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Summary

Hut settlement 280 metres south-west of Deadlake Foot to the north-west of the junction of the Rattle Brook and the River Tavy. A scattered group of hut circles and fragments of walling of up to 1.5 metres wide by up to 0.5 metres high. It is not clear whether the walling forms part of enclosures or of a field system. The huts are between 1.5 metres and 5.8 metres in daimeter with walls up to 1.2 metres wide by up to 0.4 metres high. Peat digging has destroyed much of the evidence in this area

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011235: Stone hut circle settlement 280m south-west of Deadlake Foot
• SHINE: Earthworks and walling of a prehistoric settlement consisting of at least four hut circles and associated banks south-east of Hare Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Record of the Historic Environment: 440585
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX58SE/11
• Old SAM Ref: 22240
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX58SE3

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

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

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1951/1979, SX58SE3, SX58SE3 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV231003.

(18/09/1951) Remains of enclosure (60 metres long, walls 1 metre wide, 0.5 metres high) and hut circles named A, B, and C. It is possible that at one time more of the enclosure and other hut circles were visible, but that extensive turf cutting in the area has removed all signs of them if they did exist in recent times.
(05/11/1979) In an area of peat digging on a steep south east slope above the River Tavy, between 437.0 metres and 450.0 metres OD, are five hut circles connected by fragmentary walling. It is not clear whether the walling forms part of enclosures or of a field system, the several short indistinct lengths of walling being exposed by peat diggings. The walling varies between small and large rubble, from 0.9 metres to 1.5 metres wide and up to 0.5 metres high. All the huts are of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) all but one attached to walling. This hut and that at SX 55848387 are in good condition; the remainder are circular levelled areas outlined by fragmentary walling. The internal diameters of the huts vary from 1.5 metres to 5.8 metres and their walling from 0.7 metres to 1.2 metres thick and up to 0.4 metres high. There are no visible entrances.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on MSD. See ground photograph.

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

Not visible on the Royal Air Force vertical aerial photographs.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 104, Map 32, Site 9 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Hut circle settlement located above the junction of the Rattle Brook and Tavy. Site is extremely overgrown and little remains visible above the engulfing turf. The tops of at least four hut circles (4-5 metres in diameter) can be detected, as can slight traces of banks between them but the full extent of the settlement is unknown.

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.

(25/06/1998) Two groups of prehistoric hut circles and associated walling lie on a SE-facing hillslope. Centred at SX55908384 and SX55748388 respectively they lie in an area of extensive, relatively modern peat cutting between 440m and 455m above OD.
SX55778384 3.5m internal diameter with a low stone and boulder bank 1.4m wide an entrance is not visible.
SX55908385 4.0m internal diameter with a low stone and boulder bank up to 2.0m wide. The entrance may be marked by two transverse slabs.
SX55908384 3.0m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope with a low stone and boulder bank but no visible entrance.
SX55918383 2.4m in internal diameter with a low stone and boulder bank but no visible entrance.
SX55918383 2.4m internal diameter with a low stone and boulder bank 1.5m wide; adjacent to a linear wall. The position of the entrance is not obvious.
SX55748388 2.5m in internal diameter with an 0.4m high front scarp and a slight boulder/stone bank. The entrance is not visible.
SX55718389 2.6m in internal diameter with an 0.3m high front scarp and a slight boulder/stone bank. The entrance is not visible.
SX55768384 4.2m in internal diameter and levelled into the slope. The boulder and stone bank is about 1.6m wide and 0.3m high. The entrance is not visible. This is a fine hut circle though it is covered by peat and tall grass.
The low boulder stone walling which is visible in the peat cutting area is probably part of a field system which is covered elsewhere by the deep peat layer and purple moorgrass.

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

(23/01/2001)

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

Hut circles and fragments of walling shown on survey.

Historic England, 2023, National Heritage List for England, 1011235 (National Heritage List for England). SDV365228.

This monument includes five stone hut circles and fragmentary lengths of rubble walls situated on a south-east facing slope overlooking the valley of the River Tavy. The huts are composed of stone and earth banks surrounding an internal area. The huts are circular in plan and the internal diameters vary from 6 metres to 2.3 metres. The height of all the walls varies between 0.4 and 0.3 metres. Two huts have visible doorways. Fragments of rubble walling lying between the huts have been identified, though it is not clear whether these represent field-plots or an enclosure boundary.

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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