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Summary

Standon Houses. This massive, partially enclosed, settlement occupies some 3.8 hectares of a plateau on the western flank of Standon Down overlooking the River Tavy. Almost without exception the 76 huts have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors most of which are slightly ovoid. Entrances, where apparent, are concentrated in the southern quadrant. The walling associated with the huts is as described by the previous authorities. Sites of this size and type are relatively rare on Dartmoor, the closest analogies to Standon Houses are at Watern Oke 2km to the north and at Wistman's Wood on the West Dart River. Their origins and function remain unclear but it is not unreasonable to suggest that they are related to the summer pasturing of stock. 43 of the huts were explored by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee in June 1901. Settlement surveyed in 1998 by the Royal Commission.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1008244: Unenclosed stone hut circle settlement and associated fields north of Standon Down

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX58SE1
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440624
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/1
• Old SAM County Ref: 490
• Old SAM Ref: 20368

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Baring Gould, S., 1902, 8th Report of the Dartmoor Exploration Committee, 160-163 fig. (Article in Serial). SDV215645.

Over seventy hut circles in a fair state of preservation were found on a level plateau at Standon Down, about 200ft above the bed of the River Tavy. The walls in some cases were 3 to 4 ft high, built up with large stones placed vertically; others appeared to have been rebuilt as modern shelters for sheep and shepherds.
43 huts were explored by a group of four men over an eight day period in June 1901. None of the huts explored contained raised platforms of stone as at Grimspound (SX 78 SW 11) but some of the circles had interior walls forming inner compartments. The floors of many of the huts were paved with flat stones. Many of the huts appear to have been connected by walls forming a complicated system of cattle and sheep pens. There is no suggestion in the construction and capacity of the walls of anything but protection from the weather, and for night corralling of cattle.

Victoria County History, 1906, The Victoria History of the County of Devon, 355, 356 / plan (Article in Serial). SDV238214.

Stanton down; bronze age settlement of over 70 hut circles and enclosures. Some have been rebuilt by shepherds. No huts contained raised platforms of stone. Some of the circles had interior walls forming inner compartments. Floors of many huts paved with flat stones. Many huts connected by walls forming cattle and sheep pens.

Burnard, R., 1911, Address of the President, 50 (Article in Serial). SDV231227.

Curwen, E. C., 1927, Prehistoric Agriculture in Britain, 227, 281-285 (Article in Serial). SDV173835.

Curwen, E. C., 1943, The Efficiency of a Flint Sickle, 46-47 (Article in Serial). SDV147035.

Curwen comments on the time taken to reap grain using a flint sickle in plots of land the size of those at Standon Down.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1995, 3379-80 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224714.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1950, SX58SE16, sketch of the area (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215647.

(14/07/1950) Enclosures and hut circles surveyed and designated A-C2. See card for further details.

Ralegh Radford, C. A., 1952 /1953, Prehistoric Settlements on Dartmoor and the Cornish Moors, 66-67 (Article in Serial). SDV337080.

Over 40 huts with linking walls and some lynchetting. Most of the huts are under 6.0m diameter but a few are larger. Of 43 excavated only 4 produced pottery.

Ancient Monuments, 1961 / 1992, Schedule notes (Schedule Document). SDV215644.

(September 1961) Open village of huts of small internal diameter. A number of enclosures are related to the settlement. Late Bronze Age/Iron Age.
(1992) Settlement including at least 67 hut circles, one post-Medieval shelter, a Medieval or post-Medieval shieling and at least 20 fields.

St. Joseph, J. K. S., 1967, Unknown title, 60-61 (Article in Serial). SDV219152.

National Monument Record, 1979, SF1510, 211 (Aerial Photograph). SDV224088.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX58SE16 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV215646.

(15/08/1979) An extensive settlement with over 60 huts occupies 5 hectares of a slight northwest slope, partly under grass and bracken and partly in clitter. The majority of the huts are of Type 2 (SX 56 NE 71) with double walls but a number of hybrids occur where coursed and vertical slab walling are mixed while others have excavation rubble piled upon the existing walls. The internal diameters range from 2.2m to exceptionally, 8.1m,and 1.1m high. The average diameter is 5.2 m with walling 1.5m wide and 0.6m high. Where entrances are visible they are predominantly to the south and west.
Many of the huts are linked by walls which are little more than rickles of stone up to 0.3m high, but are often aligned to incorporate large grounders. The plots so formed range from 30 square metres to 1500 square metres in area and are relatively level with a build-up of soil almost to the tops of the lower walls. Unless these formed the basis for hurdles etc it is impossible that they could restrict cattle or sheep as suggested (by Anderson, 1902) and it is more likely that they were used for cultivation.
Huts and, within scale limits, walls 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.

