age settlement containing 12 hut circles and at least 15 hectares of associated field system on the south-west flank of Ger Tor. The 12 huts are all relatively well-preserved and possess diameters in the range of 2.5m to 5.2m. Most have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors which are usually slightly ovoid. There are no discernible entrances to the huts. A total of five cairns (SX 58 SW 17, 18, 85, 135 and 136) lie within the area occupied by this settlement. The field system is generally as described though now larger in extent. Fragments of similar field boundaries lie to the south-west of the Reddaford leat and north-west of the Hamlyn's Newtake wall, previously regarded as the extents of this site.

Summary from record MDV50692:
Vis=estimated -/-/1993 (gerrard) the westernmost of two irregular enclosures. Surrounded by a visible boundary bank on 3 sides. The w side of the enclosure, survives either as a buried feature, has been extensively robbed or was never completed. The minimum dimensions of the area enclosed by the surrounding 1.8m wide and 0.5m high rubble wall is 230m ns by 130m ew. Cairn 130621 lies in the centre of this enclosure the relationship between the 2 enclosures is not clear (mpp).

Summary from record MDV50693:
Vis=estimated -/-/1993 (gerrard) the eastern of two irregular enclosures. Lies adjacent to the western (subsheet 8) and is defined by a wall similar in both character and dimensions. Measures 200m ew by 115m ns and has an entrance through the w wall. Four stone hut circles are attached to the enclosure boundary wall and two further lie within the interior along with a cairn. This enclosure is attached to a reave lying to the s by a substantial lynchet measuring 6m wide and 2m high. It is however, not clear precisely what the relationship between the enclosures and this reave is. The most likely possibility is that the reave denotes the s edge of a large enclosure extending as far as the willsworthy brook and the two smaller enclosures were inserted into the large enclosure at a later date (mpp).

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1008711: An enclosed stone hut circle settlement, three round cairns and a length of reave 650m WSW of Ger Tor
• Scheduled Monument 1008712: An enclosure boundary wall, thirteen stone hut circles and a round cairn on Nattor Down and Hamlyn's Newtake

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SW16
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440702
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/173
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/34
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/34/8
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SW/34/9
• Old SAM Ref: 22248
• Old SAM Ref: 22249

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3382 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

On air photograph the enclosures seem more extensive than published.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2082, 3489-90 (Aerial Photograph). SDV221887.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951, SX58SW16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215545.

(18/07/1950) Remains of an enclosure and hut circles.
Hut circle A. Approx. 7m diameter. Doubled wall type, wall is 0.3m high and is composed of fairly large stones. No visible entrance.
Hut circle B. Remains of. Diameter 7m. Turf covered stones compose wall.
Hut circle C. Remains of. Diameter 6m.
Hut circle D. Remains of. Diameter 6m. Only a few stones remain.
Hut circle E. Remains of. Diameter 5m. Only a few stones remain.
Hut circle F. Remains of. Diameter 5m. Only a few stones remain.
Hut circle G. Enclosure and hut circle in a very fragmentary condition. Accurate measurement impossible. Few stones compose its walling.
Enclosure H, J. Remains of. These enclosures are also in a poor condition, their walls are composed of turf covered stones reaching a height of approx. 0.3m.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF 1510, 225-8, 233-4 (Aerial Photograph). SDV8491.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SW16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215547.

(18/08/1979) Centred at SX 542830 and occupying an area of 700m by 200m on a gentle southwest slope is an enclosed settlement. A build-up of peat on the lower slopes and some stone robbing has probably obscured and destroyed any evidence of extensions to the northwest and southeast.
There are three enclosures, all open on at least one side, formed by mixed types of wall construction, mostly rubble up to 0.5m high with orthostats at irregular intervals, but also single and occasionally double lines of stones.
'A' is an incomplete enclosure, which would have exceeded 2ha in area, and which only incorporates one much ruined cairn (SX 58 SW 18).45m to the southeast is a 330m length of wall which may have been part of another enclosure or possibly the boundary of a droveway.
'B' is 2ha in area with three huts in its northern wall and an entrance gap between the two eastern huts. All are of Type 1 (Type site SX 56 NE 71) with levelled interiors from 4.4m to 5.9m in diameter and single walling 0.3m high. No entrances are discernible.
'C' utilizes a reave (SX 58 SW 45) for one side from which walling extends to the southwest and northwest enclosing at least 3ha though the northwest side cannot be traced. It incorporates a single Type 1 hut with an internal diameter measuring 3.8m and walling 0.2m high with no clearly defined entrance.
Associated with the settlement is an area of rectilinear plots which follow the contours in a northwest to southeast direction. They are partly cleared and levelled in stony areas or simply levelled where there is only pasture. Each is about 30.0m long and from 10.0m to 20.0m wide. They are difficult to see save, from a distance below when the terracing is visible, and do not appear on the air photographs. The plots respect the enclosure walling and do not extend beyond the reave so far as can be seen. About 12ha centred at SX 54308315 are banded on the illustration plan but it is probable that the plots cover a greater area especially to the southwest, though here the ground has very little slope and the minimal terracing may be overlaid by wash and peat growth.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD.

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

Enclosure and hut circles recorded.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 130625, 130631 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

(1993) MPP 130631 SX 5410 8295 The eastern of two irregular enclosures. Lies adjacent to the western (subsheet 8) and is defined by a wall similar in both character and dimensions. Measures 200m east-west by 115m north-south and has an entrance through the western wall.
Four stone hut circles are attached to the enclosure boundary wall and two further lie within the interior along with a cairn. This enclosure is attached to a reave lying to the south by a substantial lynchet measuring 6m wide and 2m high. It is however, not clear precisely what the relationship between the enclosures and this reave is. The most likely possibility is that the reave denotes the southern edge of a large enclosure extending as far as the Willsworthy Brook and the two smaller enclosures were inserted into the large enclosure at a later date.
(1993) MPP 130631 SX 5392 8288 The westernmost of two irregular enclosures. Surrounded by a visible boundary bank on three sides. The western side of the enclosure, survives either as a buried feature, has been extensively robbed or was never completed. The minimum dimensions of the area enclosed by the surrounding 1.8m wide and 0.5m high rubble wall is 230m north-south by 130m east-west. Cairn 130621 lies in the centre of this enclosure the relationship between the two enclosures is not clear.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 99, Map 32, Figure 32.2 (Monograph). SDV219155.

'Nattor Down settlement' with three incomplete enclosures surrounding a mix of cairns and hut circles.

Probert, S. + Fletcher, M. + Newman, P., 1998, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon: An Archaeological survey by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (Report - Survey). SDV350638.

(19/08/1998) About 15ha of the SW flank of Ger Tor is occupied by an extensive cluster of hut circles and contemporary field systems. The 12 huts, tabulated below, are all relatively well-preserved and possess diameters in the range of 2.5m to 5.2m. Most have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors which are usually slightly ovoid. There are no discernible entrances to the huts. A total of five cairns (SX 58 SW 17, 18, 85, 135 and 136) lie within the area occupied by this settlement.
The field system is generally as described by the Ordnance Survey (1979) though now larger in extent. Fragments of similar field boundaries lie to the SW of the Reddaford leat and NW of the Hamlyn's Newtake wall, previously regarded as the extents of this site. Several of the small cleared areas reported by the Ordnance Survey (1979) are visible in the central enclosure though much of the site is obscured by dense moorland heather.
Huts: NGR, DIAMETER (INTERNAL), WALLS (WIDTH, HEIGHT), ENTRANCE, COMMENTS:
SX5411983032 5.2m 2.0m 0.5m
SX5410083021 3.85m 0.7m
SX5406283012 4.15m 2.0m 1.05m
SX5411482985 4.5m 1.7m 0.4m
SX5413582962 4.9m 1.6m 0.4m
SX5407682954 4.0m 1.4m 0.4m Walls robbed on E side
SX5402682998 4.7m 2.0m 0.4m Disturbed
SX5383583034 6.8m Platform largely obscured by vegetation.
SX5434083169 3.6m 0.6m Circle of stones
SX5435483150 3.5m 0.7m " "
SX5436583140 3.9m 1.7m 0.2m
SX5437183138 2.5 1.0m 0.2m

Probert, S., 2001, Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy, Devon. Integrated Land Management Plan Implementation: Archaeological Condition Baseline Survey Appendices 2-5 (Report - Survey). SDV357727.

(05/01/2001) These features remain as described in 1998.

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

Boundaries shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2023, Mastermap 2023 (Cartographic). SDV365227.

'Settlement & Field System' shown on modern mapping.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7368 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area, Peter Tavy (1998)
• EDV6663 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6664 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV6665 - Survey of the Willsworthy Training Area
• EDV8141 - Condition survey of the Willsworthy Training Area

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