Visible on Royal Air Force / National Monuments Record aerial photos. Large agglomerated enclosure with attached hut circles partially within map SX58SW. Approximately 11/12 elements and 47 hut circles visible.

Robinson, R., 1985, List of Field Monument Warden Visits 1985 (Un-published). SDV346629.

(Visited 18/05/1985 and 07/11/1985) All undisturbed in very good condition. Many huts very substantial. Ministry of Defence property.

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

(1992) Walls linking huts form irregular enclosures. In most cases the boundaries abut the huts. Many of the larger huts are not linked to the boundaries. This may suggest a later phase of occupation involving building of larger huts and abandonment of smaller ones and their fields. Dartmoor Exploration Committee suggest they may represent cattle and sheep pens. It is also possible that some may have been under cultivation.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 97, Map 32, Figure 32.1 (Monograph). SDV219155.

On the north-west slopes of Standon Hill is one of the largest Bronze Age villages on the moor. Seventy huts are built closely together with a maze of small paddocks between them. The Dartmoor Exploration Committee excavated 43 huts in 1901 and noted that quite a number had been rebuilt probably by shepherds. The excavated huts can be recognised by their sunken uneven floors.

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.

(04/08/1998) Standon Houses. This massive, partially enclosed, settlement occupies some 3.8 hectares of a plateau on the western flank of Standon Down overlooking the River Tavy. Almost without exception the 76 huts have been terraced into the slope to provide level interiors most of which are slightly ovoid. Entrances, where apparent, are concentrated in the southern quadrant. The walling associated with the huts is as described by the previous authorities.
Sites of this size and type are relatively rare on Dartmoor, the closest analogies to Standon Houses are at Watern Oke 2km to the north and at Wistman's Wood on the West Dart River. Their origins and function remain unclear but it is not unreasonable to suggest that they are related to the summer pasturing of stock. Surveyed at 1:2500.
For hut details see related records. The area is under close cropped pasture with encroaching bracken and dwarf shrub vegetation.

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

(15/02/2001) No change since 1998 visit.

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

Field boundaries and hut circles shown on survey.

Probert, S., 2007, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV357728.

Probert, S., 2013, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV357729.

Newman, P., 2019, A Condition Survey of the Archaeological Sites of the Willsworthy Freehold, Dartmoor Training Area (Report - Survey). SDV363156.

Ordnance Survey, 2022, Mastermap 2022 (Cartographic). SDV364674.

'Settlement' shown with a large number of hut circles.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1008244 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

This monument includes sixty-seven stone hut circles, one post-medieval shelter, a shieling of medieval or post-medieval date and at least twenty fields situated on a gentle west-facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Tavy and forming the greater part of the large unenclosed stone hut circle settlement north of Standon Down. Fifty-six of the stone hut circles are attached to boundary walls. Sixty-six of the huts are circular in plan and the internal diameters of these huts vary from 1.8 metres to 8.8 metres, with the average being 4.19 metres. Only one hut is oval in plan and this measures 3.2 metres long by 2 metres wide and has a wall standing up to 0.6 metres high. The average height of all the walls is 0.73 metres. At least one of the huts contains a hearth, two have porches, one has an internal partition wall and two have benches. The field system associated with the settlement includes around twenty irregular fields. In most cases the boundaries abut the huts suggesting that the fields were added at some date after the settlement was established. The post-medieval shepherd's shelter built into one of the earlier stone hut circles is composed of drystone coursed walling and measures 1.8 metres long by 1.4 metres wide and stands up to 0.5 metres high. The doorway faces south. The shieling is situated on the southern edge of the settlement and is a rectangular one roomed structure with coursed drystone walls and measures 6 metres long by 4.4 metres wide and has 1.3 metres wide walls standing up to 0.6 metres high. It is possible that material from an underlying stone hut circle was robbed to erect this building. During July 1901 forty-three of the stone hut circles were partially excavated by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee. Considerable quantities of charcoal were found together with cooking stones, pottery and flint artefacts.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8440 - Excavation at settlement north of Standon Down
• 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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